Softer Hands...Stronger Nails???

[LixyChick]

Every Autumn, when the humidity level goes down, my hands get rough and my fingernails get weak. I like soft hands for stroking him :hug: and I like my nails fairly long and strong for grazing his back as he gets me closer and closer to orgasm :sex: So ladies (and gents...if you care to advise)...what's the secret to soft hands and strong nails?

My finger tips get pickerey (word?...is now!) and dry and if I put on a pair of nylons they'd have pulls and runs in them in no time! My nails are weak and split into slivers from the tips...even if I keep them polished! I have a dishwasher, so I don't do many dishes to speak of. My hands aren't in water as much as they used to be before I had the dishwasher. If I am cleaning with a strong agent and water, I use gloves. My hands are in their best condition in the summer...with all the humidity. Most people hate humidity, but I love it for my skin and nails!

Other than moving to a more humid climate...any advice for sure-fire ways to bear this winter with nice nails and smooth hands? I'd appreciate all the girlie tips I can get! TY in advance!

[Lilith]

I will tell you what my Dr. said they teach you in med school....


Use crisco (because it lets in air) and then put on cotton gloves. Good to sleep in.

[LixyChick]

Oh wow...cool Lil! I'll have to try that...though if I bring Crisco home (I don't bake cause I hate the clean-up) Mr. Lixy will think I'm gonna bake for the holidays. LOL! Where does one hide a can of Crisco? And...do I get butter flavor? Decisions, decisions!

TY (((Lil)))

P.S. I forgot to mention...I do use a gob of lotion on my hands while I sleep. I think it just gets my hair dirty...cause I forego the gloves. But I'll give your suggestion a try.

[Lilith]

Lixy, AVON used to sell a lotion and cotton gloves set. Not asure if they still have it.

[maddy]

I use the Aveda hand lotion every morning. It sits on my desk at the office and while I'm waiting for my computer to boot up in the morning I go ahead and put some on. If I notice during the day my hands aren't feeling as good, I put more on.

Believe it or not, the Vaseline hand and nail lotion (comes in a smallish tube) actually did pretty well for my nails. I put a small dot on each nail and worked it into the cuticles once a day.

[Teddy Bear]

Sounds like my youngest daughters hands/nails.

Here's what our doc told her:
1)Drink more water. We tend to drink more in the summer.
2)Shower/bathe/wash hands in warm, not hot water.
3)Use a mild soap. (for ex. Aveeno Cleansing Bar for Dry Skin)
4)Immediately after washing, pat skin dry & apply moisturizer while skin is still damp.
5)Lower temperature and use a humidifier in the house.
6)Use gloves when doing household chores.
7)Apply a generous amount of moisturizer before bed and wear cotton gloves or socks on your hands at night.
8)Use moisturizer with No fragrance and No dyes.

Some moisturizers our doc recommended are:
Eucerin
Aveeno
Nivca
Vaseline Creamy

Good luck! :)

[wyndhy]

I will tell you what my Dr. said they teach you in med school....


Use crisco (because it lets in air) and then put on cotton gloves. Good to sleep in.

mmm feels good on your feet after a nice soak, too. when you wake up and take the socks off, your feet are so soft.

lixy, vaseline makes a hands and nail formula lotion (pink dispenser) that i use and it works well (if i'm not in one of my biting modes) and gelatin in pill form or jello form. it's supposed to strengthen nails and that works really well, too (again, as long as i'm not in bititng mode)

[osuche]

The plain old $1-a-tub vaseline works just as well as Crisco, but it's not butter-flavored. ;)

I also take baths in water and put some baby oil into it -- the oil soaks into your skin while you soak. If your skin gets as dry as mine (the skin on my shins will crack and bleed....I have very sensitive skin) you'll want to make sure to get the unscented type. ;)

[Lilith]

The reason to use Crisco has to do with allowing air to still get to your skin.

They use Crisco in burn units because instead of suffocating the new tissue, it allows air to help nourish it.

