I’ve got years of working outdoors in all kind of weather and have dealt with with the occasional crack or split. But never with my hands often wet or sweating inside of neoprene gloves, this is getting out of control. Anybody have a suggestion as to a cream or treatment that works?
most lotions work well, just lather the hell out of your hands with a lotion and then stick them in some rubber gloves. I have a ton of scar tissued on my knuckles that drys out and bleeds like crazy. usually after a few days they are back to normal
I have a couple of problem areas that come back every winter.
I smother the split/crack with Neosporin and cover it with a finger that I cut from a latex glove. I wear it during the day sometimes and sleep with it on at night. I found that will help it heal faster than anything else. When my hands are bad I use lots of lotion and sometimes while I am watching TV or relaxing I will work lotion into my hands for 15 to 30 min.
I knew a person that always wore latex gloves while working. He would use lots of lotion and then put quite-a-bit of talcum powder (I think, or maybe baby powder) in the gloves before putting them on. That helped keep his hands from becoming wet, slimy and slippery inside the gloves.
I just don’t have any feeling in my hands anymore.
Try preventative. Baby oil and cotton gloves every night when you sleep.
I feel your pain
In the UK, E45 cream works well.
Use surgical gloves until it improves…
I can’t help but being reminded of the scene in Oceans 11 Where Bernie Mac asks the car dealer Mr. Denim "Do you moisturize? "
I have never had this problem here as it does not get that cold.
A&D Ointment, which is diaper rash / new tattoo stuff. Smells funny, but it keeps me sane in the winter.
In a pinch I’ve also taken a chunk of Burt’s Beeswax and smooshed it around my hands, seems to work as well/
I remember my dad used corn huskers lotion a lot when he worked around the house. It actually seals the moisture in. It may be harder to find but is still available. Made by Johnson & Johnson.
Vaseline and socks over your hands and arms at night…
Thanks guys, all good info.
Dale
Try O’keefe’s working hands. Its been working great for me.
[FONT=tahoma][SIZE=3]Feel your pain. [/SIZE][/FONT]</SPAN>[FONT=tahoma][SIZE=3]
When wearing neoprene or latex gloves.[/SIZE][/FONT]</SPAN>[FONT=tahoma][SIZE=3]
Try putting cotton under glove like the one you see me wearing when doing some of the videos. [/SIZE][/FONT]</SPAN>[FONT=tahoma][SIZE=3]
They keep your hands dry also warmer.[/SIZE][/FONT]</SPAN>[FONT=tahoma][SIZE=3]
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Dale are you putting soap in your bucket or on your washer from a bottle ? and what soap have you been using ?
Superglue on the cuts will help heal you up…
Tommy
C-Clear Window Cleaning
© 903.261.3806
It may be possible that your skin is allergic to neoprene. I have had weird reactions to various synthetic materials in the past. I’ve put on a shirt and broke out in a rash a couple of minutes later.
I’ve never had the cracking hands problem, but I’ve had a lot of cracking with my feet. I used to put bag balm on my feet at night and then a pair of thin cotton socks. When I woke up, my feet would be silky as a baby’s bottom.
Recently, though, I’ve become concerned about the use of petroleum products in skin care. A couple of weeks ago, I was looking at all the crap that goes into lotion and was amazed at the laundry list of petro-chemicals… proplyene glycol ( marine antifreeze ) yikes
These lotions all have some type of solvent (many times alcohol based) to open up your skin and allow the absoption of the petroleum based “moisturizers.”
I think your skin just gets addicted to the chemical laden products and quickly dries out in it;s absence, leading to a cycle of dependance. Chapstick is like this - your lips will get addicted to it and will crack if you don’t use it.
I rarely ever need any kind of lotion because I don’t have dry skin. My wife, on the other hand, is a lotion fiend. At my prodding, she started researching natural lotions and made her own (I think she found the recipe on Pintrest). She ordered natural oils from amazon and mixed up her own concotion. It has worked amazingly. A scaley patch of skin below her eye that refused to go away with any other product has miraculously vanished in a couple days with her natural lotion.
Now, the other issue could be simply that you are getting your window cleaning solution on your hands. I never have any problems with my hands, but I also don’t ever get my hands wet with it. Indoor, I have switched to using an applicator bottle and squeezing out some solution on the scrubber. Before I used a bucket inside with a 12" scrubber and I would just dip one end into the bucket (or just a quarter of the scrubber) and the use that to redistirbute the moisture once the scrubber was on the glass. I never wring out my scrubber with my hands.
When I am doing storefront work, I use my rectangle bucket with a strainer. I can dip my scrubber in the bucket and strain it hands free.
Just some ideas. Hope your hands get better.
Another simple solution may be just simple dehydration. I delivered bottled water about 17 years ago and was so focused on delivering as many as possible (commission based) that I would not drink enough water and become dehydrated. Just a little ironic.
Maybe too much coffee or tea (diuretic) and not enough plain water.
Another simple solution may be just simple dehydration.
Good point, Randy. It’s very easy to get dehydrated during winter. I think a lot of the “winter itch” is simply dehydration. When it’s cold out people tend to go for hot coffee rather than cold water.
I think it also depends on how dry the air is. I never had a problem when I lived on the CA coast. Here in Reno I it gets down to 6% humidity (maybe lower) and when it’s like that with some wind it could dry out anything. It’s nice not dealing with mold and mildew anymore though.
