Mamas & Papas -
Maybe its just winter skin, maybe its too much handwashing, maybe its too much splaying with DS during his bathtime. Anyhow, my hands now look awful. My skin looks like an elephants. dry and wrinkled. Any tips? Any favorite moisturizers? Any moisturizing hand soaps? My current "regimen" if you can call it that is to wash my hands with IVORY soap, and to use "Udder Cream" (one of those cross over farm products) for my hands.
I think its time for a better hand salve. Up for recommendations.
Thanks a bunch,
F. B.
I use organic (unrefined) coconut oil. You get it in the organic cooking sections in most stores. I use it on my legs after shaving, my kids for their eczema and my hands-I work in housekeeping so my hands get dry very fast. Coconut oil works wonders!
Its not overly oily and rubs in quickly.
When I worked in the salon, I had my hands in water and chemicals all day long. Especially in the winter, they would be cracking and bleeding by night time.
I took some gloves and cut off the fingers, then I slathered my hands (mostly knuckle area) with vaseline and put on the fingerless gloves and wore that around at night and even slept with it on. It really helped save my hands.
I would stay away from anything with Mineral oil in it...it may lock in the moisture temporarily, however it is taking moisture from the deeper layers of your skin and bringing it up, causing the deeper layers to be damaged already. Mineral oil is a filler use by a majority of cosmetic companies...it is banned in Europe. I use products from Arbonne International. The prducts are botanically based and contain no chemical dyes or fragrances. The nutrient rich ingredients penetrate the skin and begin to repair the damage rather than just mask it. The products made a HUGE dfference in my skin as well as my son's skin who has almost an exzema issue.
I'm using this product line right now for all my skin care as well as hand care. It's has a lot of shea butter in it, and the ingredients are natural.
The older I get, the drier my skin has become. If I don't do something to take care of it, I think it will just dry up and fall off! I use gloves for dish washing (we don't have a machine) and for any work that makes me have my hands in water - except for washing grandchildren.
Happened to me. Vaseline on my hands at nite and then cotton gloves. Helped in one nite.
good luck.
Jilly
Use Oil of Olay body wash for your hand soap and when bathing your little one. Put it in a hand soap dispenser next to each sink. Keep using your Udder cream. It is so nice. Before bed, put a thick layer of your Udder cream on your hands and wear cotton gloves or a clean pair of socks all night. In the morning your hands will be much better. Wear rubber gloves when washing dishes.
I use Dream Cream by Lush www.lushusa.com but when my son is scaley looking I use Aquaphore.
Oh, and make sure you moisturize RIGHT after a bath/shower that is when your pores are most open and will take in the most amt of product. In addition do not RUB your skin dry with a towel - PAT it dry.
Petrolium Jelly does not moisturize - it only locks in the mositure you have and stops it from escaping from your body - I suggest to lather up THEN use Petrolium Jelly if that is a route you plan to take, but the kids probably will not like it.
I love this stuff:
http://www.amazon.com/Un-Petroleum-Multi-Purpose-Jelly/dp...
slather on at bedtime and put some socks over your hands. It's also great to do the same for your feet :)
I recently found a brand at Wal-Mart called EOS, and was really surprised at how much is actually moisturized my skin. I've been dealing with itchy pregnant belly, and can't seem to stand the smell of coco butter or shea, so I decided to give something new a try. Good luck finding a product that works for you!
I have horrible, HORRIBLE problems with my hands being so dry they actually split (very deep sometimes) and bleed. I can remember sitting in a college class taking notes with my hands bleeding on the paper. It's even worse now that I have kids and wash my hands more. I have found that Curel's Foot Therapy lotion actually works very, very well on my hands. I have to keep it on my hands all the time, but it works very well. I have tried other foot creams by different brands when this one was out of stock at Wal-Mart, but they don't work as well. They might for you if your hands aren't as horrible as mine! It also works very well on your feet too, but I don't have near the problem with them (go figure!).
I like Aveno hand cream or Gold Bonds. They are not natural products but work really well for dry and cracked skin.
