Does anyone else get dry fingertips?

[CityGirl]

Over the last few days, the tips of my crochet fingers (mostly the thumb, index and middle fingers of my right hand) have gotten really dry! I moisturize at night with some serious stuff (Kiehl's Heavy Duty Hand Cream or Aquaphor) but it's not helping! I'm sure it has a more than a little to do with the winter. Does this happen to anyone else?

[vernzap]

Yes! My hands have been dry this winter, but the fingers I use to guide my yarn (left hand) are very dry. I've started using an unscented lotion about half an hour before I crochet and that seems to help.

[natalie058]

Deneen's Shea Buttah is awesome just for this - in fact, I think that's one of the reason why she developed it in the first place! Check out the rave reviews in this thread...

[CrochetCatskills]

This happens to me all the time. I use mineral oil or aloe vera gelly.

 

With the mineral oil I put just a small bit on my hands, rub well, and paper towel the excess and in a very short time all of it will absorb enough to continue crocheting. Does anyone do this too?

 

Or the aloe vera gelly, the organic kind, I use "lily of the desert"....it's just aloe.... no additives, colors or fragrance. It's 6 dollars or a bit more for 12 oz but well worth it.... I have to use that on my face with my sensitive skin.

 

I just read this on the mothernature.com (natural products, healthy advise) From the Rodale book, The Doctors Book of Home Remedies II:

 

You don't need expensive skin creams to keep skin moisturized. "Nothing beats plain petroleum jelly or mineral oil as a moisturizer," says Howard Donsky, M.D., associate professor of medicine at the University of Toronto and author of Beauty Is Skin Deep. In fact, he adds that virtually any vegetable oil or hydrogenated cooking oil--from Crisco oil to sunflower or peanut oil--can be used to relieve dry skin. But note: They do feet greasier than commercial moisturizers.

 

Please note: I would try anything new on one part first just to see if you are allergic or have a reaction or break out.

 

Hope this information helps,

 

Cindy

 

added: with all the good I have heard I'm going to try Deneen's Shea Buttah for sure.

[Shaylen]

Mine were really bad to till i tried Deneen's Shea Buttah,that stuff is great.

[losingmymind2]

As soon as I saw the title of this thread, I knew the cure! Deneen's Whipped Shea Buttah! And no, we're not getting paid for the endorsements. It's truly a miracle worker. I only got mine last week, and already my skin is better. I work with wool a lot, and that sucks the moisture out of my already superdry hands, but just the tiniest bit of the buttah, worked in well, and I'm good to go.

[Ryaira]

Hey,

 

I am rather new here but I happen to have exzema on the inside of my palms when I get stressed and when I get a bad break out I have to use medicated cream to calm it down.

 

I find that regular use of Coca butter (or even Shea Butter) is an excellent cream for me with my dry hands I use it almost every time after I wash my hands and it helps. I have a huge bottle in my room of Coca Butter it's awesome and smells great too not to much perfume!

 

Now this whipped stuff everyone is talking about sounds great.

[Wombat]

Dry fingertips?? How strange, you might say. But I used to go nuts with dry fingertips (and it had nothing to do with crochet). I used a whole range of hand creams, lotions, etc. but nothing worked. One of my little quirks used to be licking my fingertips - so how strange is that!!

 

But as I got older, the dry feeling weakened and eventually went away. Perhaps it has something to do with hormones.

 

You have my full sympathy. I know exactly how you feel.

[Luvmyrott'nboy]

Oh gosh YES! And dry everything else too in winter.

 

I don't like to wear lotion while I am crocheting...and I wash my hands often to keep the yarn clean (I also have a long coated Rottie who I pet and cuddle so I wash my hands a LOT!) so I got cuts in my hands and everything.

 

Sooooo, before bed I use a heavy shea butter cream I got at Bath and Bodyworks. I think it's called "Lay in on Thick" and whenever I go outside and whenever I drive anywhere, I wash my hands and while my skin is still kind of wet I slather on the cream and put on gloves. By the time I get to work, or the store or wherever, the cream is absorbed and my hands feel good.

 

You can do the glove thing at bedtime too but I just cannot sleep with gloves on!

