yowzers my knuckles are dry and sore -- any miracle cures, or is it the inevitable side-effect of this weather plus many MANY post nappy-change hand washes?

[Tutter]

use neutrogena hand cream

and occasionally a crabtree and evelyn hand care treatment

oh yes, and another question: do you take your rings off every time you put hand cream on?

and: do you in fact use hand cream after every hand wash?

I don't use hand cream after every wash.
I do take my rings off - but I'm odd and only really put them on when I'm leaving the house.
And in answer to your original question ...
we find Diprobase to be really good for any dry/sore skin. You can get it on prescription but it is actually cheaper to just buy it from the chemist and there is no problem using it for the whole family.
HTH

Yardley (I think) makes a wonderful "English winter" hand cream. It is rich without being oily. I cannot go without it. And it smells lovely too.

I use Kamillosan cream on my knuckles. Works a treat.

has anyone tried taht new Vaseline Intensive Rescue?
my knuckes have have started to crack they are so dry!

thought it was jst me with hands like this!
i've just tried lush's new "handy gurugu" and it's fantastic.

ordinary vaseline lathered on at night and lightly during the day should do it, my son has the same problem

you could try slathering your hands in vaseline and then putting on gloves be4fore you go to sleep

I get this badly to the point where you can see a red line of sore skin like a "glove" on each hand.

Last winter, I sussed it. Whenever they start to feel a bit dry, I go to bed with my hands SLATHERED with Body Shop's Hemp hand cream covered with cotton gloves. Usually take the gloves off again sleepily after about an hour when it's soaked in. Yes, my rings are off.

Repeat the next night, even if I don't feel I need it.

That usually lasts me a good week or two before I need to repeat - I no longer get cracked and bleeding hands and they look "normal" between applications. I highly recommend the stuff.

Prior to that revelation I'd been using the neutrogena Norwegian formula hand cream twice daily and still getting painfully sore hands.

Lanisoh is great on really dry skin, but currently I'm loving the Elizabeth Arden 8 hour hand cream.
When things are bad, just about any hand cream slapped on and covered with cotton gloves works wonders. For full effect a soak in Potions and Possibilities ultra relaxing bath oil, and then cream and gloves really pushes the moisture in.

I'm slathering in aqueous cream atm. I put it on before I leave the house and put gloves on over the top. My hands bleed when they start to crack. Ow

I've found the best thing for really dry hands is a teaspoon of olive oil and half a teaspoon of sugar. Massage in well for a minute and then wash your hands normally with soap or handwash. They will never have felt so smooth and delicious and silky.

This is going to sound really dopey, but where do you find cotton gloves?

I got mine from Avon, and I think you could get them from the Body Shop too if you don't boycott it

Yup, got my cotton gloves from Body Shop.

They have them in Boots in the first aid section.

Thanks, I'll try Boots, I'm not too keen on the Body Shop.