Ridiculously dry hands - help!

[Messing]

Any recs for handcream - or anything else?

I'm desperate - can barely type, they're so cracked and bleeding.

A lot of people find old fashioned bar soap better than liquid handwashes this time of year, as the detergent can be very drying. Needs to be a proper soap though, and preferably one which hasn't had the glycerine taken out.

And another vote for sudocreme in extremis, but am currently using waitrose bum butter on mine and DS's hands at night and it's working.

I had the same problem and it was actually my handwash that was doing it. It was anti-bacterial which seems particularly harsh.

Another vote for BS Hemp cream, really makes a difference, and it was half price today. I don't know how long that offer runs for though as there were no signs up, I only knew about the offer as a member of staff came up to tell me when I was looking at it.

Have to second Diprobase. I had the OP's problem, NOTHING I could buy worked. Went to the GP who prescribed me Cetraben which is an emollient. Since then DS has been dxed with eczema and gets Zerobase on prescription (at first he got Diprobase). All three emollients are excellent.

Kiehls Ultimate Hand Salve is amazing. Also, this French stuff is v similar at about a third of the price: www.frenchclick.co.uk/p-3186-mixa-creme-mains-reparatrice-lallantoine-100ml.aspx

They deliver in the London area.

origins restorative hand cream is the bizness

I don't like the feel of Norwegian Formula.

I love my Clarins one but it doesn't cut the mustard for really sore hands imho.

Crabtree & Evelyn La Source www.crabtree-evelyn.co.uk/eng/products/hands-feet/bestsellers/mini_60_second_fix_for_hands?1047997 is lovely.

One tube gently exfoliates and sort of plumps up your hands and then there is a really nourishing hand cream. The link is to a small size for £7 so you can test it but they do a bigger size for £22. I got it for Christmas last year and love it so much that have got in for my DM and MIL for this Christmas.

burts bees is good on really chapped hands, but the smell is VERY strong. I use clarins most of the time- it's great except when really really bad.

I suffer as well

Doctor gave me a Eucerin dry Skin Hand cream and it works wonders. Is about £9.00 to buy.

Just found a new Palmer's cocoa butter hand cream which I quite like for daytime.

Horton I can't justify the Kiehl's prices now that I'm a SAHM so I'm glad you posted that link as you know how good it is!

I've had a problem with very dry hands recently, - I've found epaderm cream works quite well. It's available from pharmacies - you would probably have to ask at the counter. And the cotton night gloves work well too.

Try the Mixa stuff, morag. It is honestly brilliant and way cheaper than Kiehls. Like the Kiehls one, a tube lasts ages. Delivery is free for orders over £35 but expensive if you get less, I think. Maybe get some food or other stuff if you can so as not to pay the delivery charge.

Ditto to slathering whatever cream on then gloves overnight, and keeping tubes everywhere so you're prompted to use it more often.

You can use bog-standard aqueous cream (giant tub costs about a £1 in Boots, pound shops, etc) to wash your hands with rather than soap as well - much less drying.

BS Hemp is half price :)

I use aqueous cream to wash my hands at home. I can tell the difference when I use the liquid soap at work. It's very drying.

I sometimes use the aqueous cream as hand cream too, as does DH.

I've just got a tub of Helping Hands from Lush and this has really helped DS1's dry hands. His knuckles get very dry too and crack. This has really helped him.

Neutrogena does nothing for me nor BS Hemp Stuff. I bung on loads of vaseline and cotton gloves.

If your hands don't have cracks or keens on them then try melting down some paraffin candles in an old saucepan, let cool slightly then put your hands in the wax- works wonders.

Finally the best thing ever is an old ointment called Snowfire which you can buy from 'proper' chemists. It really is the business

You need to consider if something is causing the dryness, I know several people who have various degrees of reaction to Carex and to some dishwashing liquids.

Lansenoh cream works wonders

My DP has this problem, very dry skin with 'splits' in the fingertips that are really sore. I'll get him to try some of these suggestions - have seen special creams in Boots for dry/cracked heels, I wonder if they're OK for hands too? It seems like a similar problem...

I've suffered from the same, tried everything, the best thing in the world is BODY SHOP DRY HANDS HEMP CREAM.

It costs £10 a tube of 100ml, lasts for absolutely ages, and is worth every penny.

Flexitop brilliant (put it on at night before sleep). Otherwise, the Avene cream is excellent, really hydrating and not greasy......

(sorry, flexitol)

Hi,

I have this problem really badly last winter when I was at home with a small baby and was washing my hands loads.

I find from me liquid hand soap, particularly that containing sodium laurel sulphate, to be my trigger.

I found swapping to good old imperial leather solid bar soap worked for me.

Would also recommend E45 hand cream

I can be a complete product junkie, but these are properly two of the cheapest options on the market.

Good luck

Katy

Another vote for Norwegian Formula.

I was going to pile on here shouting in caps about how amazing it is, but everyone seems to be advocating their faves so you'll have to decide!

I've tried Clarins and it felt posh but only NF works immediately. Doesn't feel like a cream so is a bit weird but it works like nothing else ime.