Help! Dry, cracking hands....

[mom26]

My 8 yo dd has the same problem I do each winter...our hands dry and crack--it is a painful nuisance...we have tried slathering her hands with a variety of lotions and covering hands in socks overnight, we have begun taking cod liver oil (i found some that tastes like lemon, really!!) but have not noticed a difference.

 

We have tried Gold Bond medicated,

Lubriderm extra strength,

Aquaphor,

Moisturel

 

Any other thoughts??

Blessings,

kathi

[eaglei]

I'd be interested in any suggestions as well!

[Marsha]

Drinking lots of water and taking Cod Liver Oil helps.

THey have flavored CLO now.

[musicianmom]

There's some sort of glycerin lotion that will heal it, but it stings like crazy. It also works as a preventive measure, though, so once you get it healed up, use the glycerin every day and the cracks won't happen again.

 

For healing, slather Carmex all over the cracked places and rub it in before bed. That will do the trick in a couple of days. I'm doing that right now, actually. Once the cracks go away, I'll start using the glycerin.

[emeraldjoy]

Lanolin, pure and straight up.

Coconut oil or Emu oil too.

Bag Balm.

Watch the soaps you are using.

e

[Lovedtodeath]

Melaluca had something called liquid gloves, I think. I put Olive Oil on DDs hands, as Olive oil is naturally antibiotic and anti-fungal.

[angela in ohio]

Homemade soap.

 

It is the only thing that works for my excema and dd's dry, chapped hands. You can make it yourself or buy some online.

[AuntieM]

fish oil from the inside out, olive oil from the outside in!

 

Actually, my 11yods gets this every winter, the fish oil is a big help, but when he neglects caring for them for a few days, sometimes we have to jump start with a bit of hydrocortisone ointment and a slather of Aquaphor.

[mom26]

Homemade soap.

 

It is the only thing that works for my excema and dd's dry, chapped hands. You can make it yourself or buy some online.

 

Lanolin, pure and straight up.

Coconut oil or Emu oil too.

Bag Balm.

Watch the soaps you are using.

e

 

Where do I get lanolin?My Liberian kiddos use coconut oil daily for their skin...maybe 8yo needs to 'grease up' too!

Thanks for the ideas ladies...keep em coming!!

Blessings,

kathi

[shalom22]

My son and I have the same problem with dry hands and I also have dry skin on my legs. The best stuff that I have used is Ahava, Mineral Hand Cream, a Dead Sea Product. It is a little pricey. I have found it at our HEB grocery store here in Houston, so you can look around locally to see if it is available or order it online.

 

Lately I have been using Eucerin, daily replenishing lotion. It seems to work ok, but I have to use it everyday and sometime several times a day to keep from getting very dry skin.

 

One thing that I noticed with my sons dry hands: If he doesn't wash and dry his hand throughly every time, his hands will get very dry, red and scaley looking. But when I can get him to scrub the front and back of his hands instead of the typical drive by washing that kids are really good at, then his hands don't get so dry.

[mom26]

Melaluca had something called liquid gloves, I think. I put Olive Oil on DDs hands, as Olive oil is naturally antibiotic and anti-fungal.

 

Thanks...I didn't realize olive oil had those properties as well :)

Blessings,

kathi

[Deidre in GA]

i've been having dry issues with my hands. at night i've been putting Lansinoh on them. it's actually a nipple cream for breastfeeding moms that i used to magically treat my son's severe, severe chapped lip problem. Lansinoh is medical grade lanolin. my hands are much better though during the day i also treat them with Bag Balm. Bag Balm smells too much for me to use overnight.

 

IIRC Lansinoh is not easy to find or cheap but it is a welcome addition to the family medicine cabinet.

[mom26]

Drinking lots of water and taking Cod Liver Oil helps.

THey have flavored CLO now.

 

We're doing the lemon favored CLO but have slacked off on water consumption...thanks for the reminder!!

