I can't use a thimble either...they drive me batty... I put up with holes in my fingers, etc.... one thing I use other than regular lotions is udder balm or bag balm. You should give that a try. I have recently heard of thimble-like stick-on dots for your fingers but have yet to find them and try them out... don't know what they are called...something like finger dots maybe? I will try to remember where I heard that and find out what they are called.