I am surprised no men have suggested stroke and spoo lotion dispensing yet.

[Cheyanne]

I have that same problem...my cuticles get really dry and then I pick at them. I always starts this time of the year.

I have been looking at those pariffin wax baths for hands. Here is what I am talking about at this link. http://www.target.com/gp/browse.html/ref=sc_fe_l_0_1042004_7/601-4008499-5492954?%5Fencoding=UTF8&node=1042022

I had, at one time went to get my nails done and the Manicurist had me stick my hands in the pariffin bath that she had. I was wonderful. The price has come down, so I may be able to get one.

[Lilith]

I want to stick my whole body in one :D

[Cheyanne]

I want to stick my whole body in one :D
ooooooooooohhhhhhhhhh, that would feel wonderful... <sigh> Can you imagine the fun Cobalt would have peeling the wax off? ;) :lust:

[Lilith]

of us both? ;)

[maddy]

I have a paraffin bath.. it is wonderfully messy... i don't use it as often as I thought I would, but it makes for a nice winter pampering. I personally don't like the greasy residue it leaves on me... but it can't be any worse than crisco or vaseline.

[PantyFanatic]

I want to stick my whole body in one :D
Do they come large enough that I could take one to Toronto and start a wax museum of evil doers? :confused:

[Loulabelle]

Lixy, I make my own hand creams, but you're just too far away to pop round and pick up a pot!

However, sweet almond oil is notoriously good for the hands and fingernails, as is cocoa butter, so look for creams which contain those two ingredients. I personally, avoid vaseline and mineral oil like the plague, since they are products which are made from crude oil (eeeewwww) and they are waterproof, which means they can actually prevent moisture from reaching the skin cells.

Other things that will help your nails are making sure that you use rubber gloves when doing the dishes, wearing gloves outside to prevent your hands from chapping, making sure you have enough calcium in your diet (particularly important for women, anyway, of course, to prevent osteoporosis) and massaging your cuticles regularly to ensure good circulation. When you're watching TV at night, or when you're a passenger in a car, or on the phone etc, just gently massage your fingers, especially the very top knuckle. This will also help to prevent fluid retention in your fingers and generally feels yummy. If you have some hand cream you can use at the same time, all the better.

[LixyChick]

OMG! You ladies (and PF too...lol!) are sooooooooo fantastic! All GREAT suggestions and I have very little time for a reply at the moment. I'll get back here tonight and talk to one and all!

One thing I forgot to mention is...my job is so peculiar in that, I work with textile with a fire backing on it. It's a strong chemical, sprayed on heavy fabric and can even take off my nail polish if I work with several pieces throughout the day. I can tell it's drying my hands out and there isn't much I can do by way of lotion during the day...cause the lotion may stain the one and only yard of fabric we have to work with. I can't take that chance cause it can be quite expensive to replace.

Also, I work with leather. In the tanning process, I imagine they use some kind of chemical because it's sucks the moisture out of my hands too! And, if the hide isn't "sealed" or, what we call "finished", I most certaintly cannot use lotion near it. Even if a drop of my machine oil gets on it...it can be ruined!

Yikes! Guess I shoulda mentioned all that before, huh?

Thanks again everyone. I'll be back this evening to chat you all up!

[WildIrish]

I've never heard of using crisco but it makes sense when you think of it. My hands dry up in the winter too and I continuously apply different kinds of lotions. The way I figure it is each lotion may provide something different so my hands are getting a well, rounded application.

And Lilith...I'm not going to suggest the wank & spoo lotion dispenser. But if you're looking for a place to wipe off the excess lotion, well... ;)

[LixyChick]

I just love you guys soooooooooooo much...you've no idea!