Kathi

[mom26]

There's some sort of glycerin lotion that will heal it, but it stings like crazy. It also works as a preventive measure, though, so once you get it healed up, use the glycerin every day and the cracks won't happen again.

 

For healing, slather Carmex all over the cracked places and rub it in before bed. That will do the trick in a couple of days. I'm doing that right now, actually. Once the cracks go away, I'll start using the glycerin.

 

Do you mean the carmex that comes in the tiny tub for lips? Also, do you know the name of the glycerin?? Is it just plain old glycerin?? I think I have some plain no name stuff we used to oil our wood table--I got it at a pharmacy so that should work~

[lllll]

My 8 yo dd has the same problem I do each winter...our hands dry and crack--it is a painful nuisance...we have tried slathering her hands with a variety of lotions and covering hands in socks overnight, we have begun taking cod liver oil (i found some that tastes like lemon, really!!) but have not noticed a difference.

 

We have tried Gold Bond medicated,

Lubriderm extra strength,

Aquaphor,

Moisturel

 

 

Have you tried this one? Aveeno Stress Relief Moisturizing Lotion. We buy it a Wal Mart. Works well for ordinary stuff if you use it several times a day. Good luck.

[emeraldjoy]

i've been having dry issues with my hands. at night i've been putting Lansinoh on them. it's actually a nipple cream for breastfeeding moms that i used to magically treat my son's severe, severe chapped lip problem. Lansinoh is medical grade lanolin. my hands are much better though during the day i also treat them with Bag Balm. Bag Balm smells too much for me to use overnight.

 

IIRC Lansinoh is not easy to find or cheap but it is a welcome addition to the family medicine cabinet.

 

Yes, as she said Lansinoh is Lanolin. I think it can be found in most *large* baby sections. This is what we have and use. A little goes a long way. It is very hard and sort of gooey before it gets warmed up, then it becomes more spreadable.

Otherwise, to find lanolin possibley a health food store, or maybe even at Wal-mart pharmacy or some store similar. I think I read that you can find Coconut oil at wal-mart as well.....

good luck.

e

[Katiebug_1976]

Kathi,

I have struggled with this same problem for several years, and I couldn't even use the sensitive skin lotions because they would still burn severely. So when my mom, being a 30+ year self taught herbalist, came up with Skin Soother, all my dry skin problems stopped! She runs a small organic herb farm in northwest Washington State, and markets her salves and teas through the local farmers markets and the Skagit Valley Food Co-op in Mt. Vernon, WA. It is not listed on their website, but if you were interested, I'm sure you could call them and ask for Skin Soother made by Genuine Goods, Welcome Valley, WA. We use it for dry skin, rashes, burns, bugbites, diaper rash etc. I hope this helps, dry skin is awful!

 

http://www.skagitfoodcoop.com/

 

Here is a list of the ingredients in Skin Soother: Olive Oil, castor oil, beeswax, vitamin E, calendula, horsetail, rosemary, thyme, green tea, slippery elm, red clover, parsley, comfrey, burdock, chickweed, poplar, turkey rhubarb, plantain, basil, cleavers, birch, sheep sorrel, camomile, lavenday, and peppermint.

 

I hope this helps,

[mom26]

Kathi,

I have struggled with this same problem for several years, and I couldn't even use the sensitive skin lotions because they would still burn severely. So when my mom, being a 30+ year self taught herbalist, came up with Skin Soother, all my dry skin problems stopped! She runs a small organic herb farm in northwest Washington State, and markets her salves and teas through the local farmers markets and the Skagit Valley Food Co-op in Mt. Vernon, WA. It is not listed on their website, but if you were interested, I'm sure you could call them and ask for Skin Soother made by Genuine Goods, Welcome Valley, WA. We use it for dry skin, rashes, burns, bugbites, diaper rash etc. I hope this helps, dry skin is awful!

