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I have a vague recollection of a discussion here years ago of a cream that you put on your hands and it dries providing a protective coating that keeps the skin from drying and cracking. Is there anything like that? For me, too much handling of dry wood sucks the moisture out. Gloves are worse.

I don't recall the earlier thread, but my mom used to swear by this stuff: https://bagbalm.com/

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George :-)

Closest thing I recall is Nexcare Skin Crack Care that seals skin cracks. It works great for me, though it doesn't prevent cracks, only seals them.

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formerly known around here as burbank
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http://www.patfosterguitars.com

They do make barrier creams specifically for skin and hands, but I use bag balm. Originally formulated to help chapped and cracked cow udders, it works well for hands and dry skin. It goes on greasy but dries after a few minutes. Unlike barrier creams it will wash off with water. It seems to help heal dry and cracked skin. It is available on the shelves of pharmacies and some big box stores. You can also find it at farm supply stores.
They apparently have started marketing it for personal use and you may see 1 oz. cans selling for not much less than the original 8 oz. cans, so beware. The larger can lasts me through the colder season, but YMMV.

Hand cream known as SBS-40. I get it from Amazon. Quite popular in the aircraft plants and machine shops around Wichita. The artwork has changed - no more red in the graphics. Not greasy at all, unless you use too much.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01MT ... UTF8&psc=1

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"Act your age, not your shoe size" - Prince

"Barrier Cream" is the type of product that was in the far recesses of my mind. Now I can search the old posts.

I would suggest some cheap olive oil a half hour or more before you go to work, even if you wash it off with something like dove soap
afterwards.
Olive oil is just about the best moisturiser for dehydrated skin there is, that I've come across. (I've got psoriasis)
I hate anything you can buy for the job, smelly and greasy stuff.

Wouldn't be a small reaction to a species that you are getting this?
Clean gloves shouldn't be much of an issue, what kind of ones are you using...Latex?

Tom

Not a reaction to wood. It happens when I handle a lot 2 x 4 or similar. For example, if I make a sanding block with a 2 x 4 scrap and use it, my fingers where I grip the block are the worst. I do not think it is the wood, but simply drying. If I make a project, such as a bench, with 2 x 4 the same thing happens. When I use white cotton gloves, it's worse. I do use nitrile gloves sometimes, but I do not like to wear them too much because heat also cracks my skin. But I have found a brand of nitrile gloves that burn my skin in a few minutes--don't remember the name, but they were black.

My best moisturizer is turkey drippings, but I don't think you want to slather that all over your body. After putting a way most of the Thanksgiving turkey, I go through whatever is spilled on the bottom for the best pieces that fell into the drippings. That cures my hands, but that is just once a year.

I'll try the olive oil.

Reminds me of my old hillbilly granny who used bacon grease for all kinds of medical situations..... Sunburn and the like. For cuts or scrapes - honey, which is a natural antibiotic as it turns out. For all other situations - Al-kee-haul to clean, and that old brown salve to sooth and protect.

I asked her once about chicken fat (because it seems really greasy), and she said it dries out. She used to give us honey mixed with a ton of black pepper for sore throats. Worked like a charm.

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"Act your age, not your shoe size" - Prince

Back when I used to throw pots, I used Cornhusker's Lotion to keep my hands from cracking. Worked very well.

Dave

Great-grandad's choice. He raised crops and cattle, and knew what hard work was. Died at 92 in the field.

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"Act your age, not your shoe size" - Prince

When I am making bread I coat the outside of the loaf with a light coating of olive oil so it doesn't dry out. I find it difficult to wash off unless I use a lot of dish detergent. Unlike bag balm which dries after a few minutes, the oil stays oily, which if you don't mind having oily hands, might be O.K. I've also used corn husker's lotion - it worked O.K. After the bag balm dries it seems to stay on longer.
As I have gotten older I've developed red scaly patches where things in my pants pockets rub against my skin. Bag balm also helps heal these areas. As we age our organs deteriorate, and skin being our largest and outermost organ, shows the effects of ageing most visibly.
There are a number of products, some of which work better for some people, than others. You might try several to see what you like best. Obviously, my preference is the "balm" - relatively cheap and effective. But you may not like the way is goes on, or the natural unperfumed smell. If you find you don't like it, some people use it as a leather conditioner:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ttFb1ITqqA

Bag Balm for me too or the Aveeno for dry skin. Working in the dry air during winter time cracks will still happen (for me anyway) and I've found that CA works well for gluing them together so they can heal faster.

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Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

+1 for Aveeno. Doesn't leave your hands greasy. I just applied some this morning.

I use this stuff. Seems to work very well. https://www.amazon.ca/Gloves-Bottle-Shi ... B000UBN5S8

Start using gloves if you can. Any time I'm doing any type of sanding, I've got a pair of nitrile gloves on and it helps immensely with your skin drying out. I use the thick disposable gloves that are meant for mechanics and the like - they last a long time and also protect your hands and nails from getting abraded by sandpaper. Also, use gloves any time you use solvents.

One safety measure tho' -- never wear any type of glove (even the thin disposable kind) when operating equipment that turns (drill press, router, etc. )

Lastly, if your hands are all beat to hell and cracked -- soak in water then coat in petroleum jelly and cover with gloves overnight while you sleep.

I have used this for many years during hunting season when the tips of my thumbs and fingers would crack from wood fire ashes and extremely dry cold air. Its a skin barrier and you can leave it on overnight, under gloves or topical.

http://www.atsko.com/pro-tech-skin-care-cream-1-25-oz/ Six bucks direct from Atsko, they also sell small black lights.....

Sno Seal by Atsko is a very very good (no, its the BEST) footwear waterproofing I've ever used, its beeswax based.

Hope this helps.

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Measure Twice,

Karl Borum

I like the badger balm from Lee Valley. All natural ingredients, and it really speeds up the healing process for the skin.

Karl is Korrect about Sno-Seal for footwear. I used it for all my old work boots and hiking boots. Mom didn't like it when I put boots in her oven.....

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"Act your age, not your shoe size" - Prince

O'Keeffe's

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Good judgement comes from experience. Experience comes from poor judgement.

Yep. For me, it is O'Keeffe's Working Hands, as needed, in the winter.

Toonces' comment about night gloves and petroleum jelly reminded me of this scene from Ocean's Eleven:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lfxo4Ls9fbc

Silicone Glove by Avon. Works great.

When I was bartending 6 days a week I kept a jar of O'Keeffes "working hands" in my car, behind the bar, and at my house. My hands were silky smooth even while dunking them in scalding hot water all the time in the cold dry winter