[Stacey]

My fingertips get insanely dry in the winter. I'm having a hard time with crochet right now because of that since the yarn keeps snagging on me. Usually I use either Farmer's Friend or the heavy-duty version of Keri lotion, but I've had to stop using moisturizer because I'm learning to play an instrument and all that moisturizer was preventing me from developing calluses on my fingertips that I need to be able to play without my fingers hurting. I'm just hoping things improve during the spring...

[renegade]

My fingers don't get dry so much from crocheting as much as my hands are more on the dry side in general. I haven't tried Deneen's shea buttah yet, although it sounds wonderful! But for years I've used Eucerin cream (not the lotion, but the heavy duty cream) on my hands twice a day, including cuticles, and they look great. I also use them on my feet, since I used to dance, and my feet would get horribly cracked and dry. They still get pretty dry, and the Eucerin is fantastic.

[CityGirl]

Thanks for all the suggestions! I'm writing them down. Good to know I'm not alone.

[eyenowhour]

My hands are generally dry. I tend to put lotion on many times when I crochet.

[13bodies]

I have to wash my hands frequently at work so in the winter they can get painfully dry. Crocheting is just the icing on the cake as far as my hands are concerned. Over the years I've found I can prevent them from getting too dry if I"m careful.

 

I only wash my hands in cool-cold water. Warm or (shudder) hot water dry them out too much.

 

When I can, I use natural, handmade soap instead of detergent (I love Chagrin Valley's soaps. They're moisturizing and gentle, and utterly fantastic)

 

I use lotion (any kind. I have 6 different types of lotion on my desk now. I'm a bit of a lotion fiend ) after I wash my hands each and every time.

 

I use lotion whenever they feel a bit tight or dry, or before I"m going to do something that might dry them out (like crocheting )

 

At night I use plain unscented lotion or B&BW MegaButter lotion. If it's very cold out, or if my hands seem a bit drier than usual, I"ll put a little almond butter or shea butter over the lotion.

 

If your hands are very dry, cracking, and painful, you can try mixing liquid soap and oil in a 2:1 ratio and using that to wash them. After you rinse your hands, rub in some lotion, then dry your hands and add more lotion. Sounds like a bit much, I know, but it worked for me.

 

Remember also to hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. If you're well hydrated it will help your skin.

[Shelleden]

You MUST try Deneen's Buttah - it's the best thing I've ever used! It absorbs quickly and doesn't feel greasy or sticky. It stays with you a long time, too. I got the Vanilla and it's a subtle, clean smell. I love it. I hate when my hands snag on my yarn. Use the Buttah (I love that name! Buttah dahling...) and you'll be surprised how much better, er I mean bettah your hands feel!

[CrochetinClara]

Oh Yeah, dry finger tips...so dry they have cracked! I found a lotion at Bath and Body Works(can't remember the name ). It has honey in it, smells just like you poured honey on your hands....mmmmmm. It really works for me, I haven't had dry hands since I started using it...but it is very very expensive( 24.95!!). The only reason I got it was because my Mom and I were out shopping, and she grabbed it after I put it back on the shelf!

[Scorpio59]

You MUST try Deneen's Buttah - it's the best thing I've ever used!

 

I totally agree. Two weeks ago my fingertips wwere cracked and hurting bad. Two - three days after using the shea buttah-they're as smooth as a baby's behind

[Maritime_Mystic]

I work as an esthetician to support my insane yarn obsession and I get to see lots and lots of dry skin, especially in winter. As long as your fingers aren't cracked and weepy, get some plain ol' table salt out of the cupboard and mix it with some of the olive oil sitting on the back of your oven, so that you have a gritty paste. You could use brown sugar in place of salt if you wanted to. Use this to scrub your hands really well, because otherwise you are just moisturizing that dead old skin. Follow up with more olive oil, Keri lotion, or whatever you have at home. I'm a big fan of Udderly Smooth myself, and Herbacin.

 

 

Nicole

[playboybunnie]

yea my hands have been getting that way alot have u ever heard of udder balm? thats good stuff it works i know it sounds gross but it does work

[Teesachu]

It happens to me to. Between my job (I'm an editor at a publishing company) and the yarn, I am nothing but dry hands. The stuff that I've been using lately seems to work really well. It is Curel's Natural Healing with honey, vanilla, and shea butter extracts. It helped get rid of the worst scaliness I've seen on my hands in long time (I was nicknaming myself the human alligator for a while lol).