Hand cream for really trashed hands????

Sasha Jones

Sasha Jones

Smart Ass ;-)
Aug 17, 2001
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Really Retired.....REALLY!
I know some of you guys are contractors and such and work outside in all kinds of weather.
I have a friend who is a contractor and and with the cold damp weather his hands just become a MESS.
Dry like you would not believe, fingertips crack and bleed, they become so sore that if he even taps them on the countertop they kill. He wears gloves and they skin still hardens and cracks like mad, and this isn't just surface stuff they are pretty deep cracks, I don't know how he even stands it.

He says he has tried glysomed and the like but it doesn't do much.
What have you guys tried that WORKS and where did you get it from?
 
i know someone with the same problem. tell him to go see a doctor, my friend has to.. he still has dried out hands, but what ever they prescribe, it does wonders, at least he can function.. good luck
 
This may sound odd - but i use a south african herbal ointment called Zambuk. Its made from mentholl herbs etc etc. It works for me and what i do is wash my hands in very hot water before i go to bed. Apply the ointment and put on some old gloves. After a night or two my hands feel normal. Its avaliable from Florence Meat Supplies inOakville http://www.florencemeats.com/index1.htm
 
Most good hand creams will work if used on a regular basis. It may not seem manly for a contractor to be putting hand cream on during the day, lunch or coffee break, but when using only once a day it will not do much. If his hands are really bad, a script from a doctor and or the use of bag balm or udder cream until his hands come around might be needed.
 
If you go to your doctor you can get some cream with a corticosteroid in it that should help heal your hands.

You MAY be able to get a weak version over the counter from a pharmacist without a prescription but the stronger stuff needs a note from the doctor. Maybe it always does.
 
This is a good procedure ...

geronimowh said:
what i do is wash my hands in very hot water before i go to bed. Apply the ointment and put on some old gloves. http://www.florencemeats.com/index1.htm
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No matter what cream or ointment you use. You might try something with aloe and/or vitamin E as well, good for healing.:)
 
CUPID said:
Udder cream is awesome as well as Bag Balm
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You should be able to pick up some white cotton gloves from the drug store.

Apply the cream last thing at night then slip on the gloves.
 
I'd reccommend Burt's Bees hand salve. It's absolutely amazing. Actually anything Burt's Bees makes is awesome :)
 
Burt's Bees makes very good lipbalm, but the best hand cream I've found is called 'look ma new hands' and has parrafin in it. Trust me, I work in the oilfield and my hands see a lifetime of shit every week...
I've never been too impressed with bag balm, other than on my cheeks when I'm in the Arctic in the winter time and it's -60C, it really prevent/soothes windburn and minor frostbite.
 
Good advice all around but the best so far is PURE aloe vera. Many hand creams advertise they have it in the mix, but for the most part it's just a small amount. I have an aloe vera plant and when my hands get bad, I break off a leaf and whoop, there you go.

As stated, if they are that bad he should go to a doctor. It could lead to some nasty problems.

Just any old hand cream won't do. Many use oils to "lubricate" but that does nothing to moisturize, it just prevents new moisture from getting it, and basically seals the hands (not something you want in cuts). In addition, anything with oils in it will stain whatever he's working on (a problem if one has to stain, or paint the substrate afterwards, not so much of a problem for framers).

I don't know exactly what he does, but he should be protecting his hands while he works. If he's using a table saw he should NOT be wearing gloves but just about any other time he'll be fine. The best pair I've found are the cheapy grey ones from homo depot. They work great. If he's framing, and he isn't wearing gloves, you should smack him.

Here's a link to the ones from Lee Valley but they are cheaper at the depot.

http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=1&p=51856&cat=1,42207

They sell them fingerless but what I do is when the index finger wears out, I just cut the first two off. It allows for better grip on nails, pencils, squares etc.

The whtie gloves at night is a good idea but once his hands become softer, you'll have to take care of the cuts and protect them always. I know, my hands were hamburger last winter.......
 
Back in my warehousing days I used to get dry/cracked skin on my hands. The combination of using my hands and constantly washing them left them cracked, which would then get dirty, and eventually infected.

I found using hand cream regularly helped a lot. The key is regularly. Like once in the morning, after work, and then before bed. A lot of it is preventive maintenance.
 
CUPID said:
Udder cream is awesome as well as Bag Balm
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This what they (Princess Margaret) recommend for people taking certain kinds of chemo when they get cracked hands as a side effect. Works well so I think it will help your friend.
 
Try JISM JUICE, it works well. It is best used when it is warm and fresh

:D
 
Urea cream minimum 15 to 25%....the strongest cream out there folks use it for their feet too...too strong for the face
 
Vaseline intensive care is just fine. The key is to keep the hands covered in the stuff all day.

Have your buddy see the doctor to ensure that there are not other issues. Wear a light cotton glove, then the work glove. Keep the hands greased up with any lotion he wants. Keep the hands warm.

Zim's crack cream is for diabetics, and I have no doubt it would work on your friend's hands as well.
 
I used to use VIC but found it was too greasy and when I touched a piece of unfinished wood, it left a mark. If he puts it on under gloves, then it should be ok.
 
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