Hands as tools

[Outlawmws]

OK, since your hands are a pretty critical tool for working with, and bleeding at the knuckles or worse is something I've battled of and on for years, I have a question for anyone that has used "Working Hands" Hand cream by Okeeff's:

How well does it work?

http://www.okeeffescompany.com/

I've used all the major brands over the years, from Vaseline Intensive care to Neutragina, to currently Nivea Cream (almost over the latest bout thank god...), and others...

I just saw a TV ad for the Okeeff's stuff, and wondered if anyone has any first hand reports on how well it really works?

If you have never had this issue, pray you don't! At it's worst, I could "make a fist", squeeze hard, and I would bleed at my knuckles. Thankfully I usually catch it early (now) and get religious about rubber gloves and the like and milder soap as for general hand washing, (Joy/dawn make great grease cutters for greasy hands, but wash too much with it and you have no oil left in your skin...)

Anyone?

 

[softailgarage]

Have your Thyroid checked. My knuckles were like that (among other problems) and turned out my Thyroid glad was not producing the Hormone's needed. Once I got the right meds, that problem was gone. It's a simple blood test, T3 count.

 

[KF5LCH]

Dad has had the same problem since I was a kid. He uses Corn Huskers lotion exclusively. Works for him. Sorry, I don't have any input on Okeeff's.

I always wear rubber gloves in the shop no matter what. I never have to scrub my hands anymore.

 

[jabberwoki]

The best thing for hands is lanlin from sheeps wool works like a charm. You should be able to get it over here if not PM hotfr8 to send you some from OZ.

 

[Hammer1963]

I use Okeefes and it helps my hands quite a bit. I like it quite a bit better than Corn Huskers. You should notice an improvement within a week of using it. I also use a gel I made for Baseball gloves thats made from Lanolin, Vitamin E and mineral oil.

 

[Chadwilliam1]

I have heard good things from a coworker but have never tried it.

 

[GeneralDisorder]

Maybe switch hand cleaners? Rather than dish soap that removes oils use a mild abrasive based hand cleanser. ZEP Cherry hand cleaner is my go-to. Probably use it a dozen times a day or more and I don't find that it dries out my skin.

GD

 

[Outlawmws]

Thanks for the feedback so far.

Hadn't thought about lanolin, but that makes sense.

I'll have to remember to ask about the thyroid test in the next physical, but I don't think its that, as I can count on flair ups when I wash with harsh soaps too much, or use solvents too indiscriminately... I do know I was having a reaction to a vinyl, material that used to be used in erasure pads at the drafting board, in my twenties. I switched to a different powdered kind and it helped a lot... That hasn't been a concern for several decades now...


I'm already using a milder soap most of the time. I only use the dish-soap if I get into the really grimy grease and I try to use gloves of one sort or another to minimize that...

 

[MrMark]

Have you tried Carmol 20? If the issue is dry skin it sounds like you need to step up to something like this. Have you asked a dermatologist?



http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000052YMO/?tag=atomicindus08-20

 

[Seanbev24]

I don't have the OP's specific issue but I can relate. I have burn scars on the top of my hands that cut very easily. Half the time I don't even notice until I look down and my hand is bleeding. The problem is I absolutely hate wearing gloves, even just latex, while trying to worked in all the cramped engine bays out there.

 

[Harvey Melvin Richards]

My wife is a potter. Her hands are always a mess. Okeefe's is one of her favorite hand creams, and she has tried them all (OK, most of them).

 

[91bronc300]

I've used all the major brands over the years, from Vaseline Intensive care to Neutragina, to currently Nivea Cream (almost over the latest bout thank god...), and others...

I would just like to point out that it's Neutrogena.

BTW I use Shea Butter. The real stuff, not the cosmetic stuff.

 

[Gary S]

I had that problem as a kid growing up on the farm where I was out in -40 degree weather a lot. That kind of cold takes all the moisture from your skin. I learned really fast that the problem was very easy to cure by using some Udder Balm from the farm store on my hands. It is high in lanolin and aloe, and nothing works as well for me as that combination.

I still use it today during the winter when my skin dries out. Udder balm is far cheaper than any hand lotion, and works far better.

 

[larry_g]

My dermatologist put me on Neutrogena years ago when I had dry cracking hands. He also had me put it on just after bath or shower while my hands were wet and soft. We also have O'keeffe's in the house as well as bag balm. The Dr. explained to me use anything that anything that keeps the hands soft and don't let then get dried out. So the brand is not so important as frequent use is. It is now just habit to use something on my hands after the evening shower.

lg
no neat sig line

 

[RECox286]

There are probably more brands of snake oil than vitamins out there.

I have dry hands in the winter, and have tried most of the popular

brands too. Finally settled on the Bert's Bees brand of product.

Of course it comes w/o any guarantee, no batteries, and some

assembly required. (Ha) Good hunting.

Uncle Bob

 

[wellpoison]

check out stoko its expensive but the best thing i've ever used.

 

[luvit]

outlaw,
i have this problem with my knuckles..
i've seen a doctor over it and i did not have any condition, and their recommendation did not solve it.

i have tried many things, and i found the solution for me.. it use tripleantibotic ointment as a hand cream for a couple nights.. i saw such improvement that i was able to reduce my doses to only applicating to my knuckles morning and night.. and now i only apply to my knuckles about once a week at most.

i believe i'm actually 2 weeks between applications now.

i use generic triple antibiotic ointment, travel size.

.

 

[abumason]

My dad uses Bag Balm.
Not sure where he gets it, but no more cracked hands for him.

 

[rharman]

I tried the O'Keefe's starting about a year ago and I really like it. Works well.

