from sewing. Llive in a desert..NM...and wonder if you gals have any ideas what I should use to moisturize. Udder balm isn't working like it used to. Right now I'm sitting here with band aids on 6 fingertips cuz they crack and bleed. Oh so sore. I even have med exam (no latex) gloves that I use...slather up hands and put the gloves on for overnight. Only feels good for a couple hours when I take the gloves off in am. Guess I just have to quit sewing for a couple days to for them to heal.

Alergic to perfumes in most hand lotions/creams. I do know that creams have more emolionts that lotions. Can't wait for suggestions.

I use Trucker's Friend, comes in a shoe polish like tub at the truck stops. My son is a truck driver and bought me some. It works great.

I have had luck using a salve containing Tea Tree Oil, but it has a fairly strong smell to it(natural not perfume), so you might to try it with caution.

I love the "as seen on tv" heeltastic. User it on hands, lips, elbows, etc....

My fingers crack constantly at the corners of my nails...always bleeding. The best stuff I have found is called Bova cream. It's an udder treatment too, but like facial cream and smells lovely. The price has gone up a lot, but I swear it feels better than anything...even prescription :)I have tried other udder types of products, but none are comparable to the Bova cream....I buy the jar.

My hubby works in a shipping department. Cardboard is extremely drying to his hands. He would have cracks on his thumbs every winter that were really deep. He started using "Miracle Foot Repair" on his feet and of course when you're done putting it on your feet you rub the excess into you hands. It healed his thumbs right up.

I use St. Ives Intensive Healing. Be sure you get the Intensive Healing version, as that is the one that is the strongest one, the only one that works for me. But it's not greasy and absorbs quickly. Gloves in a Bottle, available at LQS, works well to keep my hands moisturized, once they are healed. Udder Cream is another one that works pretty well, but not as good as the St. Ives.

Bag Balm is another udder cream that works well. Our Walmart sells it. It comes in a green tin. http://www.bagbalm.com/

I use unrefined coconut oil. You can buy it at most grocery stores or any whole foods store. It is solid in cooler weather and turns to liquid in warmer weather. You can use it either way. It is great for the face, too. It helps fight off wrinkles and leaves your skin very soft. I only use it on my face at night.

Time.
Sorry to say, but real skin damage heals slowly and the exposure to damage source must stop before healing begins.

and Aveeno Deep Intensive Cream. Whatever you use, apply it often.

Wow! Don't you have problems handling your fabric after using that?? That is the only thing I am allowed to use, on the area I am currently receiving radiation, and it has left grease stains on everything I wear!!

I sometimes have to stop sewing for a couple days and let my hands heal. My neighbors laughed at me one time, I volunteered to make all the hamburger patties cause my hands were so dry at that time. After making a ton of patties I washed up with mild soap and my hands felt so good!

Aquaphor is the best. It does leave stains everywhere if you're not careful. I normally apply it thick at night and wear gloves and socks to bed. It also works great for chapped lips - just use a teeny tiny amount. My dermatologist recommended it to me. It's thick and greasy like a Vaseline, but works much better (imo).

Wow, what a list of different creams. I guess I will throw the one I like the best so far. It is Working Hands, from Bed, Bath, and Beyond. It is very, very thick works on my hands and heels. I wish you luck on your search for the best cream for your poor hands.

I use a product called Lantiseptic. Order from your pharmacist. Lasts a long time. It is designed as a butt paste for adults who wear diapers.
First day or two use several times a day, after healing starts does not need to be used as often, but everyone's skin is different. Besides quilting, I live in the desert, no moisture in the air.
Good luck

Don't laugh, but when an audience menber asked Dr.Oz about
feet that cracked & bled in the winter, he said that after you bath you should wipe them down with Clearasil,yep, it is like liquid aspirin. Let it dry, and slather the feet/hands in your favorite creme. I use Blue Goo that you can find at almost any pharmacy dept. Once you've spread it on thick, wear socks or cotton gloves to bed. Now I can walk in the winter, & don't look like a reptile in the summer.LOL Debbie
Good luck & God Bless.Debbie

Truckers friend is great, Burts bee balm is great.

I use Eurecin Healing Cream (Walmart & drug stores). Is a little on expensive side. I am very allergic to many types of creams/lotions. I was in the Dollar General looking at their lotions and found the DG brand that is "comparable" to Eurecin for one-third of the cost. Thought I would give it a try and it is Exactly like Eurecin. HOWEVER, like most good things you find, my local DG isn't carrying it anymore. When I'm sewing, I use Sew Soft by Vita-Erb made especially for sewers.

Pure coconut oil, but it's greasy and I use it mainly on my face and neck area.

On hands that we must wash often and use strong alcohol wipes and then gloves, we mostly use my old favorite, Hoof Maker. I've used it for many years. And when busy, I simply slather a lot on and pull on gloves. it really does soak in well, and doesn't have much of an odor to it.

We have lots of allergies here too and swear by Bag Balm. I've used it for over 30 years on everything from diaper rash to cracked feet and bleeding, cracked hands. Put it on your hands at night, wear cotton gloves and be amazed in the morning. We used to have to get it at the feed store but it's now available all over (ie. Walmart, Target, Walgreens, CVS, Jewel/Osco etc.)

