Anyone besides me start getting cracks in your string fingers shooting in the cold? I can't figure if it is just my skin getting too cold or my tab being stiff and doing something different.
The colder air might be drying out the skin, causing it to crack when placed under pressure. maybe some sort of good lotion, like eucerin would help them rebuild that and heal, then also prevent it from re-occurring.
I'm an electrician and I work in the cold all winter long. My hands always crack. Grab some of the lotion that is made to prevent a cow's udders from cracking, I forgot the name but it is great stuff and doesn't cost as much as some of the "human" stuff. Any hardware store or feed store carries it.
Udderly Smooth......Udder Cream. I've got some right here, good stuff. The tube shows a web site...www.udderlysmooth.com Check 'em out. :saywhat:
It's called Udder Cream and it works great.
The one I've user is Udder Balm.
udder balm and your good to go
I do get dry skin on the sides and back of my finger, string finger calluses, and knuckles. I do get some annoying small cracks there, but the ones that really bother me are not those kinds of cracks. These are deep ones that I get in the first knuckle joint or close to it above or below the crease right where the string sets. Those areas appear not to be dry. I get them the most on my middle finger. I will not have one, go shooting, and then notice this deep crack later after shooting. I have been think it is the cold, but not sure. Could be dryness that I don't see like other areas.
I will have to try a tractor supply. I bet I can get some there. We milked a couple cows when I was a kid for our milk, butter, and what ever my mom had a mind to make. We had that around. I do recall my dad using it some. He was also and electrician and between that and the farm we worked outside a lot. I have noticed my hands getting a lot dryer the last few years. Either it is my skin aging or the affect of all that hand saintlier we use so much more now days.
I get bloody cracked fingers starting every November here in Wisconsin, to the point where it is almost debilitating. I have used every product out there. Eucerin, Neutrogena and Udder Balm are good, none are a "silver bullet" for me, but a new product I am using is producing good results, it is called "Total foot Recovery Cream" made by Podiatrist Secret. My wife got it on-line. Apply it just before sleep and you'll notice definite relief when you wake up. Also, avoid hot water on your hands, in particular soapy hot water (i.e. dish soap), as it strips your hands of its natural oils. Anything you can do to keep your hands moist and protected in cold dry weather is a movement in the right direction.
Good Luck
Kris
Hand sanitizer is terrible for your skin. It's mostly alcohol, which sucks moisture out faster than you can replace it.
I also get cracked fingertips and thumbtips. Recently I have switched to Atsko's Pro-Tech-Skin after they sent me a free sample. Seems to work well.
I use Corn Huskers Lotion. best I've ever tried to date.
QuoteOriginally posted by joekeith:
Udderly Smooth......Udder Cream. I've got some right here, good stuff. The tube shows a web site...www.udderlysmooth.com Check 'em out. :saywhat:
That is some good suff! Just don't know why you would have it with you while typing on TG do you like TG that much. :goldtooth:
use working hands... you can buy it at lowes . sorry mods and admins im a carpenter , i dont wear gloves no matter how cold it is outside. my hands get real beat up and this stuff works i swear by it. ruddy
Just picked up another can of Bag Balm from the local Rural King. I use it for just about anything that needs healing.
Another trick is get a pair of white thin cotton gloves and cover your hands with cream.And put the gloves on and sleep with them on.My ex-girlfriends mother(before I got married) used to do this and she had hands smooth as a babies back end.It works
This will be funny.... I cook everyday. Many of my meals have a salad along with them. I use olive oil.... nuff said.
I second the bag balm...that stuff will heal a severed limb! :thumbsup:
Bag Balm! Comes in a square green tin.
Super Glue Dude!! Fix em right up. Heal from the inside out. No Pain
My wife makes up a lotion made up of Olive oil, and the essential oil of Lavender. Works fantastic.
I am a water well drilling contractor. I work outside 98% of the time. Summer heat, through the coldests days all winter. My hands get wet, and sometimes stay wet for long periods of time.
Some of the store bought creams and lotions help, but none of them work as well as the mixture she makes up.
My recurve is 60" long and draw it to 29 1/2", and I shoot regularly without a tab or glove.
I have a tough callous on my ring finger on my right hand. Sometimes I will develop a crack in the callous itself. The skin within the callous gets extremely hard and will just crack on me.
I learned to use some bandage tape and I will wrap the callous. This seemed to help when a crack developed.
Another thing that will help, is if you put some lotion on your fingers BEFORE you shoot, and give it some time to soak in to help soften your skin. I think my callous cracks because it looses all flexability.
I`ve been using a tab a bit more, but it use the layered ones, and only use the calf hair layer. It is nice and thin, and I can feel the string really good. No crack so far this year.
Them deep ones sting like crazy!
PA-Spot is spot on with the super-glue. Cover the crack and let it heal from inside out.
When cracks do occur, use superglue to patch them. Works great!
Super glue does it for me too, and you can sandpaper to get it fairly smooth. The udder lotion helps too if you do it prior to the cracks..
Madge told me to use Palmolive. In fact, I am soaking in it.
working hands hands down. loyd
QuoteOriginally posted by PA-Spot:
Super Glue Dude!! Fix em right up. Heal from the inside out. No Pain
What he said!! This is a fix after they are cracked, not much of a preventive.
During duck season, mine fingers crack terriblely!!! I have dry hands anyway, but when it's cold out they are even worse. Super glue takes the pain away.
I know this sounds extreme, but I have gone one step past the cotton gloves. when it is a severe case I will put alot of the bag balm on my hands at bedtime then latex gloves, coverd by cotton gloves. I cant spleep without covering the latex with cotton. It works and if I do it each week I dont have the hand problems that I did. GOOD LUCK TERM
Super glue for repairing existing cracks, as all have said above and Aurora Warm Skin to prevent the cracks. I use the Warm Skin for winter use since it actually does warm the skin after applying. Put it on with a pair of gloves over the top and it really helps keep your hands warm while being outdoors. "Moisturizes and Insulates" is the label claim and it does.
if your going to buy either bag balm or udder balm make sure it is the Medicated kind and not the plain stuff - big difference - just my 2cts. good luck !
I found the bag balm, but don't think it was medicated. I will have to get some super glue. I have some gel, but that will probably not work as well as the regular. It sure would be nice to seal up this big cracks when I get them. Last winter they would go as much as half way across the joint and deep.
Where do you get that Aurora Warm Skin? That sounds like a nice product. My hands get real cold outside shooting.
xtrema312:
Google Aurora Warm Skin. There are a number of sites that will come up including the official site of the brand. It will tell you where the retail stores are where you can purchase it or order it online. The stuff is a bit spendy so I only use it when the weather is cold and I want more "insulation" on my hands and/or feet. I like the tub for the $$. Bag balm the rest of the year. Hope that helps.
To heal the cracks quickly fill them with Carmex, also stops the pain.
well Down under we just pee on em stings a little then wash em real Good it Does work it is an old remedy my Dad used to pee on cracks and blisters and they would heal up after a day or two. i know it Dont sound Good But Hey it works. :thumbsup: and the best part is its free :D
QuoteOriginally posted by JEFF B:
well Down under we just pee on em stings a little then wash em real Good it Does work it is an old remedy my Dad used to pee on cracks and blisters and they would heal up after a day or two. i know it Dont sound Good But Hey it works. :thumbsup: and the best part is its free :D
Jeff, My boy has been doing that by accident for years. :goldtooth:
Jeff, do you wash your hands after you go? :)