Need hand cream with no alcohol or acid.

February 9, 2021 3:29 AM

Wife has extremely dry skin on her hands, that is also prone to eczema. Her hands get extremely dry to the point where they crack and bleed...this ONLY happens in the winter. Wanting a hand cream that doesn't also dry out her skin or cause her eczema to react. Have used: Burt's Bees Hand Salve. Vaseline(with gloves). Baby lotion. Glysomed. O'Keefe's. Eucerin. . Suggestions? Thank you all :)
posted by LOOKING to Health & Fitness (38 answers total)

If petroleum jelly, Eucerine Aquaphore, and Glysomed are all causing reactions, she needs a dermatologist.
posted by DarlingBri at 3:33 AM on February 9, 2021 [23 favorites]

You mention Eucerin, but it’s not clear if you mean Eucerin Cream or Aquaphor. If she hasn’t tried the latter, it’s worth a shot (they’re very different.)

Bag Balm may also be worth a go if she doesn’t have any issues with lanolin.
posted by okayokayigive at 3:50 AM on February 9, 2021 [4 favorites]

Perhaps 100% lanolin? I like Medela and yes, its marketed as nipple cream for breastfeeding but price wise this 2oz tube is cheaper than a 2 oz tube of the exact same stuff.
posted by tipsyBumblebee at 4:17 AM on February 9, 2021 [2 favorites]

Perhaps straight jojoba oil or plain lanolin, which can be either as a petroleum jelly like cream or a really thick liquid?
posted by 2N2222 at 4:18 AM on February 9, 2021 [2 favorites]

Vanicream Moisturizing Ointment. No cracked fingers this winter, no scaley patches on my hands.
posted by TWinbrook8 at 4:19 AM on February 9, 2021 [4 favorites]

You can use either Crisco or coconut oil (in a thin layer) in the same way you might use Vaseline, if you’re trying to rule out things her skin reacts to. It might also help to humidify your house, if you aren’t already.
posted by needs more cowbell at 4:28 AM on February 9, 2021 [2 favorites]

Based on a dermatologists recommendation I used
vanicream light lotion for years, however I see a type of alcohol in the ingredients. I have not tried it personally but they also make a moisturizing ointment.

On preview: what TWinbrook8 says....
posted by token-ring at 4:28 AM on February 9, 2021

I am a dry skinned, eczema-prone person. Two things have worked for my hands in the winter: straight up raw shae butter or coconut oil. The trick is to apply it thickly before getting your hands wet. That helps the skin retain its own oils. Just be careful about getting it on your face; that could cause breakouts.

If her hands are really bad, she may want to apply both before and after every handwashing and at night, until her skin builds itself back up. These days I only need to apply before showering (long hot showers are hell on eczema) but if I notice my skin starting to get bad, I'll use it more often and voila, hands are good again within a few days.

Finally, if nothing else works, they make steroid creams for eczema - ask your doctor. I was advised to use them rarely due to their potential for organ damage, though.
posted by prewar lemonade at 4:45 AM on February 9, 2021 [6 favorites]

Has she tried Bag Balm yet?

Whoops, on preview, seconding Bag Balm.
posted by saladin at 4:57 AM on February 9, 2021 [1 favorite]

When I had very bad eczema, no lotion really worked — pure Shea butter, Eucerin, Aveeno, anything and everything. The only real solution was a prescription steroid creme — so I would recommend going to the doctor and asking about that. Now that my breakouts aren't in a bad place, as soon as something flares up, I can put on a little creme and it stops way before things are so bad. It's really the best.
posted by dame at 5:14 AM on February 9, 2021 [6 favorites]

I use Epiceram. You have to get it through a dermatologist, but you can probably arrange that over the phone without an in-person visit. Otherwise I'd try CeraVe or Cetaphil.

Eczema is hard to predict, and it's impossible to anticipate what products will or won't cause a reaction. It's also not always about just a moisturizer. Tire are other preventive measures available, and my dermatologist had me start dilute bleach soaks several years ago. With routine use, these soaks have helped beyond my wildest dreams. Also, as of this year, my dermatologist also had me start phototherapy and wrote me a prescription for a UV lamp.