The "Miracle Hand Repair" stuff works very well also.

 

[RCStocker]

Dad has had the same problem since I was a kid. He uses Corn Huskers lotion exclusively. Works for him. Sorry, I don't have any input on Okeeff's.

I always wear rubber gloves in the shop no matter what. I never have to scrub my hands anymore.

I was going to suggest this. I had dry cracking hand when I lived in Detroit and worked in the machine shops. I was turned on to Corn Huskers. Damn does it ever work.
If you have supper cracked heals and feet use Mary Kay estr emollient night cream. My wifes uses MK products and she gave it to me. It works great!!!!!
I go bare foot even in the shop and mowing the lawn. My feet are like leather and they crack. Misten your feet with water and rub in on every morning and evening and after a week or so you will see a huge difference after several weeks your cracks will be baby *** smooth. It comes in a tube and is not cheap but both products work better than anything else I have ever used. I have been using Huskers for over 50 years. Horse liniment works great on the aches and pains. LOL

If the cut is not deep use peroxide to take the infecton out of cuts. It will take the redness out afer a couple of days. I just soak a Kleenex in Peroxide and lay it on the wound or soak it in a bowl. It really keeps infections at bay and clears things up fast. If you get cut don't wash it out unless you get something in it. Take duct tape and tape it shut. The faster the better. It will heal fast. If you lay the wound open the skin dies and takes much longer to fuse back together. Duct tape is like supper welding the skin back together. I have seen my 40 year old son get some big cuts. He as supper glued them shut and it really works Just the end by the skin. When you are out logging you will dry anything that is on hand. LOL

 

[richfinn]

A few drops of Olive Oil after you wash your hands.

 

[pendragon1998]

My wife is a potter. Her hands are always a mess. Okeefe's is one of her favorite hand creams, and she has tried them all (OK, most of them).

I took a ceramics class in college (my favorite thing that I did there) and after a few weeks, I started breaking out in hives on my hands whenever I'd use the clay. I mentioned it to the instructor and he said I might be allergic to the iron in the clay. He switched me to a white clay that he said had less iron in it, and the hives went away.

 

[softailgarage]

X2 on Cornhuskers

 

[Bruce Lancaster]

We switched to Dove soap long ago when a doctor recommended it for dry skin on our kids...I immediately noticed that my hands were in much better shap and I still use it. I also learned to use smooth hand cleaner instead of fooling around with gritty stuff, Comet, Tide and so on and learned that I could keep my hands in much better shape by spending some extra time rubbing the stuff in until my hands got clean and could be finished up with just the good soap.
Chapstick is good therapy for cracks, and Duluth the bucket boss place just listed a heavier duty form of that, kind of stiffer chapstick, that I intend to try.

 

[twohawks]

This comment belongs in this thread, as old as it is...
Don't know about Okeefe's , but I was a climber and any climber knows that the endless working of your hands with that kind of constant contact and exposure causes your hand skin to radically dry and can form deep ****** cracks.

So while I still use a skin lotion for general health when my hands are drying out (my Dad turned me onto Kiehl's Ultra Strength Hand Salve, and its been pretty darned good), because I suffer from dry skin on my hands in general...,

....I use "Climb On! Bar" for badly drying and cracking situations. Its a miracle how it can seal up cracks and help in the swift healing of your skin on your busy exposed hands. Other climbers turned me onto it years ago ...I have been using it easily for over 30 years. Have turned countless people onto it who were trying everything for badly cracked skin situations on hands, feet and elsewhere, ..all have had success with this where other stuff failed.

Its a sort of waxy block, and you can rub it on and into your cracking skin and it acts like "second skin", and because its just slightly chalky, rather than slippery like creams, its easy to continue working while it continues to work to seal your cracks and heal your skin.

Climb On! Bar is serious sh-t for serious situations. You do well to know about it.

 

[Shadowdog500]

I've been suffering from dry skin my entire life.

Eucerin also works pretty darn good.

Renew from melinuica also works great. My wife bought a couple bottles when we had a membership with melinuica.

Chris

 

[lakota]

Eucerin was recommended by my doctor. Get the thick cold cream stuff in a jar, not the lotion. I buy the Wal Mart brand called Equate. It's the same at 1/3 cheaper in price.

My hands were chapped for years and I could barely make a fist, the mentioned fixed that problem.

I also only use Ivory hand soap. it doesn't strip natural oil from my hands.

 

[Heavymetalmechanic]

I have had good luck with both Okeefe's and Udder Balm. I apply it then pull on a pair of nitrile gloves for 5-10 minutes.

Changing my hand cleaner made a bigger difference though, no more dish soap.

 

[Bighead38]

My dad uses Bag Balm.
Not sure where he gets it, but no more cracked hands for him.

This! Very rarely need it but bag balm is like a miracle.

 

[Gasgt1]

I work in a nursery so between dirt and mud work and servicing all of the machines, my hands usually take a beating.

Have been wearing gloves more often and using O'keeffes for a few years with good results

 

[t4runner]

I have been using it [ Okeeffe's working hands ] for about 2 years seems to work better than most other stuff out there.

 

[Fugio]

Man you guys brought back the memories with the Corn Huskers lotion. My dad used TONS of the stuff when I was a kid and he was a mechanic.

My hands are pretty much always perfect. I try to avoid lotions, especially ones with lanolin. I swear they dry me out more in the long run.

I also work with gloves on pretty much 100% of the time.

 

[RivennHewn]

My dad uses Bag Balm.
Not sure where he gets it, but no more cracked hands for him.

If it's good enough for cows udders, it good enough for me!

**** just works.