Lilith...Ring my bell (teehee!) and see if we can still order from the old catalogs. Till then...I've plenty of white socks!

maddy...Sounds soothing and I could try that at night. TY so much for the insight! If you've read my last post, I just can't use lotion at work. There are times during the day when I just wanna say "fuck it" and put some on, but I test textiles to see if we can make a particular design/prototype from it (testing the bias, repeat pattern, durability, ability to stand the test of time...etc.). Not to mention the leather we use. Some of it is so porous that i'd suck up a drop of sewing machine oil and spread like wild fire!

Teddy Bear...WOW! All great suggestions hun...tyvm! Hubby is hooked on Eucerin and I always have a jar of it around. I definitely will try the humidifier (pathetic for me...but it's tops on my X-mas list). Gonna lower the temp on my shower too! *hugs*

wyndhy...I've seen the product you mentioned. I'll try anything at this point...so it sounds good to me. TY for the suggestion hun! As I sit here and type, I can feel this pickey thing on the side of my middle finger on my left hand that is driving me NUTS!!!! Arrrrrrrrrg! Oh...oops! I'm back. I picked it off and I bet that's gonna hurt in the morning...lol!

osuche...Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...that sounds so relaxing! TY so much for thinking of ANOTHER reason for baby oil! Now I gotta hide it from Mr. Lixy! LOL! *hugs*

Lilith...I'm more surprised than you that no men have suggested the spoo miracle goo too! (Damn!...say that five times fast..lmfao!) Mr Lixy swears by his...swears it's a soothing lotion for dry skin, a dessert topping, a furniture polish, protein galore, a hair conditioner...AND a floor cleaner! Now that's some terrific stuff, eh? :rolleyes:

Cheyanne...OMFG!!!!! If Santa doesn't bring me the super-duper one of those...well...then...I just ain't gonna give him any puss...er...cookies, this cumming....(damn it!)...coming year!!!!!!!!! Matter of fact...I'll chop his "head" off when he cums down my fuckin chimney...if he's only got some of HIS lotion!!!! *hugs the stuffins outta you!*

Lilith...MOVE OVER and MAKE ROOM FOR ME!!!!!!!!

maddy...At this point, I'd smather myself in anything greasy...as long as my skin and nails soak it up and go ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

PF...Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww! I miss her too! I'd prefer the "real" her...but if you have to go get a wax figure of Steph...JUST BRING HER BACK!!!!!!!!!!!!! (please tell her I said so...k?)

Loulabelle...OH...ok...rub it in that I live MILES and MILES away from you guys. Fuckin lake!!!! Um...ahem...sorry hun! I just would lurve to meet up with you and Fussy someday and...speaking of Fussy, WTF has he been??? Haven't seen a post from him in ages. Hmmm...ut oh! I digressed again, huh? Well...just tell him I miss him and blah, blah, blah, blah...get back to Pixies NOW young man! K? LOL! So...anyway...I can PM you my home addy and you can send me a pot (at my expense, of course), or I could just take you up on your advice and check all bottles for the ingredients. Great advice Lou...TYSVM!

WI...AAAAAAHAA! Finally...an honest man (in a round-about way...smooth move, Ex-Lax!)! :nuts: *giggle, snort, giggle, giggle, giggle*



Keep it cumming folks! I love the suggestions and Mr. Lixy LOVES my hands all covered with these lotions!!!!!!!!

((((EVERYONE)))))

[cherrypie7788]

I don't have this problem, (and though I probably shouldn't say this lol) to put it bluntly, it's because I never do anything. Probably the most hands on contact I get is driving my car.. We have a lady that cleans our house and we have a dishwasher and such. I have soft hands and long nails, but I don't do anything special to them on a daily basis, just rub lotion on them after I shower.

A big key to long/strong nails is avoiding activities that might cause them to break and keeping them trimmed to a reasonable length. Another major part of it is your DIET. Keep that in check and fix the problem from the inside out.

If you think the humidity is a problem, your best bet is to get some humidifiers (spelling?) and keep some lotion on those hands(ideally some kind of "butter", shea butter works great).

