Beware: I have no medical training .. just sharing info I’ve discovered and adding links for you to do your own research!
While using the silk threads, my hands/nails/cuticles have been snagging on the threads. I use hand cream and lotions often but my hands spend way too much time in dish water and with this cold weather, soon there will be cracks, bleeding and I’ll be using New Skin (liquid bandage) to patch the holes.
As we’ve been unpacking, I come across interesting things and one was a new, never been opened box containing a bottle of vegetable glycerin. That was purchased when I was planning to make some kind of skin ointment or lotion and that never happened. I stuck it in my bathroom cabinet but yesterday, as my skin was snagging my thread, I remembered the glycerin. Remembering that I see it listed on almost every ingredient list for skin care products, I wondered what would happen if I used it directly on my hands. A Google search made me feel it was safe to use and I found a few recipes for making skin care products.
If you’re interested in this, you might start with this article and this one. There is a wealth of information online about using glycerin, other products that can be added, and recipes.
Last night when I got out of the shower, I missed a few drops of water with the glycerin, rubbed it onto my cracked heels, put on a pair of loose wool socks and slept in those. My feet felt so much softer this morning. I added more glycerin/water and put the socks back on.
But, my hands . . that was the amazing difference. I’m not stitching with silk threads today but I ran a little piece of thread I’d cut off last night across my fingers and . . no snagging. I can see from looking at my hands under the magnifying light that they look so much better – not so much like working hands! I don’t think anyone would look at my hands today and think . . she needs to take better care of her skin!
I read one article that said mixing the glycerin with rose water would help hydrate the skin and I remembered that the health food store where I once shopped and pushed rose water for the face so I ordered a bottle of rose water and will try mixing that with the glycerin.
It is a sticky, almost syrupy product, or at least that’s how the bottle I have feels. I wouldn’t put it on my hands just before starting to cross stitch but for the benefit, I can put it on and sit for half an hour and let it all soak in. I do have some white cotton disposable gloves I bought for something. I may try putting those on tonight with a thicker coating and see how my hands feel in the morning.
I also used the glycerin/water mixture on my neck and will report back on how that’s working out.
Oh . . I almost forgot the best part. My hair! The heat, the wind, the cold outside, plus desperately needing a haircut, my hair was looking so dry and “fly away”. Last night when I got out of the shower, I put a drop, about the size of a match head, in my hand and rubbed it into my wet hair. I usually go to bed with my hair wet so it’s a sight you do not want to see when I get up but I used the curling iron on it this morning, hoping it wasn’t going to feel greasy and sticky. While I doubt it truly helped improve the condition of my hair, it surely made it more manageable and it doesn’t look so dead and dry today. I was pretty impressed with that.
Anyway . . I thought it was worth sharing. I’m not putting any links because I don’t want this to sound like a commercial but Amazon does have it, along with some of the “mix ins” I ordered.
Carolyn says
I started using CerVe, a jar of it is usually close to $20. My neighbors dermatologist told her to get it and rub it into her fingernail, up to the first knuckle to get her nails to grow stronger. well I have a similar issue, and hyperthyroid, so Is started using. my nails haven’t changed, but my skin is softer! DH has been using it too, and his arms are not as dry as they used to be.
judy.blog@gmail.com says
I have CeraVe for everything. They make so many formulas and I probably have at least 7 different CeraVe products. Right now, I’ve seen more difference using the glycerin with an add in product or two than I have with any of the CeraVe. The CeraVe is more convenient, less greasy/tacky but way more expensive.
CeraVe was recommended by a friend probably almost a year ago when my feet were cracking badly and I’ve used it, loved it and continued to buy the various formulas.
Elle says
Mom always had cracked bleeding skin near her fingertips. She used Vitamin E oil. She would pierce a capsule and squeeze a little out on those cracks and massage it in.
So awesome you found something that is working!!!!
I also like CeraVe.
Rebecca says
The face wash I’ve been using for years just “improved” their formula, including glycerin in the mix.
I remember bottles of glycerin and rose water!
judy.blog@gmail.com says
The bottles had the glycerin and rose water mixed? I don’t remember that but it doesn’t mean I’ve never seen them. I wonder if they still make those. I’m going to start searching.
Rebecca says
=I think so, but this would be me seeing someone else use it. It was long enough ago I didn’t use lotion…probably more worried about excess oil (and acne). It may have been a lotion WITH those ingredients, but it seems to me I thought that was all.
Nelle Coursey says
I remember when I was a teller at the bank, and we had to count out the money to the customers. We always used glycerin to help us unstick the money. My hands always looked good back then! Never thought of why!! Guess I need to find one of those things you put the glycerin in with the roller ball so I can get my fingers looking better!! The things we forget!
Sara says
I make a skin moisturizer of Vaseline, vitamin E cream, and pink baby lotion. It works great on dry skin and smells so nice. Sometimes the vitamin E cream is hard to find however. I think using glycerine mixed with most anything would work very well.
judy.blog@gmail.com says
That has been my go to hand cream for probably 15 or more years. In fact, the recipe is way back on my blog somewhere. I also thought about mixing glycerin with that. I think, from what I’ve read, is that glycerin needs to be mixed with some amount of water or it will pull moisture from lower levels of the skin so I’m not sure I would mix it with that recipe. If you try it, let us know how it works.
By the way, any baby lotion will work. I’ve made the recipe with lavender baby lotion and added a few drops of Lavender EO.
Sara Fridley says
Oh – the lavender scent would be wonderful. Thanks for the idea. The only reason I use the pink is because I love the smell, but lavender would be awesome too.