Best of luck, eczema is awful.
posted by late afternoon dreaming hotel at 5:45 AM on February 9, 2021 [5 favorites]

This is what has been working for me. I find that something works for a while and then it doesn’t. This contains lanolin but isn’t as sticky as plain lanolin.
posted by dpx.mfx at 6:11 AM on February 9, 2021

Not a cream, but having a humidifier in my bedroom with door closed for sleep helps me a lot in the winter.
posted by creiszhanson at 6:36 AM on February 9, 2021 [2 favorites]

If O'Keefes didn't help, try Gold Bond. A friend of mine had no joy from O'Keefes and he swears by Gold Bond.
posted by james33 at 6:52 AM on February 9, 2021

Weleda Skin Food Original has become my go-to hand and foot cream in the winter. I've noticed that it's soothing on minor scrapes, and a couple of reviews mention that it's worked for their eczema.

It's normally $19 for a tube, but a little goes a surprisingly long way, and if you're a Costco member, they currently have a three-pack at a discount.
posted by fifthpocket at 6:57 AM on February 9, 2021 [1 favorite]

Plain shea butter ! very hydrophobic, provides a really good barrier - for example at times doing the dishes bare-handed can cause some really bad issues for my skin, and I find shea butter to be almost as protective as rubber gloves. Most of the creams I have found helpful have had shea butter as a top ingredient. I think lately I've seen it at cvs/walgreens/rite aid/the grocery store/etc. Sometimes it looks yellow (i think there's a colorant added), natural state is white and at room temperature fairly solid, heats up quickly in your hands (and is not solid in summer time temps.) 10/10 can recommend : )
posted by elgee at 7:23 AM on February 9, 2021 [2 favorites]

My hands also do the crack-and-bleed thing through most of the winter. My sympathies!

I also use Shea butter: I put it on heavily at bedtime, and occasionally throughout the day when I notice a dry spot. This has kept the eczema at bay, too, which is awesome. I get it from my sister-in-law, who has a business making organic skin care products, so we have pots of it upstairs, downstairs, and all over.

(The company who maintains our A/C says that at 47% humidity, our house isn't dry enough. I get nosebleeds and my hands bleed freely all winter, but you do you, HVAC Guy. *eyeroll*)
posted by wenestvedt at 7:37 AM on February 9, 2021 [2 favorites]

Maybe try a coal tar lotion? They can be extremely weirdly moisturizing. Kinda sticky, and kinda gross, but aggressively moisturizing in a way that other products aren't.
posted by aramaic at 7:53 AM on February 9, 2021 [1 favorite]

My mom, who has very eczema prone hands that are worse in the winter, swears by Aveda Hand Relief and I'd have to agree.

Also want to second the recommendations for Weleda Skin Food Original and CeraVe, as well as 100% Lanolin (which is not vegan, for anyone who prefers to avoid non-vegan products). Lanolin worked wonders for a friend of mine who was always working outdoors in winter and had perpetually chapped, cracking skin on their hands.
posted by nightrecordings at 7:57 AM on February 9, 2021

Some people are allergic or sensitive to lanolin, so it is absolutely not a cure-all.
A dentist with sensitive hands once advised me to always wash my hands in cold water (with a soap for sensitive skin), which had helped him and I found his advice very helpful. And to always use a cream or lotion after washing your hands, which these days means always carrying something in your bag or pocket.
I don't know where you can buy them these days, but if you can get washable cotton gloves, it can be a good idea to put on a thick layer of cream, or vaseline, or olive oil, whatever feels good and not irritating and then gloves and sleeping with them, once or twice a week. Obviously the gloves need to be very clean and dry before use. You turn them inside-out before washing at 60º C or warmer.
Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour products are classics for dry and sensitive skin. They are more expensive, but I have used them periodically, until my skin was doing well, and then returned to cheaper products for maintenance. Right now I have an other expensive product: Biotherm, which I find as good.
Even better among the high end products is Kiehls Ultimate Strength Hand Salve, which I can't get right now, but you probably can if you are in the US.
Could you tell why you are avoiding alcohol and acid? The Kiehls product has a bit of alcohol in it, I'm not sure about the Eight Hour Creme. I think it is there to improve emulation.
posted by mumimor at 8:56 AM on February 9, 2021

