My hands are becoming raw from hand sanitizers and washing, Are there any remedies ?

BoiseB

My hands are becoming raw from frequent hand washing, sanitizers and wiping down surfaces with clorox. I heard somewhere that hand lotion attracts germs ? I cannot get out to get an aloe vera plant? Any other suggestions

GregP_WN

I have the opposite problem. Mine are so dry they crack. I spend so much time in the shop around saw dust that I stay dried out. I have some cream I rub in whenever I can remember it that helps.

Bengal

Sanitizer are basically alcohol. Frequent use will be hard on your skin. If you are self isolating at home I would back off on the frequency of using them. Washing your hands with warm water and soap does the job. I use Jergens hand soap because it has lotion in it and is not as harsh with frequent washings. As for wiping down surfaces with Clorox, can you wear gloves to protect or hands?

BoiseB

Actually I was using a bleach as a hand sanitizer at home. And saving my hand sanitizer for Dr. appointments. I was using it after washing my hands I did this because the only hand soap I had was Dove and it has coconut oil in it. So I was just making sure that there were no ingredients that were canceling out each other

Bengal

No, no, no, no, no. Do not use clorox as a hand sanitizer! You will destroy your skin. You are actually burning it. P!ease, stop.

Molly72

Boise, coconut oil is good--- good for your hands & hair too.
Clorox is very bad for your skin, it will burn it. Wash hand with soap & water & then put coconut
oil or lotion with that ingredient in it on them. If you have an old pair of white cotton gloves,
slather your hands with lotion or coco butter, put on gloves & go to bed. Pretty Please!

LiveWithCancer

If you are that worried about germs, why don't you resort to wearing gloves that you can change often rather than keeping your hands so clean? That seems like the best way to avoid so much washing and sanitizing to me ... but maybe there is some argument against gloves now that I am unaware of.

I agree that bleach is a definite no-no for your hands. They always recommend the use of gloves when using it.

meyati posted a recipe for homemade hand sanitizer awhile back. I don't know how difficult it would be at this point to find the ingredients: aloe vera gel, rubbing alcohol (I think vodka or everclear would also work if you can't find rubbing alcohol ... I can't remember if it needed to be over 70% or the 90% kind), and a few drops of essential oil. The aloe vera would help keep your skin a bit more supple. The alcohol and essential oils would work against the germs.

LiveWithCancer

Extra virgin olive oil is also supposed to be good for your skin and hair (as well as to eat). My husband has a horrendous toothache. I was reading the benefits of using clove essential oil on it to deaden the pain and came across a multitude of benefits of extra virgin olive oil in the same articles.

BoiseB

Thanks for the EVOO suggestion LiveWIthCancer. I am not normally a germaphobe so this is all new to me.

carm

Germs enter the body through DRY skin so much easier than moist skin so always keep your skin moist.

meyati

By drying your hands out so much, you're setting yourself up for cellulitis which is a horrible skin infection that goes through the blood. A person almost never gets over it. It swells your skin up burns and cracks.

In the mediterranean , those countries used OLIVE OIL as a topical antibiotic. Coconut oil also has healing properties.. I use both.

If you have cracks on your hands, the chances are that you will infect your hands.

Everybody is talking about sprays.. You can get the same effect if you take a little bucket or large can and fill it with cold water. Put in 1/2 tsp of bleach for a gallon of water. Stir it up. Get a clean rag and drop it in. You want to disinfect door knobs, counter tops phone, keyboard, table- put on a pair of rubber gloves. if you don't have any- fine--squeeze the rag out and wipe down what you want. It's an old cook and butcher trick. Wipe things down-rinse the rag out. Then slowly wash your hands with warm water to get any bleach off. The do the bar of soap thing. I use Irish Spring. Pat your hands dry. THEN slather your hands with a good hand cream. If you don't have hand cream use olive oil-or coconut oil-not to excess but I rub it in really well. I have thin skin-old does that. I work it in around my finger nails. That Udderly smooth hand cream or Working Hands-which my doctor recommends. Both are carried at ACE HARDWARE stores. They'd probably deliver it or mail it to you.

Use olive oil on you hands at bed time.

One more comment Boise, you and I aren't milking cows. like we did as kids and young women. Our skin isn't as tough. We are not wiping udders down with iodine and bleach anymore. It's actually more important to change dish and bathroom towels everyday. So take care--