Topic: hand care after gardening

[Sparkly]

I have tended to do alot of weeding and digging without using gloves. This is primarily because all the gloves I could find are too big for me so I can't pick things up in them. It hasn't done much good to my hands! They tend to pick up after a day or so, but even if I put hand cream on them my fingers still feel unsmooth. Obviously I know using gloves will improve this and I have found some better gloves now, but do any of you have any particular routines with handcare after gardening?

[DenBee]

I complained of this problem to someone a couple of years ago, and she sent me some lovely gardener's soap she had found, which had an exfoliant and I believe olive oil in it.  Make a huge difference.

It was Trixiebelle, who posts on here, and now she makes her own gardener's soap.  She's just sent me a bar of it, but I haven't been able to test it, because to my shame I haven't been up to my elbows in soil yet.  :)

[Jeannine]

You need some of Trixiebelles home made gardeners soap.It is smashing, then Neutrogena cream at night with cotton gloves on, you can really soak in it XX Jeannine

There you go, two posters writing at the same time..has to be good

[debster]

i was sent some gorgeous gardeners soap from toms lottie for the secret santa, it is superb also contains an exfoliant, for hand cream i use the body shops hemp hand cream it is the best i have ever used and my hands are used to being washed about a million times a day and alcohol gel applied even more often  ;D

[star]

I was sent some too in the santa swop from Caroline, its very very good. Trixiebelle is a super soap maker. I also swear by E45 hand cream. My hands are really bad and these two things help enormously ;)

[posie]

The other thing that helps is if you cover your hands in a rich moisturising cream, then put on rubber gloves before you wash the dishes, the warm water will help it to be absorbed.  However, if you have a dishwasher then it probably won't help! lol  ;D

[Deb P]

i was sent some gorgeous gardeners soap from toms lottie for the secret santa, it is superb also contains an exfoliant, for hand cream i use the body shops hemp hand cream it is the best i have ever used and my hands are used to being washed about a million times a day and alcohol gel applied even more often  ;D

I was going to say the same thing! NHS workers eh! ;D ;D ;D

[Sparkly]

What about something like this?

http://www.screwfix.com/prods/22839/Cleaning/Hand-Cleaners/Replacement-Barrier-Cream

[lorna]

If you need to do an emergency job on rough hands put a little castor sugar in the palm of your hand add a little olive oil and rub  hands together (like washing them)
Hands become nice and smooth.

[chilli queen]

I have just started wearing rubber gloves (thin stretchy ones) underneath my gardening gloves as my hands were a real mess with picking weeds from the heavy clay soil on our new lottie.It has helped, but somehow soil still gets under my nails.

[redimp]

http://abicabeauty.co.uk/gardeners.aspx  :)

[KittyKatt]

I use Scholl Deep Moisturising cream  every night before I go to bed, for lovely smooth hands. I found this out by accident as its really designed for feet! Its also very good on dry rough elbows and knees!I read somewhere that to stop soil getting in nails to rub them along a bar of soap before gardening. I haven't actually tried this myself, so can't vouch for this tip!
KK

[Clairylou]

After trying loads of different hand creams i found atrixo to be the best, i got some from my in laws in a gardners hand care pack its great.  Also if my hands are too mucky from the garden i use exfoliating wash as the bits get rid of all the muck.

 :)

[tim]

After gardening?

Sparkly has it - before gardening or car overhaul!

[Mr Smith]

My wife will rub Vaseline into her hands before any gardening she swears by it, :)

[GrannieAnnie]

My wife will rub Vaseline into her hands before any gardening she swears by it, :)

  I'm going to try this today and believe it will work!  I have gloves but don't like putting on cold clammy wet ones which is their usual condition so too often go without...which is stupid.  A friend gave me a hand wash for gardeners that has salt and oil in it I believe- or perhaps it is like Lorna's idea of sugar and oil.  It helps a great deal.

[springbok]

If you need to do an emergency job on rough hands put a little castor sugar in the palm of your hand add a little olive oil and rub  hands together (like washing them)
Hands become nice and smooth.

Tried this and it makes your hands feel amazing.  Thanks for the tip :)

[kidsspace]

About those wet gloves - it really does make a difference to wear them, which is why I keep 2 pairs in the shed, when I take 1 pr home to wash/dry, there's still a pair left for next time.
I remember my cookery teacher telling us to rub butter and sugar into our hands to make them soft, best not to lick the fingers though - not good for the waistline, you'd have to put in some digging hours to work that off!  :)

[silverbirch]

I use the sugar and soap one to clean my hands afterwards as well.

Another good one is to stick your fingernails in to a bar of saop before you start.  That way, you don't have to dig the dirt out afterwards.

[tim]

Brown Sugar & Olive Oil - yes, & the fingernail trick.