I was thinking, someone mentioned a moisture barrier, would something like A&D ointment work to help lock moisture in as well? I mean we use it on our lil ones bums to help prevent chapped skin, why wouldn’t it work for hands?
I jsut got my Body Shop order (FINALLY…long story) and got body butter, it WORKS so well!!! (I got coconut) and it kept my legs soft all day. Maybe that will work too.
I’m getting a kick out of following along here, it’s invaluable to hear comments about lotions, creams & balms from the customer’s point of view. As a soap maker who also dabbles in lotions, creams, & balms, I can tell you that the toiletries lists and soap lists are always agonizing about including lanolin in products, since many people claim to be allergic to it (those who are sensitive to wool, for example, often react to lanolin too). The knitters balm I make is the only thing I put lanolin in, on the assumption that most knitters won’t mind the lanolin and in fact prefer it. Since we’re discussing moisturizers, you might be interested to know that most lotions contain 75%-80% water. Creams are usually exactly the same thing as lotions with considerably less water and a higher proportion of relatively stiff ingredients like beeswax or cocoa butter, so they’re thicker. Balms generally have no water at all, and can be made without a preservative (it’s the water in products that provides the medium for bacteria & mold to grow: anything with water in it will either contain a preservative or require refrigeration). In cases of severe dryness, a barrier type moisturizer applied to damp or freshly moisturized skin will lock in the moisture while protecting a rough or irritated surface with a neutral but thin coating (like the parafin bath does). A&D would probably work fine, although it’s designed for the relatively protected environment inside a diaper: your hands are uncovered and exposed and would probably benefit from something a bit stiffer. I don’t remember, it’s been a long time since I had babies in the house: is it A&D that has that fishy smell? That might be an issue as well :lol: . Many people swear by pure shea butter as a heavy duty moisturizer. I like the extra protection of some beeswax & lanolin for long-term protection. People have wildly different reactions to each product: for example, some people swear by Bath & Body Works, others can’t stand it. Read the label: many commercial products contain a host of synthetic and/or petroleum based ingredients. These are not necessarily bad: vaseline is 100% cosmetic-grade petrolatum, a highly refined petroleum product. But if you’re concerned about such things, you may find it surprising to compare cosmetic labels.