 

http://www.skagitfoodcoop.com/

 

Here is a list of the ingredients in Skin Soother: Olive Oil, castor oil, beeswax, vitamin E, calendula, horsetail, rosemary, thyme, green tea, slippery elm, red clover, parsley, comfrey, burdock, chickweed, poplar, turkey rhubarb, plantain, basil, cleavers, birch, sheep sorrel, camomile, lavenday, and peppermint.

 

I hope this helps,

 

Thanks for the info...I'll have to look into it!!

Nice to have that in the family, I'm sure :)

[mom26]

Thanks for the info...I'll have to look into it!!

Nice to have that in the family, I'm sure :)

We have the same problem with burning and stinging....

..just went to the website but didn't see how I can contact your mom directly...is there some place I need to click on the other site'?

Thanks!!

[Herding Cats in NC]

Watch the soaps you are using.

e

 

:iagree: I've found I absolutely cannot use any antibacterial soap - it just dries my hands out no matter what I do.

[mom26]

:iagree: I've found I absolutely cannot use any antibacterial soap - it just dries my hands out no matter what I do.

 

I forgot to mention we switched to non bacterial soap for her as well...

[TXMomof4]

My 8 yo dd has the same problem I do each winter...our hands dry and crack--it is a painful nuisance...we have tried slathering her hands with a variety of lotions and covering hands in socks overnight, we have begun taking cod liver oil (i found some that tastes like lemon, really!!) but have not noticed a difference.

 

We have tried Gold Bond medicated,

Lubriderm extra strength,

Aquaphor,

Moisturel

 

Any other thoughts??

Blessings,

kathi

 

I LOVE LOVE LOVE the Burt's Bees Hand Salve. I use it all through the day and I love it. My fingers get cracked so easily and this heals it and prevents new cracks.

[mom26]

I LOVE LOVE LOVE the Burt's Bees Hand Salve. I use it all through the day and I love it. My fingers get cracked so easily and this heals it and prevents new cracks.

 

I can get this at CVS and I have extracare bucks...;)

Since fist posting I tried the glycerin...dd cried b/c it burned so much...at this point anything will burn b/c her hands are in such bad shape :(

 

Thanks for all the suggestions...something has got to work!

Blessings,

kathi

[Punkinelly]

To add to what everyone else is saying, the best thing we have done to keep our hands and fingers from cracking is to stop using regular soap or soft soap when we wash our hands. We use Dove now (bar) and it has made a huge difference. I also put lotion on twice a day, but the soap was the only change we made 2 years ago and have been so happy to not have such dry, cracked hands now.

 

Mary

[Katiebug_1976]

We have the same problem with burning and stinging....

..just went to the website but didn't see how I can contact your mom directly...is there some place I need to click on the other site'?

Thanks!!

 

Neither her contact info or her products are listed online, but you can contact her at (360) 592-9442. Her name is DeLee. I told her you might call, but she can answer any of your question and tell you much more about this than I can.

[CalicoKat]

:iagree: I've found I absolutely cannot use any antibacterial soap - it just dries my hands out no matter what I do.

:iagree:I can't use any dish soaps except palmolive and 7th generation. All the others and my hands are dry and cracked. Dawn is actually the worst!

[newbie]

Loccitane has pure shea butter in tins, you can get on their website or QVC.

[Rosie_0801]

For me it was a combination of not drinking enough water, and using harsh soap. Even the extra sensitive skin soaps from the supermarket are too harsh for me. I buy olive oil soaps from the organic shop or use the chemical free shampoo.

 

:)

Rosie

[muffinmom]

I was at the dermatologist about a month ago and she said, "Can I please put something on your hands?" (I was actually there for another reason!) She put Cutemol on me and it really helped, more than anything else I've tried. (BTW, her hands were as soft and smooth as a baby's bum!)

 

It's OTC and some drugstores may sell it, but not all. I got it on Amazon. http://www.amazon.com/Cutemol-Emollient-Cream-Severe-Skin/dp/B00121TEQW/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=hpc&qid=1236281193&sr=1-2

You can put it on and wash your hands (to remove any greasiness) and it will still protect. Water will bead up on it. It contains lanolin, too, but is much easier to spread than Lansinoh.

