Gnarly man-hands, on me.

[PrettyPaisley]

I need help.
I've never had soft and tender girly hands, even when I didn't work with them so much. They have always been dry and I had to go to have regular manicures just to keep them semi-soft but now my manicure days are over and working outside just a few weeks since it's gotten warm it's clear I have got to do something.
I wear gloves for all the dirt digging and goat disbudding and wood hauling, shoveling out the barn work I do, but I still am getting some pretty nasty calluses. I bought some Lava soap and that seems to be working to keep the dirt out of the wrinkles that are appearing daily, but they are still tough looking hands.
What do you girly types do to keep your hands looking like girl hands should look?

[Tacoma]

O'Keeffe's Working Hands, hand cream. Not greasy and really works. I buy it at Lowes and also Amazon.com. I have also seen it at Ace Hardware. One round green container last a long time. I use it twice a day while I am at the computer (to remember). Also works on knees and feet.

[Maura]

When I was about ten my hands became dry and scaly. Grandma got me some Corn Husker's Lotion. It is gunky, but it works.

[mamita]

being sensitive to almost everything, it is strange that it makes my hands break out if I come in to contact with anything I'm allergic to. that said, I also can't afford dry hands as the cracking/bleeding is painful. I apply a thick layer of vasoline nightly covering with cotton gloves. EVERY night is the key to keeping my hands in good shape it seems. sure occasionally I go with a cortisone cream, but if I'm dedicated to the nightly routine of vasoline with gloves.........it's all good!

[FunnyRiverFarm]

Nivea Cream and CeraVe Cream work well and are not too greasy so you can apply them several times a day. I suffer from dry, red, crepey-looking man-hands too and these are the creams that seem to work the best and last the longest.

[gone-a-milkin]

Girly hands are for girlie girls.
You cant have good hands if you work hard with them.
Just not possible.

Instead I am proud of my callouses and work at keeping my hands from cracking too badly.
If they get deep cracks it becomes very difficult to let them heal up so I really work to keep up with them.

I just use Bag Balm. It is greasy and has some antiseptic in it.
Yes, it is kind of gross, but it is economical and does the job.

[Caitedid]

I buy the Mechanic's Soap from Uncle Stinky's Man Soap on Etsy. Made with beltsander crystals, comes with a warning not to use it on the rest of your body. I pumice in the shower, sleep with gloves on, love the O'Keefe's. Still suffer from what I refer to as "farm finger". The girl who does my hair suggested I get a manicure for the wedding. Tried not to laugh too hard.

[simi-steading]

Even though I'm not a girl, Corn Huskers has always been my go to.. Especially when I used to work in a lot of gas, oil and thinners and strippers that really dried out my hands.. My skin would crack and bleed and it was the best there was for softening them up... Farmers have used it for years and years..

[grandma12703]

Saw a recipe today for sugar scrub made with dawn dish soap with olay and sugar. Supposed to be similar to Mary Kay's Satin hands but a lot cheaper. Interesting and they say it works great. I think I will try it. You make it in a mason jar 3/4 full of sugar fll the rest of the way with the dish soap and mix till you get a paste that is not too runny. If it needs to be a little thicker add more sugar.

[grandma12703]

Originally Posted by gone-a-milkin

Girly hands are for girlie girls.
You cant have good hands if you work hard with them.
Just not possible.

Instead I am proud of my callouses and work at keeping my hands from cracking too badly.
If they get deep cracks it becomes very difficult to let them heal up so I really work to keep up with them.

I just use Bag Balm. It is greasy and has some antiseptic in it.
Yes, it is kind of gross, but it is economical and does the job.

Agreed! I work in an office and when I first started I thought I needed manicured nails, etc...Problem was I worked on the farm after my day job so now I just try to use lotion, etc. (maybe trying the new recipe for my hands) keep my nails clipped short and don't hide my hard working hands. They are something to be proud of.

[okiemom]

I like olive oil when my hands are in the kitchen and I am cooking and washing constantly. olive oil is not bad in food but some of the other lotions are nasty tasting.

I like aveno lotion slathered on after I get out of the shower.

[PrettyPaisley]

I remember Corn Huskers ... I think I used it as a kid. Interesting....
I can't do the stuff on my hands at night. It's some odd phobia I suffer from. I can't have anything on my hands or feet or I start to feel panicy. Weird, I know.
Thanks for the ideas, and the reassurance that I can't really have girly hands working like this. I shook someone's hand the other day (a woman, no less) and she recoiled and asked if I gardened. Uh-you could say that. Nice manners, to comment on my rough hands.

