What should I use on my dry cracked hands? Find out what to do for dry cracked hands including what to use on dry cracked hands from home remedies, best lotions and creams. A comprehensive list of these treatments for dry cracked hands is available in this article.
If you have ever suffered from cracked heels, then you know how scratchy dry cracked hands can be because you have to keep applying moisturizers that will affect your daily activities. Unlike feet, which you do not use to perform some tasks such as typing on your computer, writing, cooking, bathing, and suckling the baby, for your hands you will have to break off your treatment regimen for dry cracked hands in order to perform some of these tasks. Furthermore, you will have to ensure that the ingredients in the treatments do not cause irritation to you and the baby you maybe handling or interfere with your other activities at home or at work.
Just like there are, home remedies for cracked heels, there are home remedies for dry cracked hands. These enable you to heal the cuts and rough skin on your hands without digging deep into your pockets. However, should these home remedies fail to provide relief for your dry cracked hands, then you can move on to lotions and creams from your nearest drugstores. Which home remedies for dry cracked hands work and which are the best hand lotions and creams out there in the market? For these and more, read on.
Cause of Dry Cracked Hands-Depriving Moisture
The cause of dry cracked hands is purely lack of moisture because of various wet activities that deprive the hands their natural oils. Similarly, health conditions can cause dry cracked hands in severe cases where one has eczema, dermatitis, psoriasis, fungal infection and allergic reactions. The following are activities that deprive your hands moisture:
- Washing hands regularly
- Failing to moisturize each time you wash your hands
- Washing hands with hot water
- Dry climate in winters or summers
- Washing hands with harsh soaps and detergents
Extremely Dry Cracked Hands – Severe Signs
Dry cracked hands in extreme cases can be a sign you need to see a doctor for prescription. If you experience the following severe signs for extremely dry cracked hands:
- Itchiness
- Redness or red streaks affecting the arm
- Bleeding
- Crusting on the cracks that is honey colored
- Swelling
These severe signs could indicate that you have an infection that can only be treated by steroids. If you have these symptoms and you try any hand, creams or lotions and they fail to work. Do see a doctor immediately before things get complicated.
How to Heal Dry Cracked Hands – Common Treatments
Treatments on how to heal dry cracked hands differ from treatments for dry cracked heels in that they require more moisturizing products than just pure water itself. With dry cracked hands, you have to avoid water as much as possible, and if you must use it, it should be warm. The skin on the feet is much harder than that on the hands; hence, it becomes easier to treat with emollients and humectants only. These treatments include:
- Ointments (prescription and OTC)
- Lotions
- Creams
Home Remedies for Dry Cracked Hands –Treating Dry Cracked Hands at Home
If you realize you have dry cracked hands and no money, do not panic. You can treat them at home and continue to enjoy your smooth and soft hands as always. You will have to check into your bathroom and kitchen cabinets for some of these emollients or if you do not mind, borrow some from your neighbors. However, remember to inform your neighbor they are first aid for your cracked hands or else you will leave a bad reputation.
Treating dry cracked hands at home should only be considered if you do not have the above severe signs showing on your hands. Otherwise, the home remedies for dry cracked hands would make the situation complicated.
The first thing that you need to do is check for any hydrocortisone cream, an antibiotic cream would also work. If you have any of these in the house, then you are a good to go. Squirt some of it on your hands and apply all over, while ensuring all areas are covered including fingertips and in between fingers.
Oil from vitamin E capsules is the other home remedy for dry cracked hands. Using a pin or a sharp object, prick one or two capsules and squirt the oil on your hands. Apply the vitamin E oil liberally until your hands are fully moisturized.
Home remedies for dry cracked hands do not revolve around emollients only as superglue, which absorbs moisture from the air in order to dry is an excellent humectants. Spout some super glue where you have cracks of hands and let it dry as it heals the skin by closing it together.
Best Lotion for Dry Cracked Hands-Non Greasy for Hands
If you do a lot of typing or writing, you may want to deal with the cracked hands with a non-greasy treatment. Lotions do a great job in healing dry cracked hands especially if they have the right ingredients for hand lotions. However, having a very greasy lotion may make your work uncomfortable.
In order to avoid smudging your keyboard, kitchenware and writing pads with grease from your dry cracked hands treatments, lotions can save you from this mess.
Concentrate on getting lotions that have over 40-50% urea and plant and fruit extracts. They should also have dimethicone, lanolin and hyaluronic acid among other ingredients. Ensure that you apply some lotion at home before you leave and carry some in your bag to touch up each time you wash or sanitize your hands. Having a bottle on your working desk could also remind you to apply constantly your best lotion for dry cracked hands cure.
Some good examples of lotions for cracked hands include:
- Vaseline Intensive Care Lotion
- St. Ives 24-Hour Moisture Advanced Therapy Lotion
- Porter’s Lotion by Bozeman Montana
Hand lotions are perfect for during the day while the creams would appropriate for nighttime when you wear gloves to seal in moisture in the cracked hands.
Best Hand Cream for Dry Cracked Hands- Favorite Brands
When too much grease is not an issue, you can always pick on hand creams to heal the cracks on your hands. Creams also moisturize deeply unlike lotions. They get even deeper into the cracks to heal if you wear cotton gloves overnight or during the day when if the weather is cold.
The best hands cream for dry cracked hands a preferred by includes:
- Neutrogena Hand Cream
- The Body Shop Hemp Hand Protector
- Johnson’s Baby Sorbolene Cream
- Avene Hand Cold Cream
- O’Keeffe’s Working Hands Hand Cream
- QV Hand Cream
- Clinique Hand Cream
- Tough Hands by Du’it
