I have a lot of trouble with the fabric drying my hands. Looking fora hand lotion that will absorb quickly and not leave my hands greasy so I can grip a needle. Whacha got?

When my hands get dry, I use bag balm at night and gloves... then I don't usually have the need for lotion during the day :D:D:D

I have really dry skin as well and the bag balm does the trick, also good for dry hair, rub a little into the ends the night before a shampoo and it makes it more tangle free and less frizzy.

gloves in a bottle,i buy it at my lqs; it's kind of expensive but great!

I love Bee Bar

There used to be one called Secretary's Secret that was good.

I've also used Fruit of the Earth Vitamin E Cream which can be found at Wal-Mart and is quite inexpensive.

I can vouch for 'Gloves in a Bottle'. Your hands feel soft and smooth but nothing comes off on the fabric.

I love Mary Kay hand cream.

I love Utter cream.

I use this and Gloves in a Bottle. Regular hand cream stays on the top of my skin and I worry about transferring it to my quilt.

Here is a great hand body lotion to make. I make up a big batch every Christmas for guild members. I buy pretty little tins/jars and everyone loves it. I use it at night and my skin is never dry, not even my feet.


All ingredients are Dollar Store General Brand. You may find the vitamin E cream and Vaseline in smaller jars but use 16oz each.
The clean up is quick and not messy.


Bottle of Baby Lotion (16 ounces)
Jar of Vitamin E Cream (16 ounces)
Jar of Vaseline (16 ounces)

Mix all together with mixer until light and creamy and put in containers.

Love this idea. Could you use those cute little quilted jelly jars?

Ooooh, my favorite - especially the peach. They have a kit they call Satin Hands. Works wonderful and smells so good, but you want to do that before you go to bed at night because it will leave a film on your hands.

I put CVS hand cream on most nights before going to bed and do the Satin Hands every once in a while because it's expensive.

Love this idea. Could you use those cute little quilted jelly jars?


it's thick enough to put in jars. I save the round jelly jars during the year. I buy food that come in jars by the prettiness of the jar. :lol: :lol: :lol:

I love the idea of making my own. Might even try the lavendar baby lotion

OHHH, that's a good idea! Great little gifts!

Udder Cream

Out here where our average relative humidity is about 15% or less, the favored hand lotion in our neighborhood is Cetaphil. We get it at Costco. It really penetrates well but isn't greasy.

If you want something that is ultra-moisturizing, but sort of vaseline-like, Aquaphor is what my dermatologist recommends. It sorta stays on your hands for quite a while though.

When taking a class from Harriet Hargrave she said how she uses Neutrogena hand cream as it didn't mar her quilts as she did her sewing machine quilting.

I love it and it has lasted longer that some less expensive hand creams.

ali

LOL :lol: :lol: I buy anything by the prettiness and/or shape of the jars... Thanks, it was a great comment. I am so glad to see I am not the only one that does this type of shopping.

I am going to try that recipe! My daughter and I both have very dry hands and legs, and the boys all work with their hands and on their feet all day( they work at Toyota) and they get such dry hands callouses , maybe this will work for them. Hubby's hands will crack open they get so dry. We do use Nuetragena and that helps a lot. I've been using the Olay age defying lotion, and I love it. Smells good, soaks in and leaves my hands nice and soft. My mother always said to warm Vasoline, rub it on and wear gloves while you sleep.

Bag balm here too....but...I'm going to try Bellaboo's recipe for lotion....

I absolutely love Hoof Maker. I use it all over my body after a shower, and often since I wash my hands frequently while volunteering. Even the nurses use it. And I use the companion Shampoo and Conditioner. The hand cream soaks in easily and I've never noticed anything showing up on my fabrics or clothing.
It's cheap and easy to find, I get it in grocery stores or some drug stores or feed stores, most of those carry it.

I use Lantiseptic. It is an adult skin barrier for incontinence. In simple terms butt paSTE. For me works much better then bag balm. I love Mary Kay 4 step hand care, but as someone mentioned earlier a little expensive. This I usually have to have pharmcist order in. Only takes a day or two. Lasts long time. Comes in different sizes. I buy 14 oz size.

