It's Time to Take Off the Gloves! (And Maybe Put New Ones On?) What Are Your Suggestions?

Hey Everyone,

My Mom has always had a condition in which her hands are always extremely cold -- even turning blue at times -- and while she's been to many doctors, none have had any solutions other than the typical advice. She eats very healthily and has good bloodwork, so it doesn't seem to be a nutritional deficiency.

It can be 85 degrees outside, but I will still have to hold my Mom's hands in mine to try to warm them up. She also suffers from the skin on her fingers cracking open in the winter -- it's not unusual to see her with several Band-Aids on her fingers.

I've noticed this as well with my own hands -- this past winter, my thumbs were cracked open for several weeks at the sides of the nails.

While we both wear gloves while working with water (my Mom mops floors by hand,) we also do a lot of other things in dry settings (paperwork, typing, dusting, Mom taught herself to crochet off YouTube, etc.) that only exacerbate the problem.

My Mom has used just about every kind of recommended remedy there is -- Neutrogena, Corn Husker's Lotion, O'Keefe's, etc. Neither of us likes greasy or particularly heavy lotions, especially since none of them seemed to help.

Does anyone else struggle with this, and have you found anything that works?

I wish there was a type of glove to wear during "dry" activities, but I also hate the "clammy" feel that gloves produce. I also find myself sensitive to different kinds of gloves. I don't think I have a specific allergy, like latex, but I've noticed some gloves seemed to flare up an eczema-like rash on my hands.

I would really like to hear from others if they suffer with this, and most especially if they've found a remedy.

All I know is, the back of my hands used to get so dry in winter. Now I w*rk at a McDonald's, and around all that grease and oil... At least my hands never dry out. In fact my skin has never looked better.

Well... Except for the burn marks where a drop of hot grease falls on my hand while I'm trying to get burgers off the grill. Always got a burn or two trying to heal up. But I never have to use lotion these days. So, swings and roundabouts.

Sheep shearers have smooth hands from the lanolin in the fleece.
Some I know use a good hand cream at night with cotton gloves to allow it to stay in contact and soak in well.

i know you said nothing heavy or greasy, but there's a nifty little product called Surgeon's Skin Secret. it's got three ingredients, and you have to understand how to use it (don't overuse it), but it's a skinsaver!

my husband operated a contracting business for decades-- painting, floor refinishing, dry wall, that kinda thing. in winter, between the cold, dry air and the spackle, etc. he used at work, his poor hands! he also had the cracks at the nail beds. he used it only at bedtime, and it was a total game changer.

does it smell good? gracious, no! beeswax, lanolin and mineral oil do not smell good. but it works. i use it still because the older i become, the drier i am. the family are going to have to make me stand in a bucket of water so i don't drop wrinkles all over the floor pretty soon. (Phyllis Diller said something similar about a hundred years ago, lol.)

oh!, and SSS is spendy, at first. it LASTS forever, though.

i love you, Seoul.

I knew someone a long time ago that had a condition like this. This would happen if he consumed any sort of alcohol.

I have just about every kind of lotion sitting around designated for my calves if I decide my calves have gotten too ashy. But I can find the Eucerin so, it must've been a favorite go and I used it up. Now, I realize what that nagging feeling that I'm forgetting something I need is whenever I go to the drugstore. I've made do with using what remains of my facial moisturizer to incorporate into my hands.

This is a 1 star review of Eucerin's Advanced Repair Cream that is looking for the remedy for a similar problem @seoulsearch described:

My eczema is so severe that my skin starts to crack and bleed, this product was my only source of relief. Emphasis on WAS!! Now they changed the formula and call it "updated look" when in fact the whole product is changed completely. I was so happy with the old product and cannot understand why they changed it seeing as many are unhappy. PLEASE BRING BACK THE OLD FORMULA MY SKIN IS BEGGING YOU

That was dated 7/7/2017 and there are 4 other reviews dated up to 2019 disappointed that the cream they tried wasn't the like original but:

I purchased Advanced Repair with the red cap thinking it was the same as the thick paste-like product I've used for years. It isn't!! Be aware that they are two different products. If you want the THICK product, purchase their product which reads "Original" . Thank you Customer Relations for talking with me about the differences and offering to resolve the problem. I appreciate your professionalism and will continue to use the Original Eucerin product which is excellent!

However, this mentions its "thick paste-like" consistency which might be an undesirable characteristic but I'm also finicky about 'heavy' lotions so I'd say it must've passed the bar if I emptied the bottle enough to have to throw it out, because I throw no full bottles out believing that I will find it useful in any other situation.

And I have to use gloves regularly also and although I prefer the grip and 'softness' of latex, I have to use vinyl. Also, I used to work at a factory that provided work gloves that were sewn using a thinner cloth to allow grip on small parts, but they were one size fits all and would've been perfect it they'd been custom fit for my hands.

Sometimes simply drinking more water helps.

I looked this up and snapped a picture to remind myself -- thank you so much for the suggestion!

I can only imagine how painful it must have been for your husband's hands, especially in the winter. If it works for him, it must be good! I'm wondering if it works for the face as well?

And, I love you, too! Thank you for always being a spiritual mom here. ❤️💐

It's kind of fascinating to think about jobs we, are at least I, never really think about.

I saw a video the other day of a sheep being sheared, and I never thought about how rough that must be on someone's hands. I am going to check the ingredient lists of the things I have now to see if lanolin is included.

Good points about dehydration and perhaps needing to uptake one's water content.

I'm thinking about the reaction to alcohol -- my Mom doesn't drink, but I'm wondering if for some people, it's some kind of allergic reaction along with the dehydration.

