Cure Severely Chapped Hands
Do your hands get so severely chapped in the winter that simply putting lotion on them isn't enough? If, for example, you have a job where you have to wash your hands frequently, or you work outdoors but are unable to wear gloves, your hands may become so dry that they crack and bleed, and this can be extremely painful. Here's a simple way to take care of this that doesn't require purchasing expensive lotions or treatments.
Contents
Steps
- As part of your nightly preparation for bed, apply a liberal coating of Vaseline or A&D Ointment only on the backs of your hands in the affected areas. Apply the ointment to both hands.
- Place a sandwich bag over one of your hands.
- Wrap masking tape around your wrist to keep the bag in place. If you do not have these materials, you could wear gloves to keep the Vaseline in place.
- Slip a bag over the other hand and secure it with tape as well.
- Remove the bags in the morning when you wake and discard them.
Tips
- Wearing gloves is often suggested, but isn't as effective as the fabric can soak up the ointment. The ointment will also be difficult to remove from the gloves. Even if you wash them inside out, oil-based ointments are known to stain.
- Other types of moisturizers work as well, but make sure they don't have any perfumes or colors, as these can sting and make matters worse.
- Masking tape works best as it is easily torn using one's teeth.
- Be sure you have done everything you need to do before bed and are ready to fall asleep before putting on the bags; you won't be able to do much after you have them on.
- Always use the lotion or cream which suits you best and does not irritate your skin.
Warnings
- Be careful to wrap the tape around the bag and not your skin, as this could be painful to remove in the morning.
- Don't wrap your wrists too tightly, as this could cut off your circulation. Just a loop of tape should do.
Things You'll Need
- Two sandwich bags (ones without zipper tops work best).
- Vaseline, A&D ointment, or other moisturizer.
- Masking tape.
