The Quilting Board had a discussion about hand creams a couple of months ago. I made the cream and gave some away. Everyone I have given it to loves it so much that now I give them the recipe along with the cream.
You can purchase all the ingredients at a Dollar General Store. It's 2 plastic (pink) bottles of their brand of Baby Lotion, 2 jars (8 oz. each) of Vitamin C Cream, and 1 container of Vasoline. I purchased a cheap plastic container to mix it in and a cheap electric mixer so I don't have to worry about it getting into our food. My husband cuts open the pink containers of baby lotion and I scoop it out good. I hope you try it and like it.

yep! I feel the same. AND tomorrow is planting day.

If you are not allergic to latex, get a box of gloves that you find in medical offices, NOT the loose white food service ones.

When I work in the yard I apply Bag Balm to my hands and put on my latex gloves. Since they fit very snuggly, it's like a second skin. By the time I'm done playing outside the Bag Balm has been absorbed and the heat from the sun has generated some perspiration on my hands and my glands are clean, lubricated, moist and not greasy.

A quick wash and I can play with fabric right away.
:thumbup:

I've had two dermotologists tell me Cetephil (sp?) It seems to work wonders for me.

I am a gardening quilter also. But, I have learned to wear gloves. I buy the soft stretchy ones that have vinyl coating on the fingers and palms. Leather gloves just get wet and slimey. I also put on a good hand balm before putting on my gloves such as O'Keeffe's Working Hands or Badger Healing Balm. Bag Balm is also good to use.

I have a lot of gloves which I clothes pin to one of the wire struts in my greenhouse so they can dry after use or washing. Picture is attached.

I apologize for the greenhouse mess but it just accumulates stuff during the winter. It is now clean and sanitized for the spring plant starting.

I'm the same way. When you can "file" the skin off your fingers with an emery board, it's bad. My husband bought me some Liquid Gloves and a box of cheap plastic throwaway gloves from Costco. If you put the Liquid Gloves on before using the plastic gloves your hands stay nice. I hate gloves but my hands were so bad I broke down and used them. The times I really notice are when I touch my grandsons...I hate to think my rough hands are the thing they'll remember about Grandma.

Careful with bare hands. I got eczema from not wearing gloves. Now have to put R/X cream from the dermatolgist. Must gloves now.

Try body butter (with Shea butter in it). It comes in many nice scents.

If you have access to Amway, they sell a product called LOC. You can use it on your hands like lotion before you do a dirty job and afterward just wash hands and the LOC turns into a soap like cleaner. I have also heard you can use any dishwashing soap the same way. I have never tried it tho.