Winter Skin.

Working with your hands during the dry winter months, especially when working with wood, can lead to cracked dry hands.  Before this post turns into a Martha Stewart article on hand cream, I must point out that I have, on more than one occasion, ruined a project near completion with smears of blood from cracked dry hands.  This requires me to go back and refinish the project with gloves (which drive me nuts) or band-aid laden hands which is as bad as the gloves.  I can't be the only one this happens to...I hope.

My wife offered me some advice on salve for severely dry skin, the problem was that it was greasy and smelled like cookies...which just made me hungry.  I have always hated putting lotion on my hands, not necessarily because I look like a nancy doing it, but because it leaves a greasy mess on everything I touch.  This is why I was glad when I found this stuff called "O'Keeffe's Working Hands."  It isnt oily, it doesn't smell like cookies or lavender or kerosene, and it works.  I am in no way affiliated with this company, I just like this stuff, and it helps keep blood off my tools and projects (blood from dry hands that is, it doesn't prevent stupidity related injuries from sharp tools).

If you aren't into something out of a can, I found a good recipe for making your own hand cream as well.  As a woodworker, I had almost everything this recipe called for in my shop and my wife had the coconut oil.  It took me about twenty minutes to make and it works great!  Just leave out the essential oil and you won't smell like a shopping mall candle store. Make Your Own Beeswax Lotion