1st world problem. Well I’m washing my hands loads, but...

[OhWhatFuckeryIsThisNow]

My skin is incredibly dry! Like the backs of my hands are cracking. I’m bunging on the hand cream, (all the mn faves) But worried that that will lessen the impact of washing. Then I have to wash them again. (Work in a school and have a serious underlying condition) Using bar soap. Is there an anti viral hand cream? Is ordinary cream ok?

I have exactly the same problem so watching with interest

ok I'll bite. Have you tried glycerine soap? I don't know if it'll work for cracked skin. I use Body Shop Glycerine soap. It keeps mine from drying out and I don't use hand cream any more.

O keefes working hands is incredible. Only thing that healed my split skin after trying just about every other recommendation!

Hand cream won't lessen the results of washing I understand your anxiety given you have an underlying condition, but the chances of you catching the virus are EXTREMELY low. Keep washing your hands before eating, before touching your face etc and try to stay a healthy distance from pupils. Use a decent non scented glycerine hand cream. Please don't over wash your hands to the point of hurting yourself And maybe consider wearing gloves to protect your hands and reduce your hand washing?

Body Shop hemp hand cream. Put it on your hands before you go to bed, and it'll sort it.

Why would hand cream lessen the effect of hand washing?
Asking as genuinely interested, I'm a nurse and wash & moisturise loads everyday

Child’s farm grapefruit oil and tea tree moisturiser is brilliant for chapped and sore skin.

Letters I always try and keep a healthy distance from students. 😁 More likely to catch bubonic plague from some of the darlings. (Joke btw)
I have no idea if it would lessen the effect-that’s why I posted. And like I said, I’ve got all the usual suspects of hand cream. I’m not going overboard but we have either blisteringLy hot or very cold water at school, neither if which help dry skin. And blimey, they seem to have aged overnight!

My hands were quite dry from washing with bar soap. They improved when I also started using an alcohol gel with glycerin in. Try using a glycerin hand cream after washing.

Update! If anyone is watching. They got worse. Like a pair of leather gloves. In boredom I used an Avon lavender and clay foot mask on my hooves and rubbed the excess in my hands. Miracle! All nice and soft again. I know most wont have it lying about, but if you have any type of clay mask stuff it may work.

Try hydrocortisone cream you can buy it from a chemist. Put it on before you go to bed and rub it in well, you can use it twice a day, obviously best when you’re at home and not going to be washing it off 10 mins later, to give it time to work. It’s a steroid cream.

My hands look like those of someone 30 years older than I am. I work in adult social care and can't keep a distance. One resident is in nappies but others are quite independent and can cook and do laundry. The mix means constant hand washing despite gloves for actual care tasks as I'm often on my own with 14 residents. Disposable gloves make my hands worse too.

I'm task changing every couple of minutes from toileting or showering those with highest needs to supervising and mucking in with cooking and cleaning and laundry to resetting 14 people's clocks to summer time yesterday to helping others with technology problems with their mobile phones, answering the landline used by residents who can't remember not to pick their noses or put fingers in their mouths straight after hand washing... I do 24 hour shifts and I wash my hands every ten minutes... Then when I come home I don't want to spread anything to my family and do the same...

I will look out for clay masks next time I do a supermarket shop. DH has started commenting on my hands... My hands aren't cracked they've jystaged 30 years in 3 weeks

Hello OP - I really hope you are not still in school if you have a ‘serious underlying condition’

No Eveoha, I got sent home thanks.

I've been using udder cream (for yes, udders. My daughter has a horse which got mud fever in all the wet weather, it sorted him out so thought it worth a try)

Udder cream is brilliant stuff. Another is the lanolin nipple cream/ointment you use when breasfeeding, so long as you aren't allergic to wool.
When all else fails or I'm out of everything I slather plain old vaseline on both hands and wear cotton gloves overnight, (works really well)

If you can get those thin cotton gloves intended for this purpose, applying a generous amount of hand cream and putting the gloves on overnight really helps.