Hand Smoothing Cream

I think I inherited this very same issue from my Mom :)

try using a soft scrub on your hands...in the shower.
like the apricot one from st ives.
~ thought being if you would use it on your face it is gentle enough for your hands.
then use your lotion and let it soak in for a little while - maybe only once a day or just before bed to heal. I would have suggested the gloves - but you already mentioned not so much..

I also use some A&D type oinment on the already cut/bleeding spots and then use lotion. and more lotion and more lotion.. almost everytime you wash.

when you do have just a few extra moments just use reg vaseline (not the lotion, but the petroleum jelly). and rub it in and in and in... until you have to move on to your next task and wipe it off.. but it will help in the long run.

Also.. try 'glue' bandages for the spots that do crack & around the nails... it seems to help them heal faster because they are not being reopened constantly with the water.

lastly.. hee hee... I use the babies nighttime teething gel on the cracks that are split open and take forever to heal and just throb sometimes.

You might also try the dishwashing gloves for few weeks.

good luck :)
-marg

Any of the listed lotions should do the trick, the Mary Kay hand smoothing kit is also really nice. The key is to find one that doesn't irritate your hands and that you can stand the way it smells.

What we have to do in our household in the winter is to switch the soap that we use to wash hands with. The winter routine is to use Milk & Honey soap (off-brand avaialble at Safeway) and then to moisturize whenever hands feel dry using Lubriderm sensative skin.

I'd suggest changing the soap you use to one that is moisturizing. If you're washing that much you really don't need an anti-microbial soap.

Mine are the same! I just bought Gold Bond Ultimate healing concentrated therapy ointment at Target at Northgate tonight. Goes on a little greasy but the label says that it doesn't wash off. It doesn't sting or feel stingy on my cracked hands like all the rest and didn't inflame them any more than they were. It doesn't wash off, either. My hands feel better already. Good luck!

I use a product called Bella Balm. I just put it on at night before I go to bed and it works great for me. If your hands are really dry you might need to use it a couple of times during the day, too. I think I have a couple of little sample packages. Feel free to contact me if you'd like me to send you one to try it.

So I am not a big Mary Kay person but my Mother in law gave us the satin hand collection. It comes with lotion and a hand scrub. I love it. It is the only thing that works for my husband our daughter and I.