Monday, January 5, 2009

Winter Hand Woes...

I LOVE Utah winters!!! I love the snow, the chill to the air, the coziness of being home, cocoa, a good quilt, the adventure of getting home on snow covered roads, not being able to see your neighbors house because the snow is too blindingly thick...
I do not love what the cold, sometimes dry and harsh conditions, and the sickness and then subsequent hand washing, the winter season brings... to my hands..
My chapped hands..
It really sucks.
It seems that every season, after the hunt for the perfect Christmas gift is complete, the hunt for the perfect lotion, moisturizer, or protectant begins.
A couple years ago I found the Gold Bond medicated which seemed to help, but this year, oh no... a different story.
It was the biggest pain EVER while I was crocheting and knitting with soft and luxurious yarns and fibers, and it kept snagging on my chapped fingers (and that is even with three girls taking my skein of yarn and running with it, tangling it up, tying it all in knots while I am working as comparison..). Sewing wasn't as relaxing as it could have been, the same thing would happen. I hate that feeling!
I knew I needed to find a healer when my index finger split on the side, the side I use for everything it seems, and had to live with a "Hello Kitty" band aid and the antiseptic Neosporin on the affected area for almost a week.. try that on for a conversation starter.. "So.. Hello Kitty, eh?.."
I hunted.
I bought.
I tested.
And I tried.
A lot...
I told Mer to just count it as my Christmas and birthday ;) I spent more than I thought.. Burt's Bees is not cheap!
Two winners.. two that helped me the best.
#1- The new Dawn hand renewal dish soap.. I do have a dishwasher, but I was dirty-ing cookie sheets and other "too large for the dishwasher" sized pans just so I could wash something with that soap. I wash my hands with it too.. I have been doing a lot of that with Peyton's "funky poo teething diapers" (and yes, that is an exact term..)..
#2- Vaseline Clinical Therapy lotion... oooohhhh!! It is SOOOO nice! It has even helped with the girls' eczema.. I ran out of their prescription cream.. ooops. I am too cheap to pay to go see a doctor to get the prescription re-filled.. 7-ish bucks for the Vaseline lotion or $85+ to see a doctor and then PAY for the prescription on top of that?! I think not!
I love each of the items pictured for their own qualities and areas of expertise.. none of them have healed my hands the way these two have.. I am ready..
Ahhh... let winter rage on!

5 comments:

Julie said...

My fingers also seem to snag on fabrics. Thanks for trying out all those things now I know what to get.

Tiffany said...

I'll have to try the vaseline one on my boys. They have horrible exzema and not much seems to hlep it. The Aveeno with oatmeal lotion seems to help some especially if it's not to severe yet but nothing completely gets rid of it.

Brooke said...

Have you ever tried utter cream? I don't know if they really use it on cow's utters but if it is and if its good enough to keep them from cracking and getting chapped than it would sure help you hands

Ally0005 said...

You mean all I need is snow that is blindingly thick and it will cover so I cannot see my neighbors, can you send me some. I need some on the left of me.
Vaseline Clinical Therapy lotion for eczema well thank you for the tip. I need that for Alana
Gold Bond I use on Anna's skin, being brown her skin does dry out quicker. I like it for her that is if she would use it.

Jenny said...

I don't have to worry about dry skin here (one good thing about humidity), but I do use a lotion called Renew that I get from a company called Melaleuca based in Idaho Falls. This stuff is amazing! I will send you a little bottle when I make my next order from them (you have to be a member) and you can see if it helps. I have loved it for dry feet.