Split/cracked/cut skin on your hands

I was going to put this in "off topic discussions", but I actually think it's quite relevant to a scrapper's life. Especially this time of year, but anytime you're working with scrap & washing your hands a lot, they can really dry out & split around your fingernails. And considering that split-up fingertips have made it to where sometimes I can't face breaking down one more thing, I think it's a relevant topic. It's hard to break down things when you can't stand to pick up anything tiny, or do delicate touchy work... and FORGET about twisting out a bolt with your thumbtip!

So... after trying every remedy I could find, my wife read about a GREAT fix... though many of you will find it kinda gross.

Crisco.

Yep, that's right. Crisco lard. The real lard you can get at the Hispanic-targeted stores here in DFW is even better. Just smear a dime-sized ball of that into your hands and let it soak in for about 10 minutes, then rinse off the excess with water as hot as you can tolerate, (No soap), then go to bed. Do this every night & your hands split A LOT less.

If your fingertips still do split, take a vitamin E capsule, punch a hole in it with a safety pin, and squeeze out a generous dollop of the juice onto a bandaid pad, then put that bandaid on over the split fingertip. Keep the juice off the sticky part of the bandaid, or else it won't adhere. Cuts/splits heal a whole lot faster with vitamin E juice than even with Neosporin.

Vermont's Original Bag Balm*Protective Ointment | Walgreens

I rarely have the problems youve described. I know this stuff that was recommended to me a long time ago helps. I have bouts of nail biting problems. I don't even notice when I'm doing it until its too late. My cuticles often get torn up and this stuff heals them in a couple days.

this has worked for me and i still use it to minimize the cracking/splitting/bleeding before it gets outta control

neosporin : Neosporin.com | NEOSPORIN®

several times a day work a dab into each cracked section of your hand, then wipe off excess with cotton towel

results in under a week

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Originally Posted by oldtoothlessbassmaster

this has worked for me and i still use it to minimize the cracking/splitting/bleeding before it gets outta control

neosporin : Neosporin.com | NEOSPORIN®

several times a day work a dab into each cracked section of your hand, then wipe off excess with cotton towel

results in under a week

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I've used that stuff, really just because it was what I had in the cabinet, but it does help, and it doesn't take much either since it kinda "melts" once it gets the body heat

long time ago, when gas was cheaper than water, we'd get all greasy working on cars, and just wash off with gasoline, but it would chap too. Found diesel did good for a rinse ; ) haha

In a pinch, Chapstick, Blistex, or Carmex can work if you're out in the field and need relief quick.

Bag Balm X2.....

Lubriderm or Corn Huskers Lotion, both very good for working hands,,

I am lucky and don't get cracked hands or feet to often but my wife does get both and she swears by badger balm.

Vitamin E and bag balm are the two things i use. Vit E to heal the splits and bag balm to prevent them. Another one i was taught by my grandmother that she used religiously in the winter. Rub your hands with vaseline before bed and cover them with a pair of socks. Never had a problem with cracked skin on her hands.

I have been using Corn Huskers Lotion for decades thanks to Paul Harvey. :)

Stay at this scrappin gig long enough you become immune to pain and the sight of blood.

Hang in there you'll toughen up.

One time I had so much oil on my Levis they caught fire while cutting some scrap up with the torch, you would have laughed at how quickly a mand can get undressed in public. As a kid they could never get me to wear gaunchies as an adult still wear none.

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Originally Posted by gustavus

Stay at this scrappin gig long enough you become immune to pain and the sight of blood.

Hang in there you'll toughen up.

One time I had so much oil on my Levis they caught fire while cutting some scrap up with the torch, you would have laughed at how quickly a mand can get undressed in public. As a kid they could never get me to wear gaunchies as an adult still wear none.

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Heh.. Caught two pairs of jeans and one pair of Carhartt Bibs on fire in the past year... It's an interesting experience every time...

As said above. Bag balm or corn huskers lotion. Both great products. Fortunately, I moved to Florida and don't have that dryness to worry about anymore.

Lubriderm works for this guy. It's cheap , helps your hands heal up, and it doesn't leave my hands slippery and greasy like other stuff does. ( i'm sorry if spelling is bad in this post. Iphone keyboard, nuff said. LOL)

What about gloves? That seems to work pretty well also.

When my hands get dryed out and cracked i use 1% hyrdocortisone ointment. Cheeper than lotion

Here in Western Colorado where if humidity gets above 12%, I think it is muggy, I have for years used the Corn Husker's Oil. Then one day I blew a hydraulic hose on piece of equipment, made a heck of a mess, but my hands were really soft. Since then I have put a couple drops of hydraulic oil inside pair of new gloves to condition and don't have the issue with thumbs and cuticles cracking.