I use Udder Balm which you can get almost anywhere vet supplies are sold in agricultural states. (I buy mine at Tractor Supply.) If you can find a cow somewhere you can find this stuff. :-)

I have very dry hands. In the past i have tried every kind of lotion, and even parrafin treatments. My knuckles would split open, and my fingertips would crack.

I now have found soething that totally keeps my hands soft and healed. it is the hand lotion that Aveda makes. it is all natural and it smells very clean. I use it at night, and after doing dishes. I would not put it on right before sewing though. As long as you do not go crazy with it, it soaks right into your skin, and heals it immediately without stinging.

The other trick that does work is to put heavy hand cream or vaseline on your hands over night with cotton gloves on. When you get up the next day, all you have to do is wash your hands of there is any residue. they will stay soft and pretty all day.

I love the Satin Hands from Mary Kay..I have a friend that sells it...In the set you have a scrub that you cleanse your hands with along with a cleanser and then a hand cream...You can buy the set with a scent or without..I have really dry skin and also take chemo which adds to the dryness...This stuff is really great...When I sew I keep the hand cream by my machine....

DH washes cars and his hands felt like sandpaper. He went to the Dollar Tree Store and bought Creamy Petroleum Jelly enriched with Vitamin E. It's called a skin softener. It comes in a 4 oz. tube. It absorbs fast and doesn't leave your hands feeling greasy. His hands are nice and soft now. I love it too.

That is just like my recipe only I use 2 baby lotion, 2 Vitamin e cream and 1 vaseline. My husband even likes this lotion.

I like Udder Cream and Bath & Bodyworks' Shea Cashmire.

Went to Dollar tree tonight, couldn't find the Vitamin E cream, but did find lotions with Vitamin E in them. Any suggestions as to where I can find the Vitamin E cream cheap?

Found Cocoa Butter Skin lotion with vitamin E and Cocoa Butter scented Petroleum Jelly, I'm going to try this 2 to 1 and see what happens.

i use "surgeons secret,"at night. my husbands fingers crack at the sidss of his nails in the winter. if he puts this on before he works..(crane repair) and at night, they stay pretty good all winter.

but i would not use it,before sewing.

Johnson and Johnson has out a relatively new lavender and chamomile scented lotion for stress relief. Smells wonderful....I use it in my classroom since it rubs in quickly and doesn't leave greasy marks on computer or kid's papers.

I use "Two Old Goats Essential Lotion". I was introduced to this lotion by a friend whose niece developed this product a few years ago. She is an avid quilter and the greasiness of many lotions was a problem. It is next to me when I am working on quilts or doing hand needlework because you can apply it and since there is no greasiness, you can immediately continue working without anything getting on your fabric. It is the best product I have found on the market.

I buy it locally, but here is a link to the website - http://www.twooldgoats.com

Gloves in a Bottle. This stuff is great.

The lavendar baby lotion sounds like a great idea.I love the scent of lavendar.thanks.

Have your husband try putting Vicks on the crack on his hands and cover with adhesive tape. The old fashioned kind works best, but any bandage tape with work. I have used this with success for years. And for hand cream, I like Aveeno Skin Relief Moisturing Cream.

This is why I love this board so much! Not only do I get great quilting advice but now I have several options for keeping my hands nice and soft for the winter and a new recipe for homemade gifts!
Thank you everyone!

My grandmother swore by the vaseline and cotton gloves at night routine and the one thing I vividly remember about her was her soft hands.

Udder cream - will not leave any residue on fabrics at all. I found mine at Wal Mart but had to ask a clerk where to find it.

Whatever you decide to use, I have always been told and applied lotion in this fashion. First wash your hands in WARM water with whatever hand cleaner you normally use. Then dry your hands until they are no longer wet but still moist THEN apply lotion. What happens is the warm water opens the pores in your hands which allows the lotion to absorb into your skin easier. Good luck.