I appreciate the input!

Our food has lost a lot of its nutritional value over the years and the blood work may not have been extensive enough to uncover where she may be deficient.

A doctor of more holistic medicine may be able to dig deeper, but low magnesium levels and iodine levels seems to be a problem for a large percentage of the population, but you need to find someone who looks at these things to really pin it down.

Ah, Mem, you sound like you would be fascinating to talk to about this trial-and-error.

Every time I find a product I halfway like, they either discontinue it or change the formula. Like you, I've been through a myriad of products. Along with my hands, I have problems with rosacea/eczema/psoriasis (the dermatologist says it looks like a combination of all 3.) I just went to my bathroom and made notes of my current rotations (I find I can use them on both body and face):

* Gold Bond Eczema Relief (seems to be ok but sometimes not moisturizing enough; lighter than a lot of other lotions)
* Eucerin Eczema Relief (a bit heavy and greasy but not too bad, and much more moisturizing)
* Aquaphor Healing Ointment (very greasy -- classic Vaseline texture, but definitely helps soften)
* Palmer's Cocoa Butter (really helped the cracks around my nose; slight waxy feel that melts into the skin, but is less greasy than most lotions)
* Vanicream (the cream version is HEAVY; the lotion version is better for day; but a very plain-jane product that for me, doesn't seem to have any irritating ingredients)

I also like Jergen's Healing Lotion (yellow writing on the bottle, unless they've changed it.) For a while, that was the only thing that worked on my dry legs, too. (The other Jergen's varieties haven't been as effective for me.)

I have also found that niacinamide and hyaluronic acid -- two of the hottest ingredients in skincare right now -- produce a burn-like reaction on my skin over time. Trying to find products without them has been nearly impossible.

I love talking about self-care products, so your post was a delight to read! Thank you so much for taking the time to include the reviews -- very helpful.

When I use some of these others up, I'll track down this version of Eucerin to try.

Thank you again!

Great suggestion -- I know my parents had some changes in their insurance -- maybe we can find a holistic doctor in their network.

Thanks very much for mentioning it!

I think it is the niacinamide that causes the sting more than the hyaluronic acid. Neutrogena has a hydro booster that I would absolutely bathe in if it didn't cost 7 dollars for a small trial size bottle (it might've been even $17, I felt so guilty putting it into my basket, and even more going back for a second vial later). Very light, clean, and brisky.

I completely understand. A friend let me try samples of this wonderful eczema cream that I really liked, but then I found out it was $36 for like an ounce. If it were something I could stretch out, I might have been able to justify it, but knowing how much I go through is what inspired me to start looking at regular store brands. If I had the money though, I just might slather myself head-to-toe.

I think one of the problems I've run into with hyaluronic acid is that it attracts water in the air -- so if you're in a drier climate, as I am, it can actually work in reverse. If your skin has more water content than the air around you, the hyaluronic acid will start to pull it from your skin instead of the air.

Or at least, that's what I found when I looked up some articles and videos.

It would really help if I'd paid better attention in chemistry class but, yuck, science was my least favorite subject. My skin soaked up the hydro booster and without leaving any of that 'film' that I end up trying to rub off if I notice it. It was adequately 'stretchable' enough that I would buy the full-size jar, again, when I find that I have room to splurge. There's also a sunscreen I liked (it didn't 'flake off') but have enough clutter that I didn't keep the canister to even remember what it was. There's so too many to try and remember which is which until you actually buy them. I really should just toss the ones I don't like out from the start, but I'd probably forget that I don't like them and buy them again...arrgh!

Anyone receive help from a tablespoon of Olive oil a day?
Also, I always subscribed to the belief the heavier the cream the better, too loose and it is probably high water content.
Dehydration is worse in the winter than the summer.
blessings

Excellent suggestion -- I don't consume much oil at all -- I grew up in area of fat being bad, so oils were on the no-no list, but I can definitely see how olive oil could help.

Thank you for bringing this up!

I’ve heard about a condition called Raynaud syndrome where the hands and fingers can get very cold and turn blue-ish. Have you heard of it? God bless you and your mom.

hypothyroidism can make a person feel cold, don't know able blue

So many good things in this post!!

I'm totally with you about needing products that don't leave a film or are as light as possible! Neutrogena has some things I've liked, but as you said, there's so much to try that I couldn't help but fall down the skincare rabbit hole. Especially since everything is so outrageously priced!

And don't even get me started on sunscreen! We're all looking for the perfect sunscreen that doesn't turn you into Casper the Ghost (mineral varieties) or feels like a heavy, sticky mess.

Right now I use Hawaiian Tropic Sport for the body -- I think they might have changed the description, I just know it's a blue bottle. It dries down pretty well, has minimal stickiness (at least on me,) and has a very pleasant, coconut smell.

For the face, I'm trying out various Korean brands but haven't found something I like.

Have you tried K-beauty? It's a hot trend right now -- plenty of info on YouTube and coupon codes, too. Stylevanna and YesStyle are my favorite sites, but sometimes the shipping can take a while since it's actually from Korea.

The Asian beauty brands are often less expensive and said to have better technology (I'm sure that's up for debate though.) For me, the best time to shop was Black Friday -- each site was having a 50% off sale on selected items. For $50, I bought enough things to last me probably 6 months. The American equivalents would have cost at least $150, I'm sure.

I understand about not remembering what you did or didn't like -- I do a lot of texting, and have my own number set up for me to text myself reminders. I snap pictures and make notes of what I did or didn't like, so I can look them up when I'm at the store.

Hope this helps and feel free to talk beauty products anytime!