If your catching on fire I recommend washing your clothes. Usually people wash their clothes for sanitary purposes. In this case it sounds like a safety issue. I wouldn't be bragging about either.

I put olive oil on my hands at bedtime when they get that cracked - if you want a vegetarian version. Also, I think Crisco comes in a vegetable shortening too, doesn't it?

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Originally Posted by Scrapette

I put olive oil on my hands at bedtime when they get that cracked - if you want a vegetarian version. Also, I think Crisco comes in a vegetable shortening too, doesn't it?

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That way if you catch on fire you'll smell like french fries,,,lol

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Originally Posted by Russell

If your catching on fire I recommend washing your clothes. Usually people wash their clothes for sanitary purposes. In this case it sounds like a safety issue. I wouldn't be bragging about either.

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Heh, don't worry, I wash my clothes daily (otherwise they get really nasty). I've learned that certain kinds of jeans have a high percentage of polyester in the fabric, rendering them more susceptible to conflagration... the most recent though was from my Carhartt's being old and worn out, time to throw them out soon :(

My hands are nice & soft now... Just ask that utility knife blade that just dug a quarter inch deep - inch long furrow across my left thumb. :mad:

I had just stopped & looked at what I was doing, double-checked that I had a good angle, and wasn't about to hurt my self... then the blade slipped.

The missus told me she was confiscating all the utility knives as of now. LOL

Paper towel & some vetwrap, and I'ma finish this pile of stuff I need to break down before bed.

Allow me to take this opportunity to do a PSA on maintaining your tetanus vaccination if you're in this line of work!!

I have used Loctite super glue for years to repair the really deep cracks. I asked my doctor about it once and he said alot of surgeons use the same thing..I'd bet they didn't get theirs from Home Depot though! LOL! O'keefe, I think, makes a paste in a little green tin, about the size of a snuff can, that really does a good job too. You can usually find it at the farm stores around the Bag Balm area.

All of us, scrappers and refiners alike, deal with things that have any number of weird or strange bacteria or other compounds, chemicals, minerals, etc, that are harmful to our skin. To combat this I make ionic silver at 20 ppm. If you get an infection all you do is spray ionic silver onto your cut or wound and no infection. This isn't a testimonial, or something I have not personally experienced, this is what I do. I even go as far as to spray my hands with ionic silver after I work with certain types of material because it kills bacteria, dead.

Just another suggestion, I am not making any medical claims, just relating what my own personal experience has been. There is a ton of information on the internet you can google about this type of thing. As bacteria becomes more and more resistant to antibiotics, ionic or colloidal silver will be the only thing capable of killing infections like MRSA, it literally can kill MRSA within 30 minutes of application. It's used extensively by American companies overseas, but here in the US it's really a kept secret, although more and more information is coming out about this type of treatment, all the time.

If there is anyone who wants to try the external, topical treatment out, you can message me and I'll send you a small bottle at cost, it would just be a buck or so for the bottle and whatever for shipping. Or, if you would like the name of the company that makes a complete unit to make it yourself, I'll give you the information on that as well. The actual amount of silver is so small that it really doesn't even amount to pennies so it's not expensive at all. But it really works.

Scott

I've been in the wrecker business for about 10 years and I have this problem every time I scrap a burn job we get stuck with. This last one was the worst of all! This last one was a 2005 Peterbuilt 378 so I spent almost as much time on the job as I did washing my hands. I go to the drug store and get some shea butter cream and cotton gloves. I use as bout as much of it as I do soap. And then put the gloves on. It's recomended to do it before u go to bed but when I get any kind of down time thks gloves are on. I'm also in a band so I need my calices. This dissent affect them at all. Bag balm is a good also my method is just cheaper round here anyway.

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Originally Posted by Junker

I have used Loctite super glue for years to repair the really deep cracks. I asked my doctor about it once and he said alot of surgeons use the same thing..I'd bet they didn't get theirs from Home Depot though! LOL! O'keefe, I think, makes a paste in a little green tin, about the size of a snuff can, that really does a good job too. You can usually find it at the farm stores around the Bag Balm area.

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"Okeefes working hands".. the wifey noticed my thumbs cracking and in rough shape and saw this stuff at Lowes. Been useing it a couple times a day for about a week now, and see a great improvement. Doesn't take much and doesn't leave any oily sticky residue.