If that doesn't help, I'd suggest going to get manicured and get a paraffin wax dip, the dips you get at a spa/salon are a better than the home dips in my opinion. I get them every time I get manicured. Ask your manicurist to recommend a cream or brand name, most places sell good stuff right in their offices.

[dicksbro]

You could hire a maid ...

and I'd help you with your nylons. :lust:








:D



Okay, it was just a suggestion. :(

[Cjack]

Strach my back, I don't mind a bit.
LOL

[PantyFanatic]

I've never heard of using crisco .....
Wise man. ;)

You never want to use Crisco on it WI. That's shortnin, and you don't want that. :rolleyes:

[Lilith]

Wise man. ;)

You never want to use Crisco on it WI. That's shortnin, and you don't want that. :rolleyes:
LOL You are right! My goal is usually to make it swell :p

[LixyChick]

cherrypie7788...I want your life! OK...I'll settle for your cleaning lady! I love your suggestions but I have to admit that it seems futile to get my nails manicured fore the work I do. I could get it done on Friday evening and by Monday evening it'd look like crap! I think, the only way to keep my nails polished and pretty is to find another job...which leads me back to my biggest whine..."What do I want to be when I grow up"? LOL! It's a vicious circle, I tell ya! TY for the insight!

db...I was hoping for a manly suggestion such as yours! I've always wanted my own personal dresser! *giggle*

Cjack...I'd gladly scratch your back...if I had strong nails! Arrgggggg!

PF...You're always looking out for us! :trout: lol!

Lilith...Chain ^^^ up! I'll be back later this evening to see if he learned a lesson! lol!

[WildIrish]

LOL You are right! My goal is usually to make it swell :p



"like buttah" :D

[boilergirl1]

drink lots more water not being hydrated well enough is the #1 reason for so many things going awry with our bodies.
an i know what you mean about the work i work in steel construction an never know from one day to the next what my poor paws will be exposed to gl lady
feeling your pain boilergirl1 :slurp:

[LixyChick]

Well ladies and gents...I must say EUREKA!

I was in the drug store this past Wednesday, buying cold medicines for myself and Mr. Lixy (arrggggg!), and I checked the lotion bottles/tubes very carefully and found the one that maddy and wyndhy had mentioned. I hadn't gotten to the grocery store by then Lil, so I didn't try the Crisco. But, anyway...Vaseline Intensive Care Healthy Hands Essentials Moisturizing Lotion with Alpha Hydroxy, Vitimin E and Keratin..."hydrates hands and strengthens nails" jumped out at me. No other lotion mentioned nails on their label. It was reasonably priced, compared to some of the other ones, and the tube wasn't so big that if I didn't like it I would feel guilty throwing it away...lol!

Well, I forgot to use it the first night (Wed.)...duh...but I got a chance to start using it the next day...after all my chores were done and I knew I wouldn't be in water for a while. I used it again, before bed, that evening...and every day and night since. I had Thursday and Friday, and of course the weekend, off from work so I spoiled myself and gobbed the stuff on. Well, I gotta tell ya folks...it's made a world of difference. My hands are smooth (cept for the most severe places) and my cuticles and nails look fantastic! The lotion is so light and it's not greasy, that I may be able to sneak a small amount on even at work...if I'm not working with unfinished leather, that is.

By this time, every year, I am usually biting at the skin on my nails and picking off the pickery things and constantly complaining that my hands look like "man hands" (sorry guys...lol!). But, with the help of my family/friends, I've discovered a way to bare my hands with pride!

TY everyone! And, for those who have the problem I had...do try this stuff. It's amazing! I rarely have faith in product boasting (label claims made to grab your attention), but this product does what it says!

((((((everyone))))))

[maddy]

I'm glad that you found something that's working for you. I think consistency is key! I have dry hands and bad cuticles in the winter as well, just not to the same degree, and I'm terribly inconsistent about treating my hands to some good lotion.

