Hand cream for very dry hands

[Yukduck]

Help!
My hands are very prone to cracking in the winter, the skin is very dry. I do have eczema and use hydrocortisone when it is bad. I need a very good, very moisturising hand cream to use several times a day.

I used to use bodyshop hemp, now I use Avon care, but wondered if anyone who knows how miserable dry, chapped hands can be can recommend anything.

Diprobase. I used to get it on prescription but now you can get it OTC at Tesco pharmacy, etc. in a big pump dispenser. No lanolin either.

I use aveeno + nivea (the big blue tub) at night.
and I try to wear gloves outside and marigolds for cleaning.

1. Use aqueous cream instead of soap, for handwashing.

1. Almost any emollient will work better if you do 1.

1. Wear gloves outdoors in cold weather.

1. Never immerse your hands in water, or use any cleaning/ laundry products, without Marigolds on, unless you are actually washing your hands.

We like Aveeno and Doublebase as emollients.

I always do use non-latex gloves to wash up, and wear leather gloves when outside (except for high summer) as any soap or cold temperature is lethal to my skin. I do also use diprobase. I buy it to use after my shower (I use soap free products). I am afraid that my dressing table looks like a chemist's with bio oil, oilatum, Sudocreme, hydrocortisone etc etc.
I was really wanting something to carry in my handbag to work or to keep on my desk that will see me through the working day and that did not look medicinal.
Thank you all so much for all your recommendations - I have gotten some good products to try.

Eucerin foot cream ( 10% urea) is good as is Neutrogena foot cream ( though it is very greasy- night time only).
I've tried most of the others mentioned. They don't work on my very dry hands.

Flexitol for hands is amazing for dry skin and cuticles. It works the same as the Flexitol heel balm - you can see results within a day or 2.

Also suffer with eczema, dry cracked hands. "Working Hands" is the best and will help you no end. But from amazon, look at reviews x

For those that can tolerate lanolin - Baktolan Protect is by far the most effective hand cream I've ever tried. Can be bought on Amazon quite cheaply. There are lanolin-free products in the range which could be worth a try. :)

Are you careful about what soap you are using? Any SLS in hand wash and my hands go crazy. Also, do you wet your hands before putting on the soap? I have tried loads of hand creams, but what has made a difference is really cutting back on chemicals and using Melrose organic hand soap (difficult at work, I know), and Lavera Basis Sensitiv All-Round Cream. Burt' Bees Hand Salve is also okay, but is very greasy and has a strong smell, plus you seem to need loads. I think you can get the Lavera at Holland and Barrett's.

Aveeno here!

Boots cracked heel cream is amazing on dry hands. The tube isn't pretty but better than the box which has pix of cracked heels on it!

Crabtree and Evelyn

Yukduck thank you so much for starting this thread

I've always had bad skin on my hands throughout winter.

When I was pregnant over the winter it got so bad I was given steri strips to hold together the cracks on my knuckles, I've needed them to hold my cracked hand skin together in the past but this was excessive cracking. The dr said to use steroid cream but I refused as I was pregnant with my now PFB. He ended up prescribing a cream called Dermol 500 lotion which is great. Every winter since I've had a pump of it next to every sink at home and so long as I use it religiously at home I find the majority of hand creams are strong enough to see me through the day, when at work I just have a little tuppaware of the dermol 500 in my bag just in case it's a bad day.

After reading this thread I'm going to be buying some weleda skin food, I'd much prefer a more natural cream

Flexitol or la Roche posay

I find liz earle amazing smells divine too

I get excema too and get aveeno on prescription. I barely need hydrocortisone anymore.

I have horrible, horrible dry hands as well as Raynauds. If I don't put hand cream on straight after washing my hands it goes downhill very quickly!

My very favourite is Aveeno Skin Relief hand cream with the blue ribbon. It's the only hand cream I've ever bought more than once. It's often marked down to £3.50 or so.

I react to Neutrogena and BS Hemp cream, but I found O'Keefe's Working hand cream just brilliant. And that's with my hands so dry and sore that my finger pads would split open.

Body shop hemp !

I've used
Body Shop Hemp
Aveeno
O'Keefes
Neutrogena
L'occitane
Cien
Flexitol
La Roche Posay
Burt's Bees foot cream ( awful to use- so thick)
Diprobase
Crabtree and Evelyn
Kiehls
Clarins - smells lovely. Cr*p though.
All mentioned by posters ( except Clarins)

The best I've used are
Neutrogena foot cream
Eucerin 10% Urea foot cream.

I shall try :
Weleda Skin Food
Liz Earle
Dermol 500
Lavera Basis Sensitiv.

The two I recommended are for night time- too greasy for day time use

Lotil. It can be used on broken skin, so even on horrible split knuckles when it's very cold. I don't get split knuckles any more though because I use Lotil . It's the best, and very cheap. You can buy it in Boots.

I've used Lotil too.

Neutropenia is the ONLY hand cream that has sorted out my dermatitis on my hands. My hands get sore, cracked and very itchy without it.

Sorry Neutrogena!