My hands are so dry !

[rookiemere]

I know it's a first world problem, but is anyone else's hands horribly dry with all the washing and hand sanitizer? I've not been using hand cream because I assume it would reduce the effectiveness of washing.

Maybe take it a bit easier with the hand sanitizer?

I’ve just had a thread about this! Hang one - there was some good stuff on there...

Switch to gentler soap?

Hand cream is fine. I personally do either/ or on handwashing and sanitizer.

Oh did I miss an existing thread

Mine are actually much better now - slavering on loads of heavy hand cream and not using the new harsh antibacterial soap at work (just the usual stuff in the wall dispensers).

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/style_and_beauty/3842177-Really-dry-and-cracked-skin-in-hands

But I'm worried that hand cream would reduce the effectiveness of hand washing - if anyone has any links to show it doesn't I'd be very grateful

Apparently we shouldn't let our hands get dry to the point of cracking because that can let germs in. I have horrendous eczema and the extra hand washing is really going for it. I've started using a soap and glory hand cream on the backs of my hands and what a difference it makes.

Coconut oil

Well the FDA adviser last year that we don’t use all this antibacterial soap - just good old soap and water. I think the trick is to get a really good heavy hand cream on at night (I’ve yet to try popping on latex gloves on top to keep it on and stop it going into my eyes).

I'm using tea tree oil hand cream. I have no idea if the tea tree properties make it any more 'medical' than other hand creams, but it felt logical.

I always wash my hands 10-20 times a day

I use hand cream after

My boss asked if I had OCD, I don’t, but wash my hands before handling food, after handling food, every time I go to the loo, after I clean surfaces with a cloth, after putting petrol in my car, so many other times

But anyway, yes, handcream

I don’t use the anti bac gels as I hate them and doubt their efficacy (and the extremely drying effect of them makes skin surface more susceptible to infection)

Best hand cream is cicaplast

I use tea tree on pimples, cold sores, grazes etc. I suppose it had disinfectant properties. I wonder if germolone male handcream?

Oh yes lordfront I hadn't thought about putting on a thick layer at night, that should help.

Hand cream doesn't do anything to reduce the effectiveness of handwashing. If anything by reducing dry cracked skin they make infections less likely. We have hand cream dispensers next to our alcohol gel in my NHS workplace

I’m using eight hour cream before bed, it’s magic

The okeefes is cheaper in boots than amazon and these 25% off the triple pack /hand/foot/skin)

I can't point you towards any evidence, but NHS workers are advised by infection control to moisturise their hands after washing (although I've yet to come across a hand cream dispenser that isn't empty). I can't imagine how it could reduce the effectiveness of hand washing given that you've already done that by the time you put the hand cream on. As PP says, if your hands are dry and cracked then you're more susceptible to infection.

I think hand cream is fine and I am a total germophobe!

I've got various tubes and pots of the stuff, but I've just ordered some Aquamax cream, which you can use all over your body - it's great.

Child's farm fragrance free is one of the best I have ever used (and I've had eczema on my hands since a child and tried most things), and aqueous is pretty good overnight as well (bit greasy for daytime in my opinion).