Skin care?

[Bombarde16]

Anyone out there have recommendations on keeping one's hands baby soft and still being a woodworker? I don't care a rat's posterior what my skin looks like but my better half thinks my hands have turned into sandpaper.

[duckkisser]

i use a lotion that is made for oil workers dont know the brand since i ran out half a month ago

[Rapid Roger]

I spent 15 years working in a sheet metal shop before I got into the mobile tool business. Now that I'm retired and working in wood, I get no complaints from the wife. I didn't use gloves with the sheet metal because I always got cut or hurt worse when using gloves if the metal slipped so you can imagine what my hands looked like! I was digging slivers of steel out of my fingers for 5 years after becoming a salesman.

I do get slivers of wood now and again but can usually dig them out fairly easy these days so everybody here is happy.

Rog

[Dave H]

I use Corn Huskers I work around alot of concrete products, working heavy construction for many years out in the elements of washington state. It works for me and doesn't have that fufu smell.

[PaulMarcel]

Bag Balm works great. The lanoline in it keeps your skin pretty smooth; naturally it takes a bit of time to get through those calluses. As my dad said (who grew up in the country), dairy farmers have the softest hands cuz back in his day, they used bag balm on the cow, but it worked wonders on their hands. Now that I said that, you're probably not at all interested

[duckkisser]

when i did roofing i would rub baby oil om my skin which covers up the pores in the skin. at the end of the day it's easier to clean off the oil then it was to scrub out the tar and shingle dust. don't know how that will help but could help a little.

[alindsey]

+1 on this. Also have used a similar product sold under a different brand: the ever so appetizingly named "Udder Butter." I dislike using it, or any kind of lotion really, on my hands as I have sensory issues but I have used it in the winter when things got too dry and cracked to stand it any more. Where it really helps me is on my feet. Probably TMI, but my feet, especially the heels, are always horribly dry and prone to cracking. Most of this is my fault as A) My feet are the only part of me that are ticklish and it seems that all of my "ticklishness" is concentrated there to where I can barely stand to touch them myself because I'll squirm, and see above regarding sensory issues. The only way I can stand to do it is to squirt some on the bottom of one foot and rub my feet together, but doing that every so often at bed time and covering my feet with socks while I sleep does help keep the dryness and cracking down.

And that's more than you probably ever wanted to know about my feet, unless you really want a graphic description of a toenail fungus that I have going on as well. No? Hey, where did everyone go? I have pictures!

Bag Balm works great. The lanoline in it keeps your skin pretty smooth; naturally it takes a bit of time to get through those calluses. As my dad said (who grew up in the country), dairy farmers have the softest hands cuz back in his day, they used bag balm on the cow, but it worked wonders on their hands. Now that I said that, you're probably not at all interested

[PMR]

In the winter my hands crack and bleed, I will use this and after about a week or so they are well on their way of healing.

[JohnnyNoName]

While having soft hands isn't viewed as "manly", it can actually help you keep your hands in good condition. The softer your hands, the more flexible the skin, the less they are likely to be injured from cuts, punctures, splinters, and the worst cracks. I was a gymnast for a while, and we would have to annoyingly keep our hands lotioned every day, otherwise the friction from the equipment could literally rip skin off of our hands. One of the tricks we would do at night would be to put thick lotion or vaseline all over our hands, and then put our hands in socks. The lotion/vaseline would keep in the moisture, and the socks would keep the lotion/vaseline off of your face and pillow. It works really well.

Jonathan

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[duckkisser]

in high school i was doing a clay class, lifting weights, then working on roofs or cement during the winter. one day i lean up against a wall and when i started to walk away a kid pointed out that there was a bloody hand print on the wall. ever since then i have been taking better care of my hands was a freaky moment.

[jHop]

One trick i was told was to wear plastic gloves to bed, instead of socks. Not the latex gloves we wear while staining, but the type that comes in the dyes for hair. (Something loose, in other words.) However, this gets expensive because the gloves do break periodically, and socks can be washed when they are finished being used.

I've had people recommend Badger Balm, Udder products, Bert's Bees products, and even butter. I haven't tried any of these yet, due to other issues going on, but the first three are on my list to try. Butter, though, remains in the kitchen for the time being.

The problem I have is my regular job handles a lot of paper. (That's a massive understatement. Unfortunately, I can't tell you what I do, because of the agreements I signed.) So I can't use any lotion on my hands that has a greasy residue, because it transfers itself to the paper. And paper dries out my hands pretty quick. So I'd caution to check your new lotion purchase with a selection of scrap wood to find what reaction it will have, including finishing.

[JohnnyNoName]

One trick i was told was to wear plastic gloves to bed, instead of socks. Not the latex gloves we wear while staining, but the type that comes in the dyes for hair. (Something loose, in other words.) However, this gets expensive because the gloves do break periodically, and socks can be washed when they are finished being used.

I've had people recommend Badger Balm, Udder products, Bert's Bees products, and even butter. I haven't tried any of these yet, due to other issues going on, but the first three are on my list to try. Butter, though, remains in the kitchen for the time being.

The problem I have is my regular job handles a lot of paper. (That's a massive understatement. Unfortunately, I can't tell you what I do, because of the agreements I signed.) So I can't use any lotion on my hands that has a greasy residue, because it transfers itself to the paper. And paper dries out my hands pretty quick. So I'd caution to check your new lotion purchase with a selection of scrap wood to find what reaction it will have, including finishing.

Have you ever tried using latex gloves while you handle the paper? It could protect your hands during it.

Jonathan

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[jHop]

I have a (very) mild allergy to latex. It's actually pretty tame, all things considered, but I can't wear the gloves for more than an hour. And since the shifts are ten or more hours at a go....

[PaulMarcel]

What about the Nitrile gloves? I have an allergy to latex so I use the Nitrile gloves; they also seem more durable.

[jHop]

I'm trying to think of a way to provide the scope of what I do without violating any agreements I've signed...

the best way I can think of to say what I do is that my particular location for work takes place inside a mail room for a major corporation. I'm not, strictly speaking, mail room staff, but I do assist them as they only have a handful of dedicated "mail room staff."

It's not uncommon for me to run across files with 10 pages each, but the largest I have ever handled was just over 300 pages. I know other files have gone through with more. Plus all the staples, paper clips, and tape... the gloves get abused real quick.

[Derwood]

My tinfoil hat keeps my hands dry:)) bit seriously the best is corn buskers lotion. I used to use that on my horses when I was a kid and man they loved it as much as me. There is a caine ( numbing agent I think ) in there that smells but it's all good when your so says "sure babe" rather than " did you wash?" what a turnoff lol:))

[rodger.]

I just use the wife's mosturizer whenever I feel like my hands are rough. She typically has high quality stuff.

[pagel]

There is a caine ( numbing agent I think ) in there that smells but it's all good when your so says "sure babe" rather than " did you wash?" what a turnoff lol:))

You ask?

[CessnaPilotBarry]

I like Udder Cream.

It's the only cream I've seen that doesn;t mess with water based finishes.