Daughter Has Very Dry, Chapped Hands

My daughter had the same thing until we were told by an allergist that it was eczema. Now she puts on a prescription cream every night all winter (it goes away in the summer). To me, it looked like red, very dry, chapped skin.

Aquaphillic. You don't need a prescription but you do have to ask the pharmacist for it, they keep it behind the counter. It's not "goopy" like Vaseline or Aquaphor but it does a fantastic job!

Have you tried aloe? Also I LOVE udderly smooth. the udder cream for cows you know. It is wonderful on my dry skin. Also avon makes a lotion called silicone glove. This may not be good for her while she is so chapped but will help prevent and protect after she is all healed.

I am wonder if she is allergic to something that all those have in common?
Or because they irritate already cracked skin?
Also I wonder if she suffers from eczema?
I had a problem with my daughter yesterday with super chap and crack lips, I got great answers but it was killing me to see her lips so red and hurt, I use a little of her eczema cream of her lips and today she was so much better.
I know is what the cream is for, and I am very careful to don't use it often, but it did wonders last night, they are not totally heal yet but put them to the point that I can use now a natural oil to help them finish heal and after that aquapor.
I second the post about stop using soap until her hands are better, wash in cold and try natural oils.

Plain, organic, extra-virgin coconut oil is my favorite (mildest and hypo-allergenic) and Badger Balm works well too. Socks or mittens on the hands at night while they are coated will definitely help, if she can tolerate it.
Make sure she is drying her hands well after washing, and that you are using a mild soap (I like Method unscented, diluted w/water in the pump, or Dr. Bronner's baby bar soap.)

Also, another thing to consider is diet. My daughter used to have horribly dry hands in winter, but then stopped eating apples and almonds and they cleared right up. My lips were cracked my entire life until I did an elimination diet and found that corn was the culprit (even a tiny, tiny bit will immediately affect me!)

You might look at the clothing too and see if there is one fabric that is chafing her worse than others. I know gloves are sometimes lined with pretty nasty man-made fabrics. Maybe a pair of thin cotton gloves first would help.

I would try Aquaphor as well. I would also check with your Dr. If it is exema, it might require a prescription. I'm sure you have thought of this, but make sure she doesn't use any alcohol based hand sanitizers - I'm sure it would BURN anyway. Best of luck.

Have you ever tried making balm from scratch? If you melt together pure beeswax, coconut oil, olive oil, baby oil, and vanilla or essential oils, it makes a really nice balm for sensitive skin. I have gotten rid of skin rashes with this and sun burns too. It feels great warm too.

Have you tried Aquaphor? or Aveeno lotion. I also like Gold Bond lotion. Not sure about the lotion's but I know Aquaphor won't sting.

If you mean Vaseline lotion, I have the same problem. A lot of lotions have perfumes and they are irritating. When my hands are really bad, I put on vaseline jelly at night and wear gloves overnight. The gloves drive me nuts but it works. I cannot stand to have anything on my hands or feet at night.

This happens to my hands during the winter I use aquaphor. It's worked great!

Have you tried Aquaphor? It works great for me and my daughters! It's similiar to Vaseline so I put it on at night before bedtime and sleep with a pair of night-time moisturizing gloves also.

When I lived up north I would always use Gold Bond brand lotion on me and my daughter. They make different types, some are thicker than others. I have found that they were the best to get rid of extremely dry skin. We have have had cracking skin and this stuff never burned.
Be sure to put it on right after a bath or shower when the skin is moist. Also put some on right before bed ad use lots of it.
Vaseline and Aquaphor are made from petroleum which I don’t like putting on my skin, but that is a personal preference.

I have the same problem & I use plain ol' Crisco! Scentless, edible (i use it on my 2 year old as well), cheap & a little goes a looong way! Good luck to you!!