Good Luck!

Take some crazy glue (or similar glue) and apply it to the cracks in your skin. It seals the skin - it's amazing how well it quiets the pain. The glued together cracks heal faster, too.

It does wear off so you may have to apply it a couple of times before the cracked skin heals.

And, of course, be careful not to glue your fingertips together!

Good luck!

I was a cashier in a grocery store and my hands would get really dry. I started using gloves when I did dishes and I would wear rubber gloves. I put a lot of extra lotion on my hands before donning the gloves. The heat from the hot water helped to lotion to be absorbed into my skin. Don't know if it will help you, but it's worth a try as you have med gloves and a lotion already. I used corn huskers lotion.

Visit your local Health Store as they will have a hand cream made without perfume.

I'm a diabetic and have a terrible time with dry skin.My doctors all recommend Eurecin Cream.Wash your skin with a mild soap, pat dry and slather on the Eurecin Cream.It's helped me alot.I use Eurecin lotion during the day but put the heavier cream on at night.My skin may not be baby soft but it's alot better than it was.The original doesn't have much smell to it.

try zinc tablets--but be carefull as it builds up in your system--if my hands feel dry i take one tab for three days then no more until they start to feel dry again usually approx 7 days----------watch what cleaning products you use

Zinc oxide cream or ointment. I can only find it here at Rite-Aid, next to the Neosporin. Heals just about anything for us, most of the time in 1-2 days.

Maybe you should check with a medico to see if you are allergic to something - just to make sure it really is just dry skin. I use a very thick jelly like substance called Lucas' Pawpaw ointment. Wonderful for cracked and dry heels too. But very greasy.

I have found the Norwegian recipe Neutrogena hand cream works for me, I use it on my legs, feet, arms and hands. Seems to sink in and last longer.
Years ago Corn Huskers Lotion was the big thing for cracked fingers, cement contractors used it.
Pure aloe heals too, I use it or chapped lips, the chemicals in the OTC lip balm makes mine worse.

Carol J.

Do you wash your material before you begin? I haven't been doing that and my hands are very dry, also. Someone posted a msg on here that the fabric contains chemicals that kill any bugs or varmints that get in the fabric during shipping and storage which means I'm rubbing that stuff in my hands when I'm piecing or hand quilting. I'm almost through with a quilt now and I will start washing my material BEFORE I even begin cutting.

I recently bought something called Working Hands from Lowe"s. It really seemed to help keep the fabric from drawing moisture away. Maybe this would be good to use after you get your hands to heal.

I've had success with Neutrogena Norwegian Formula. Put it on and then put on cotton gloves (available in the bandage dept. of CVS, etc). If working/sewing, I put rubber/medical gloves over the cotton gloves.

I have a similar problem. Hope you can get these products in US:
The best one to use is Derma Drate - it was made by DermaTech Laboritories here, but the company was bought out by a multinational in about 2008 - so you may be able to get it. Their other range of products is Dermaveen which is based on oatmeal. They are extremely good products for people with dry skin. Lucas' Paw Paw ointment and Vaseline are good moisturisers, but very greasy. Hope you have some luck.

I used to have cracked, bleeding hands when I worked retail and had to process freight, (many boxes) and then the clothing, very harsh on hands. The pharmacist instructed me to get Acid Mantle which came in a metal green tube, like a small tooth paste tube size. It always worked like a charm but I don't think that they make it any more, or it is hard to find. In later years, I would have to ask any pharmacist if they had it. I still have the remains of my last tube which I won't part with and I have been retired now for 14 yrs.

I was given Vanicream by my dermatologist for dry skin/hands/feet. It is available OTC but not easy to find. Big bottle with a pump which I like. No odors, colors, lanolin. Very pure. Absorbs very quickly into skin so I don't feel like a greased monkey if I use it during the day. Far better than anything else I've ever used. I've had cracked fingertips before and it's enough to make you cry. Good luck.

One of the ladies at my quilting group swears by Vicks Vapor Rub on her dry cracked fingers.
Next time I get them... I'm going to try it!

When I lived in Alaska - I learned to use crisco the white shortening. It does work. Use it for baking and then don't throw the can you use the rest for your hands, feet

Surgeon's Secret is a good one to use and it doesn't wash off quickly. My husband has his hands in water a lot and this works well for him.

This may sound silly to cure dry hands but it really works. You need to moisturize from the inside and drink a lot of water during the day. Works for me.

There is a product in a jar, the night formula of NoCrack, its a white jar with red writing, but there is a smell of Arnica. Lantiseptic was mentioned and that or Calmoseptine would work for overnight, but both have odor, and some people are allergic to the lanolin in Lantiseptic.
For my diabetic patients and in the winter I use Elta. It's very greasy when first applied, but you could probably return to quilting within 20 minutes of applying.
Once healed, the Advanced care Vaseline lotion works well too.

Gold Bond! Wonderful hand and foot creams!

Olive Oil. Rub it on your hands, put on your med exam gloves, and put a hot towel around them. About 15 min. a day will help a lot. If you use it at night, just a little bit of oil, cotton gloves. Olive oil is amazing stuff!