How to Heal Hands...

Hi! I know how you feel, after a weekend of cleaning my hands feel and look awful. I got so tired of all the harsh chemicals to clean the house with so now I use all natural products to clean as well as a great all natural lotion. I would love to tell you all about it. You can e-mail me or go to my website http://www.themomteam.com/pamrose.

It sounds weird, but Lansinoh lanolin (yep, the same stuff you use on your nipples when you breastfeed) works very well for healing dry skin in a hurry. It's fairly greasy and sticky, so you'd probably want to put socks or gloves on your hands if you use it. I occasionally get super-dry patches of skin and the lanolin really does the trick. I also used it on my daughter's hands when she was an infant and got red, cracked skin on her hands from putting them in her mouth too often.

Hi, K....

Ouch--sounds painful! Eucerin makes a Dry Skin Calming Cream that is really good--they had samples of it at our pediatricians office and that has been helpful. We also have Aquaphor for our son, and it is good too...the baby version (in the baby stuff) is cheaper than the regular version and is the same formula. It's a bit on the sticky side, so you may want to do the glove/sock thing. Hope your hands feel better quickly!

Blessings,
V.

Try to avoid anything with scents. That will burn like the dickons! I have really nasty exzama and I am extremely sensitive to most lotions (my hands break out really bad) so I can't help you in that department. I just know to stear clear of scented lotion.

K.-
I have two hand creams that are fantastic. They will heal anything in a matter of days...great for feet too! The first is inexpensive--it used to be available at Walgreens, but you can get it at drugstore.com as well. It is called Glysomed Hand Cream, and it comes in a little green tube (buy the tube not the tub.) The second is harder to find and a bit more money, but also great. It is called Herbacin Wuta Kamille Glycerin Hand Cream (its German) and the Garden of Eden on Grand Ave. in St. Paul had it the last time I checked, or you can order it at thesoapbar.com. These two are a little bit harder to obtain than some others, but great! They also actually absorb into your skin unlike many of the heavier salve type hand creams, and no need to wear mittens or socks to bed! =) Good luck!

If you are interested in getting rid of the sore hands for good...get rid of the harsh chemical products in your home totally. They're not good for you or those prcious babies in the home. If you are intereseted in learning how to shop better safer less expensive!!! Give me a call ###-###-####.
K. 40 year old Mom of Pearse 9 months :)

Aquaphor healing lotion is my miracle product. I've had the same thing happen (like when using a Brillo pad to scrub grill grates...rough, dry, even flaky hands). A little bit usually clears it right up. Or, you can put on a lot and wear stretchy cotton gloves to bed one night and it's like having had a parrafin dip! I use it on everything from cuts & scrapes to diaper rash. Works wonders on Baby's chapped cheeks! It's petroleum based, so it moisturizes and protects. You can find it in the lotion section (near the Eucerin--same brand), or sometimes in the baby section. Good luck!

Congratulations on being able to scrub the floors by hand with twins! One way to heal skin is to put vasoline on your hands at night and wear socks on them while you sleep.

I hear ya on the dry hands. I have 4 kids and 2 in diapers so I wash my hands constantly and they get SO dry and cracked. I put a good pump lotion right next to the sink and after I dry I put lotion on. Vaseline with socks or mittens on your hands at night is also VERY helpful. They have Vaseline in tubes now so that makes it a little easier. You can get those nice white cotten gloves in the beauty section usually.
One thing I recently found that has been much easier than all the chemicals is Simple Green. It works for just about everything and is good for the environment too. The smell is nice and they have a lemon scented too. I get it at Sam's club and a big jug is about $8. They have it everywhere else too. Menards has a great cleaning supply section too. I was impressed.
Another option too is to get some big spray bottles. They have a 5 pack at Sam's for cheap and some are even foaming sprayers. Otherwise they have big sprayers at Menards too. Put your cleaner in there and then spray and wipe so you aren't dunking your hands.
Best Wishes,
J.

Hi K. -

A really great (and pretty inexpensive) healing had lotion is the Neutrogena Norwegian Formula hand cream - put this on with gloves or socks on your hands.
T.

Equate Dry SKin Cream, comes in a white tub with a twist off lid. I use this on my sons eczema and its the only thing that heals it up.

Good luck, that must really hurt!