[vettechmomof2]

wu use bag balm at night, normally about once every 3 days or so, if we forget then my daughter and husband get bloody hands.

Plus, it is cheap.:tongue_smilie:

[iamom]

This might have been mentioned already, but you could try jojoba oil (found at natural food/vitamins stores.) It is supposed to be very similar to the natural oils our skin produces. My midwife recommended to put that on after bathing. It smells a bit funny (my kids say it smells like hotdogs!) but it might be worth a try! Good luck!

[newlifemom]

This might have been mentioned already, but you could try jojoba oil (found at natural food/vitamins stores.) It is supposed to be very similar to the natural oils our skin produces. My midwife recommended to put that on after bathing. It smells a bit funny (my kids say it smells like hotdogs!) but it might be worth a try! Good luck!

 

:iagree: Ds's hands were so bad, people were beginning to wonder if he was contagious. Two things that the health food store told me to add to the CLO and water drinking. 1. Jojoba butter, everynight after last bathroom trip with clean not quite dry hands and then socks. Now we just apply it with no socks. 2. Purchase a handwashing soap with no LYE. I got the one they told me to and have now switched the entire house over. I suppose it is expensive, but no more than dr visits, hydorcortisone and other Rx meds etc. It has worked wonders on all my very eczemay kids, hands, faces, behind knees, backs and for the baby, the top of her tush.

Edited March 5, 2009 by newlifemom
typo what else.

[Lovedtodeath]

2. Purchase a handwashing soap with no LYE.

 

Where to get this? TIA!

[newlifemom]

Where to get this? TIA!

 

I went to the health food store in town and told them I needed hand soap with no lye and they found it for me on the shelf. They had purchased it as a system for their store. (you know the kinds you see in restaurant bathrooms) It is called Ballard Organics. HTH

[Peri]

I had the same problem. What you have to do is switch to a natural soap like Dr.Bonners natural castile soap. Most of the soaps that are sold have very harsh cleansers in them even if they claim to be gentle. Switching to a natural soap will all together take care of any cracking skin. My knuckles have not been cracked since I've done this alone. The second thing to do is either switch to all natural home cleaners or wear those plastic gloves everytime you have to deal with household cleaning products. After you do this I would give myself a good manicure to get rid of all the dead skin around the nails and on the hands. For lotions, i very much like Keri or Vaseline. The problem with these is that they have a form of pertroleum in them. This inhibits the skins natural oil production so using them is a double edged sword. If you can do a natural moisturizer for the hands that would be better. Again Dr.Bonners makes a good one.

 

I edited to say that even soaps that use Lye are better than any soap you normaly get in the regular stores. You start out with oil and add lye to it. The lye disolves out and causes glycerin to form in the oil while also saponating the oil. Glycerin is also very good for healing dry chapped skin. So soaps made with lye isn't all that bad.

Edited March 6, 2009 by Peri

[angela in ohio]

I edited to say that even soaps that use Lye are better than any soap you normaly get in the regular stores. You start out with oil and add lye to it. The lye disolves out and causes glycerin to form in the oil while also saponating the oil. Glycerin is also very good for healing dry chapped skin. So soaps made with lye isn't all that bad.

 

Yes, no soap actually has lye in it (unless really poorly made, I guess.) The lye is used in the process of creating soap from oils. So really, all soap is lye-free, but no soap can be made without it. :) (I'm talking real soap here, not the liquid mess of chemical goo they sell at the store.) Google "lye-free soap" to get a chorus on this one, LOL.

[katemary63]

Where do I get lanolin?

 

I get mine from Seymore, our pet sheep. He gives it to me for free every time I pet him!;)

[angela in ohio]

I went to the health food store in town and told them I needed hand soap with no lye and they found it for me on the shelf. They had purchased it as a system for their store. (you know the kinds you see in restaurant bathrooms) It is called Ballard Organics. HTH

 

From the Ballard Organics site: Can you make soap without lye (sodium hydroxide)?