2nding getting a humidifier in the evenings. Things like shea butter and coconut oil don't hydrate the skin, they just provide a hydrophobic barrier. I.e. they prevent moisture from leaving the skin, but do not add moisture.
posted by FirstMateKate at 8:58 AM on February 9, 2021 [3 favorites]

Winter makes me bleed too, and a couple of things that work are Glaxal Base (has cetearyl alcohol in it, a very thick waxy substance) and Spectro Eczema Care Intense Rehydration Cream. Both smell like the inside of a hardware store, but work. I haven't seen the Spectro cream for a while: seems to have been replaced by an (expensive, medicated, smaller, short-term) corticosteroid thing. Using corticosteroids for any length of time makes my skin paper-thin and apt to slough off.

The one cosmetic cream that works on my hands is L'Occitane. It's mostly shea butter. Smells nice, too.
posted by scruss at 9:00 AM on February 9, 2021 [1 favorite]

My go to is a hand lotion with colloidal oatmeal--Aveeno makes one, and there are store brand versions that are also as good. While it does have some alcohols, I've found it's the best at rapidly moisturizing dry skin (I also get cracked hands in the winter, and very dry skin around my ankles), though it can take a few days to heal if I've let things get bad. I always feel like other products just cover up the problem rather than address it as its root.
posted by thecaddy at 9:00 AM on February 9, 2021 [1 favorite]

CereVe forever. It’s changed everything. It’s also lanolin and aloe free, both of which bother me. But she may need a steroid cream. I have a mild one I pull out for the really bad patches. I resisted seeing a doctor but I should not have.
posted by kerf at 10:11 AM on February 9, 2021

I love World Believe balm, which is alcohol-free. It just has oils and beeswax and has a very mild scent. There's a thicker version she could try at bedtime. These are a bit pricey but last a long time, and have been great for my sensitive skin.
posted by bighappyhairydog at 10:28 AM on February 9, 2021

Palmer’s cocoa butter? I have very dry skin, to the point that a lot of ordinary lotions sting, and Palmers works well for me.
posted by LizardBreath at 11:01 AM on February 9, 2021

Shea butter is the magic ingredient for me, but in the winter, I also sometimes top a shea hand cream with CeraVe Healing Ointment. It's a product made to compete with Aquaphor, but tmk it's vegan. No lanolin.

She can also try washing her hands with Cetaphil cleanser (specifically with a store brand version to save some money). The original lotiony kind, not the foaming kind for oily skin.

I like Burt's Bees hand salve (formerly Farmer's Friend) and also sometimes the lemon butter cuticle cream used all over my hands.

Finally, maybe consider Nivea, although the Vanicream options mentioned above are probably better. I used Nivea to clear up a psoriasis plaque on the back of my hand a few years ago. Its formulation is similar to "Aquaphor + a little wax."
posted by verbminx at 11:14 AM on February 9, 2021

soap: It's worth looking at what soap she's using - soap is removing oils and natural and added protective coatings. I use a foaming hand soap _without propylene glycol_ (I'm extra sensitive to it, and I know that it makes soaps and lotions extra penetrating - sounds good for a lotion, but it's really not, not in the long run).

I also use bar hand soap made of glycerin, unscented -- and I also have to read every label to look for one without propylene glycol.

This has made a huge difference.

ingredient sensitivity: It's also possible that, like me, she has a sensitivity to propylene glycol (this is a common sensitivity), and that she's reapplying propylene glycol to her skin every time she uses lotion.

reduce household washing: Also - if you can do all dish washing for your household, that would help. Dishwashing soap is very harsh. Ditto laundry detergent / hand washing detergent; if she's hand washing any clothing items, even 'delicates', that will have a big effect.
posted by amtho at 11:59 AM on February 9, 2021 [3 favorites]

reiterating:

Alcohol is drying, but you should also avoid propylene glycol. It will dry anyone's skin over time, according to the linked article.
posted by amtho at 12:38 PM on February 9, 2021 [1 favorite]