My daughters and my son had that. I figured out that when they washed their hands, they weren't rinsing all the soap off because the water is freezing cold right now. I reminded them to rinse ALL the soap off and then put Aquafor on their hands every night right after their baths. Cleared up in a few days. I also like Palmers Cocoa Butter Formula in the tub. I get it at Walmart. I have extra sensitive skin and it doesn't burn.

My dermatologist told me that whatever you use, if it burns at all, rinse it off immediately. Lotions with urea make my hands burn and the dryness gets worse.

try Aveeno....they carry a calming lotion.

I also use a natural product....it's the lotion bar from Jordan Essentials. Great "green" company.

Also, you may want to use baby oil on her hands after each bath/shower.

My daughter had this a couple of winters ago. It's no fun. It took a long time to clear up, I remember. You may want to check with a doctor.

Have you tried smearing Vaseling petroleum jelly (not lotion) on her hands before bed and having her sleep with cotton gloves on? We also gave our daughter permission (strict instructions) to wash her hands with only water, no soap, at school. The soap there was harsh.

If her skin is so dry, you want to avoid bubble bath and any other soap that will make it worse.
You can try Aveeno's oatmeal bath soak and/or you can add 1 cup of plain yogurt to her bath water - it's very soothing to the skin.
Epsom salts in bath water also helps the skin absorb more water.
After she towels dry (and while she's still a bit damp) then use a lotion to seal in the moisture.
Gold Bond is good and Aveeno has some unscented hypoallergenic lotion that's good, too.
If her skin is very sensitive, be sure the laundry detergent you use is very mild.
Skip the fabric softener - it can be irritating.
Other ways to keep her skin moist is to make sure she drinks plenty of water and to keep a humidifier running in her room at night.

I used. Bagbalm on my DD when she was younger. Worked wonders on her dry skin.

I would try Aquaphor also - it works great on my daughter, to tends to get chapped lips and really dry skin on her legs in the winter.

Her hands burn and hurt because they're dry. I dried my hands out, chapped them, last winter when I didn't wear the right gloves. Washing them hurt. Be sure to wear gloves and use the right kind of lotion. The lotion will burn until they heal, but it will get better. Ever since this happened to me I learned to wear my gloves! It's mostly wind burn, I think.

I have some hand creme from Bath and Body that has parrafin in it and I love it. Leaves my hands so soft.

2 days ago, I was using pure Shea butter from the Body Shop and that was awesome. I now use it 2-3 times a day.

Love both of these products.

If you by any chance have Lansinoh laying around the house, it does wonders for dry skin. Lansinoh is a very heavy lanolin oil that you can use for cracked nipples due to nursing. I've had this tube in my house since my first baby (I now have three kids), and I still have a ton of it left. When I get really dry and cracked skin anywhere, I use it, and it works great. Good luck to you!

Try using an oil based lotion and put it on her hands and arms overnight. Put gloves on her hands and long sleeve PJs. Her hands and arms will feel much better in the morning. One winter my hands go so dry they were cracking and they hurt. I used I think Nivea but it was oil based, not water, overnight with gloves and it worked wonders!

My granddaughter is having a horrible time with chapped lips. It's not even her lips - she licks above and below her lips so she has this "chap ring" around her mouth. It looks horrible. I have bought countless lip balms and other moisturizing things, but she keeps losing them or leaving them somewhere. I'm about to buy stock in the company so I can recoup my losses! (haha)

try actual Vaseline. Not the lotion.

It feels gross, but put it on thick before bed so it doesn't bother her too much. Then put gloves or socks over her hands. It will help. My son gets really bad eczema in the winter and that is the only thing that helps him.

The burning is due to the severe dry skin and the perfume in the lotions.

Put vaseline on at night, then have her wear a soft pair of cotton gloves over the vaseline so it really sinks in. The gloves probably will not be suitable to wear again - except for this purpose

I would suggest using Renew Hand Wash and Lotion.

She may need a cortisone cream-check with the doctor.