can anyone help me? I need to find an intensive hand treatment for my dh

[sweetheart]

My dh works outside doing a physical job and his hands are in terrible condition, the skin is so dry that he has large and painful cracks developing.

Can anyone suggest a treatment to help him?

Bodyshop hemp stuff is great, but smells bloody awful. I have the same problem and saw today that there's a handcream made by flexitol, and their foot stuff is great, so I assume their handcream would be good also

IME you can't beat E45 and cotton gloves overnight. If the skin is really thick though (I'm thinking like cracked heels here) I got something known as 50/50 which is basically a gloopier version of vaseline which is also great for softening the skin, again with gloves overnight.

Plain Vaseline! Try it, it really works and it's cheap :)

Neutrogena hand cream, i get realy bad hands (from being a chef), this is the only thing that works for me, i use it for a week and then stop for a couple weeks. Great stuff.

Second vote for Bodyshop Hemp (if he can stand the smell)

Hemp cream is good and sleeping with cotton gloves overnight really works.
If he wants something a bit more 'manly' my DP uses something called 'climb on' cream which you can get from some outdoor shops, it's marketed for climbers to use on their poor shredded fingers - it's very good stuff and lasts for ages.

parafin wax.

melt it over a very low heat and paint it on, checking temp first. leave it for about 20mins and peel it off.

works miracles for dry hands

It sounds like a trip to the pharmacist, if not the GP would be in order. He may need a mild steroid cream as well as a moisturiser. What is he doing to make his hands so sore? Can he wear gloves?

I wsa thinking of gloves but I don't seem to be able to find any for men - do you think the usual ones would fit his big man hands?

ahh I had heard of parafin wax - where do you buy it from? And do you do it in a pan? Does it wreck it?

aveeno is excellent and provides instant relief. agree a trip to the GP would be a good starting point to make sure no infection.

Few spoons of vaseline mixed with few of olive oil. Mix and apply to hands.

Wrap both hands in sandwich bags then finally wrap up both hands in warm towels.

Leave for about half an hour then rub as much into the hands as can be absorbed then rinse off the rest with warm (not hot) water. Pat dry.

If he could sleep with some cotton gloves on following this it would really help for the moisture to be retained in the skin.

Neutrogena and cotton gloves overnight or Glycerine cream. Apply often and always thoroughly dry hands after washing. If your DH needs to protect his hands there is a product called gloves in a bottle that forms a layer over your skin and is waterproof but wears off (sheds like skin) - it has really helped my DD eczema on her hands

Best way is to soak hands in warm water with emollient for 30 minutes, then totally slather with aqueous cream and pull on cotton gloves. At a pinch, latex/plastic gloves work well too but aren't so nice to wear. You can get the gloves in the first aid section of Boots.

Crabtree and Evelyn Gardeners handcream is great, very soothing.

My hands are really bad and the best thing I have found it a baby cream called nelsons smootha Baby's bottom cream. Is odd sounding but fantastic and repairs my hands like nothing else does.

Link is here www.amazon.co.uk/Nelsons-Smootha-Babys-Bottom-Cream/dp/B002E2HSWU

elizabeth arden 8 hour cream, though I dont like the smell. What is it with hand cream and the smell?!

I feel your DHs pain. I am using this at the moment
www.e-pages.dk/uk_avon/274/

Pg 134-135 African Shea buttercream £2.45 and beneath that they are selling gloves for overnight. They have transformed my hands after a winter of small cracks on my fingers due to being too lazy to wear washing up gloves. It is gorgeous.

I am NOT an avon rep. I also keep Soap&Glory hand cream in my handbag for use during the day but that might be a step too far for him!!!

Sorry shit link!!
www.e-pages.dk/uk_avon/274/

I quite like this stuff - here for day to day use.

I get the cracks too and they are very painful even though they look quite innocuous.

I would agree that he should pop to the GP or pharmacist for advice.

Go to the g.p. he may precribe steroid cream, or anti biotic cream first if there's any infection. Diprobase for eczema is brilliant if used regularly. Once his hands are better, you could try this. I've never used it, but it sounds good!

you can buy paraffin wax here paraffin wax

it might wreck the pan, it's been years since i did it so i can't remember what i did with the pan, threw it away probably.

You could try the creams for severely cracked heels. Don't bother with the more expensive brand names, go for one with a high urea %

sweetheart - during the day, Neutrogena, and at night Vaseline or paraffin wax PLUS a few drops of almond oil. You can get almond oil for pence in most chemists and supermarkets. Rub hands in combo of Vaseline and almond oil and cover in cotton gloves.

In winter I add a few drops of almond oil to face cream - it sorts out any dry skin problems.