[SuccubusKitty]

Glad you found a solution to your dry hands and cuticles. If you can swing it. I used to constantly have splitting nails and I would end up biting them. I tried NutraNail...didn't work. Tried some other stuff, didn't work. Then I came across Sally Hansen's Nail Growth Miracle. WOOHOO! The stuff works like a charm. You have to apply it only every three days and from what you said your polish is off by then anyway so it's not a big deal. It keeps my nails from cracking and splitting and has actually even made them stronger. I love it. For the dry hands. I use any smell Bath and Body works BODY CREAM. I don't know why, it's not really for hands but the body but it works great and I love it. If you find yourself off work for a few days you might wanna try it as it can be a smidge greasy.

[Mackenzie]

My BF works outside and in the winter his hands would crack and bleed. It was terrible.....so I picked up this green tea hand stuff (technical term) from bath and body works...and his hands have never been softer! (Lucky for me!)

PS-It smells amazing too!!!!

[osuche]

Yep...I LOVE the ginger formula and use it nightly...It can be greasy though.

IAKG, WI ~ No giggling over the ginger reference... :p

[Scarecrow]

Sorry I didn't see this sooner but the best cream to use on dry, rough and bleeding hands is 'Bag Balm'. Lixy just ask the local Amish, they all use it around here. It was designed for cows udder and does a wonderful job on softing hands. You use it like suggested with the Crisco. But you may start Mooing hehehehe

[BamaKyttn]

I am up to my elbows in water and soap 6 out of the 8 + hours I work every day, my skin is dry and chapped every night when I come home. it hurts it sucks, so every night I put Bag Balm on my hands and forearms..... I dunno what it does for nails I bite mine all the way down to the pain.

It may be worse for my hands but for my sanity being a professional dog washer is great.


Always
Kyttn :cheers:

[LixyChick]

Thanks (((everyone)))! I'm still using the Vaseline Intensive Care and it's still working like a charm. I'm not as severe a case as some of you above...or my husband, for that matter. He works out in the elements every day of the week and his hands can crack and bleed at times. I've heard of the Bag Balm (Scarecrow and BamaKyttn), but round here it's Udder Cream, used as it states...on a cow's udders. Mr. Lixy uses it when his hands get really bad. Otherwise he uses Eucerin...which he grew up on...but it doesn't work for me.

I have used the Sally Hansen Miracle Growth polish, SuccubusKitty...and you are right. It works and has to be applied every three days. It's a great addition to The Vaseline Intensive Care.

I am at a point where I can go for a manicure and they'll have something to work with now. I have a Christmas party this coming Saturday and I'm looking forward to getting all girly!

[BamaKyttn]

I love the stuff butI've actually started putting a tripleantibiotic with pain relief cream on my hands now so I can go to sleep, no fragrences or anything else.... My skin was in such bad shape lastnight that the bagbalm (Which I've used for YEARS) turned my hands and arms bright red and made them sting like a mutherfucker....

kyttn

[LixyChick]

Ohhhhhhhhhhh BamaKyttn...ouch! Is it out of the question to wear gloves when you bathe the dogs? I know the water would get in the top at times...but it's gotta be better than being directly in the water for so long. Maybe apply the bag balm and insert hands in gloves...or...oh...wait...how about vaseline on your hands and then into the gloves. It might block the water penetration (hee hee...I said penetration in a thread that's not about sex) and allow your hands to heal a bit!!!???

I feel for ya hun!

[dicksbro]

Vaseline Intensive Care Healthy Hands Essentials Moisturizing Lotion with Alpha Hydroxy, Vitimin E and Keratin

Now there's a catchy name if I ever heard one. :rolleyes2


(Sorry, just kidding. ;))

Do the clerks ever complain about the line forming when you ask for some? :grin:

[LixyChick]

LMAO@db!

Um...the name is actually just, "Vaseline Intensive Care Healthy Hands Essentials"...and the rest is in smaller letters to let you know what it's all about. I'd get a bit pissed if I was in line behind someone who had to ask for all that too!

*giggle*

[dreamgurl]

you can't go wrong with Corn Huskers Lotion