Yeah, on the ingredient sensitivity front, I can't use any of the Aveeno stuff mentioned because it gives me rashes. It's allegedly hypoallergenic, but in practice, I've found it terribly allergenic. If I recall correctly, the issue when I last tried it was formaldehyde releasing products in it, though I haven't checked the formulation in a while. My go-to right now, heavy on the cocoa butter, is this JĀSÖN Cocoa Butter Hand & Body Lotion. That said, I still get cracked, bleeding knuckles, so it's not a cure-all for me, at least. I'm just washing my hands so much in New York City water in a super dry apartment. Another option that's been great before, as others have mentioned, is just pure jojoba oil (cheaper at Trader Joe's, heads up). It tends to need some paper-towel blotting, though, as it can kind of sit on the skin for a while, so I don't use it unless I'm reacting to everything due to a sensitivity for some reason and just need to pause other options.

I'm gonna have to check out some of the other options mentioned here!
posted by limeonaire at 12:49 PM on February 9, 2021

Oh right, also: Wear gloves for dishes! I've started doing that, because the harshness of dish soap (it removes all oils) was making my hands crack and bleed even worse.
posted by limeonaire at 12:50 PM on February 9, 2021 [3 favorites]

OK, and one other thing: She should try what my dermatologist recommended and I still do, using Dove Sensitive Skin bar soap as much as possible, rather than body wash that contains alcohol. I still use body wash with a Salux cloth, but for any areas I hand-wash, like my face, I use bar soap. Body wash or shampoo that has either too much alcohol in it or ingredients she's sensitive to can make things way worse.
posted by limeonaire at 12:53 PM on February 9, 2021 [1 favorite]

Many soaps and detergents are alkaline and skin's naturally protective acid mantle is damaged by soaps/detergents like this. Once the acid mantle is disturbed, pathogens get in and the skin also has a much harder time healing itself. Using a slightly acidic pH cleanser can help tremendously (in addition to always wearing gloves when washing dishes or using cleaning products). A good cleanser is Cerave Eczema Soothing Body Wash which can be used for both handwashing as well as showering. The Dove sensitive skin bar (unscented) listed above is also a good one. For lotion, I love Gold Bond's Eczema Relief lotion. It's not greasy, but it's very soothing and thick while also absorbing well. It's really the combination of proper handwashing soaps as well as a good, eczema-focused lotion that has helped me the most. Once there's a crack, some antibiotic ointment (like Neosporin) before the lotion is also helpful. If she wants to do a overnight glove treatment, plain jojoba oil has been fantastic for treating both extreme dryness as well as weak or peeling nails.
posted by quince at 4:05 PM on February 9, 2021

This is the brand I use. My sensitive skin does well with it, and it's easy to get at retail stores in the US:

Aveeno
posted by amtho at 4:06 PM on February 9, 2021

I haven't tried it, but I keep seeing ads for eczema honey.
posted by shesbookish at 5:03 PM on February 9, 2021

Best answer: Fellow eczema sufferer here. I wear rubber gloves when doing things like dishes and washing stuff, and only use Dove sensitive skin bar soap for handwashing and in the shower. I use Booda Butter Tub Of Love on my hands, particularly at night before bed. I also sometimes use Chagrin Valley Soap and Salve Company Cocoa Butter Whipped Body Butter natural scent, and have ordered, but not yet tried, their Shea Body Balm. I also have a prescription for Clobetasol Propionate Cream from my dermatologist for when things get really bad.
posted by gudrun at 7:55 PM on February 9, 2021 [1 favorite]

I'm a huge fan of First Aid Beauty's Ultra Repair Cream, it's been a lifesaver for me and rescued me from some really unpleasant skin problems. It's the only thing I've ever used that makes me say "aaahhh" every time I put it on, and it's recommended for people with eczema. Bonus is that it doesn't contain parabens, pthlates, and other things like that. I can't recommend it highly enough.

(I'd suggest you not order it from Amazon, though, because they sell tainted or counterfeit product.)
posted by kitten kaboodle at 10:53 PM on February 9, 2021

+1 for the L'Occitane Hand Cream. It can be had for a reasonable price, and it lasts forever. But full disclosure, i did need a steroid first, and the hand cream helped keep the eczema at bay.
posted by BlueBear at 11:27 AM on February 10, 2021