No. The only way to make soap is with lye. Saponification, the process where oils are mixed with a lye-water solution, cannot occur without lye. Properly made soap will not have any lye leftover - all lye should mix with the oils to become soap.

 

ETA: I am just pointing this out to save you from spending a bunch of extra money at the health food store, not to be argumentative. :)

Edited March 6, 2009 by angela in ohio

[readwithem]

I can get this at CVS and I have extracare bucks...;)

Since fist posting I tried the glycerin...dd cried b/c it burned so much...at this point anything will burn b/c her hands are in such bad shape :(

 

Thanks for all the suggestions...something has got to work!

Blessings,

kathi

 

I don't have anything to add - we've got the same problem so thank you for starting this thread :) I just wanted to give your sweet dd a hug and I hope her hands heal soon.

[newlifemom]

From the Ballard Organics site: Can you make soap without lye (sodium hydroxide)?

No. The only way to make soap is with lye. Saponification, the process where oils are mixed with a lye-water solution, cannot occur without lye. Properly made soap will not have any lye leftover - all lye should mix with the oils to become soap.

 

ETA: I am just pointing this out to save you from spending a bunch of extra money at the health food store, not to be argumentative. :)

 

Hmmm, so there is soap like this that is cheaper? 'Cause frankly I am sold on it. It has made a huge difference in ds and myself in the 2 weeks since we switched. I am not using the jojoba butter and have not significantly altered anything else, yet, my hands are so much better. Is that psychosamatic(can't spell)?

[Audrey]

My 8 yo dd has the same problem I do each winter...our hands dry and crack--it is a painful nuisance...we have tried slathering her hands with a variety of lotions and covering hands in socks overnight, we have begun taking cod liver oil (i found some that tastes like lemon, really!!) but have not noticed a difference.

 

We have tried Gold Bond medicated,

Lubriderm extra strength,

Aquaphor,

Moisturel

 

Any other thoughts??

Blessings,

kathi

 

 

Bag balm is the best. Really.

Edited March 6, 2009 by Audrey

[JoyfulMama]

Lanolin, pure and straight up.

Coconut oil or Emu oil too.

Bag Balm.

Watch the soaps you are using.

e

:iagree:

We also use a bit of hydrocortisone mixed in with the lotion when it is at its worst.

Handwashing - use tepid water, and pat dry - do not rub.

[Sandra in NC]

Try a Heat Pump for heating.

 

My son had dry, cracking, bleeding hands in the winter when we had gas heat. When we switched to a heat pump four years ago, the problem went away.

 

We also used to suffer from stuffy noses, painful sinuses, etc. That went away when we switched to a heat pump, too.

 

When it gets below 20 degrees, the gas heat kicks on as a backup source and we can feel it immediately. Fortunately, it doesn't get that cold too often in NC.

[angela in ohio]

Hmmm, so there is soap like this that is cheaper? 'Cause frankly I am sold on it. It has made a huge difference in ds and myself in the 2 weeks since we switched. I am not using the jojoba butter and have not significantly altered anything else, yet, my hands are so much better. Is that psychosamatic(can't spell)?

 

Any nice homemade or natural soap will work. You might be able to order online or find someone locally who is cheaper. We make it, and it is about 80 cents a bar total.

 

It isn't just in your head. :D It really does make a HUGE difference.

[mom26]

I get mine from Seymore, our pet sheep. He gives it to me for free every time I pet him!;)

 

Too funny! No sheep here...and i don't think the pesky squirrels will work!

[mom26]

Any nice homemade or natural soap will work. You might be able to order online or find someone locally who is cheaper. We make it, and it is about 80 cents a bar total.

 

It isn't just in your head. :D It really does make a HUGE difference.

 

I'll have to poke around for homemade soaps!

Thanks!!

Kathi