[grandma12703]

Originally Posted by PrettyPaisley

I remember Corn Huskers ... I think I used it as a kid. Interesting....
I can't do the stuff on my hands at night. It's some odd phobia I suffer from. I can't have anything on my hands or feet or I start to feel panicy. Weird, I know.
Thanks for the ideas, and the reassurance that I can't really have girly hands working like this. I shook someone's hand the other day (a woman, no less) and she recoiled and asked if I gardened. Uh-you could say that. Nice manners, to comment on my rough hands.

My DH always comments on how soft my hands are!! LOL I know better but I guess hand in hand mine probably do feel soft against his. He works on the farm and in construction. He is really the only opinion I need.

[emdeengee]

Working with my hands does make them rough on top of which I have very sensitive skin. Always dry and easily split. I have used every cream on the market including some prescription creams with poor results. For the past 6 years I have been using Glysomed Hand cream (they used it at the hospital). I have not had rough, red or split hands since and unlike vaseline it is not greasy.

Also works great on calloused and rough feet. For callouses on hands or feet I use very fine sand paper. It is quite amazing how much this removes. A tip from a podiatrist.

Soak your nails in warm olive oil for ten minutes once a week. No more split cuticles and your nails become like iron.

[Cabin Fever]

My 5-foot nuthin' mother of 80 years has hands as big - if not bigger - than mine. She is a child of the Great Depression. When she was young, she had to be the "son" of the family. She had two older brothers. But, one of her brothers was away in WWII and the other was away from home recovering from polio. She was all there was to help on the farm. She picked rock, milked cows, chopped firewood, and slung bales of hay. Yes, she has big gnarly-manly hands, but you would be hard pressed to find any hands that are as loving and as caring as her's.

[simi-steading]

Originally Posted by PrettyPaisley

I remember Corn Huskers ... I think I used it as a kid. Interesting....
I can't do the stuff on my hands at night. It's some odd phobia I suffer from. I can't have anything on my hands or feet or I start to feel panicy. Weird, I know.
Thanks for the ideas, and the reassurance that I can't really have girly hands working like this. I shook someone's hand the other day (a woman, no less) and she recoiled and asked if I gardened. Uh-you could say that. Nice manners, to comment on my rough hands.

That's what's so great about Corn Huskers.. it only takes a minute or so and it is completely adsorbed and no feeling of anything being on your hands.. no grease or oil.. strictly glycerin based.

[mamita]

Originally Posted by gone-a-milkin

Girly hands are for girlie girls.
You cant have good hands if you work hard with them.
Just not possible.

Instead I am proud of my callouses and work at keeping my hands from cracking too badly.
If they get deep cracks it becomes very difficult to let them heal up so I really work to keep up with them.

I just use Bag Balm. It is greasy and has some antiseptic in it.
Yes, it is kind of gross, but it is economical and does the job.

I very kindly disagree. I work hard outside every day, and I see no need to have callouses at all. I have girly hands, yet work like a guy any day of the week. seriously, 'girlie hands are for girlie girls'?

[gone-a-milkin]

Originally Posted by mamita

I very kindly disagree. I work hard outside every day, and I see no need to have callouses at all. I have girly hands, yet work like a guy any day of the week. seriously, 'girlie hands are for girlie girls'?

Yeah, seriously. In my opinion.

Nothing personal mamita but I am pretty sure you do not work your hands as hard as some of us do.

[hippygirl]

My hands have always been rough (and they're big as well). I use whatever lotion/cream I have handy before bed and it keeps the cracking away.

My heels, however, will crack deeply in the winter and get so sore that it hurts to walk...tried everything, but nothing short of vaseline and wearing socks to bed (which I can hardly tolerate) worked. One night, in desperation, I grabbed a jar of Ponds Cold Cream I had stuck in the back of the vanity and slathered my heels down...the next morning, they felt a LOT better, so I began to use it nightly. The cracks were completely healed within a week and I haven't had any problem with them since (still using the Ponds, but only lightly and every other night now).

Now you watch...now that I've found something that actually works, they'll quit making it for sure!

[mamita]

Originally Posted by gone-a-milkin

Yeah, seriously. In my opinion.

Nothing personal mamita but I am pretty sure you do not work your hands as hard as some of us do.

why do you think that? I'm curious to know.