What is the best product to use for dry, cracked hands and split fingers?

I rock climb, and for my money Joshua Tree Climbing Salve is the best for cracked hands. And its naturally organic, and the smell is light.

http://www.jtreelife.com/

For something that is fast-acting and quick to absorb, my go-to lotion for hands is the (Malin + Goetz) Vitamin B5 Hand Treatment which uses shea butter along with vitamin B5 to provide long-lasting moisture--without the greasy residue.

The best product - bar none - is a cream in a tube called LOTIL. It is made in England and is available in the US through the Vermont Country Store, Bigelow Pharmacy in NY, and can sometimes be special ordered by your local pharmacy.

It is specifically made for cracked and split fingertips and it is the leading product of its type in the UK. Apply at night before retiring and the problem will be gone within 2 or 3 days.

For my money, Porter's Lotion http://www.porterslotion.com/Porter_s_Original_Lotion_8_45_ounce_p/100011.htm is best.

Non-greasy, quick absorption and works instantly on the very worst dry skin.

Aveeno Daily Moisturizing Lotion. Period. Fragrance-free and totally unisex. I've got extreme dry skin and this is the only stuff that consistently works, has no smell, and absorbs completely into your pores leaving behind no greasy residue. And it's reasonably priced.

www.lotil-cream.com

That is the website for LOTIL - the best hand cream of its kind. Made in England, it is specifically made for split and cracked fingertips. It can be bought online at the Vermont Country Store, at Bigelow Pharmacy in NYm and Foer's Pharmacy in DC. Apply at night before sleeping and the problem will disappear in 2 or 3 days.

LOTIL is a miracle worker for this problem!

:http://www.lotil-cream.com ----LOTIL

That is the website for LOTIL - the best hand cream of its kind. Made in England, it is specifically made for split and cracked fingertips. It can be bought online at the Vermont Country Store, at Bigelow Pharmacy in NYm and Foer's Pharmacy in DC. Apply at night before sleeping and the problem will disappear in 2 or 3 days.

LOTIL is a miracle worker for this problem!

http://www.cetaphil.com/Products/Moisturizers.aspx ----Cetaphil

For what it's worth, my wife is a surgeon and she washes her hands 40 to 50 times a day. To combat the dryness and cracking that result from all this hand-washing, she uses Cetaphil cream that comes in the pot. Thick stuff, but seems to work pretty well.

She also actually uses the paraffin wax machine I bought her ten years ago.

http://www.cetaphil.com/Products/Moisturizers.aspx ----Cetaphil

For what it's worth, my wife is a surgeon and she washes her hands 40 to 50 times a day. To combat the dryness and cracking that result from all this hand-washing, she uses Cetaphil cream that comes in the pot. Thick stuff, but seems to work pretty well.

She also actually uses the paraffin wax machine I bought her ten years ago.

"Product Name"http://www.burtsbees.com:80/natural-products/body-hands-feet-hand-moisturizers/hand-salve.html Burt's Bees Hand Salve

This is the best stuff I've found. It literally healed crevasses in my knuckles.

Some of these people are recommending lotions. Lotion is fundamentally flawed. It literally won't moisturize. The only thing that can do that is oil. Burt's Bees top two ingredients are oil. Thats what your skin needs.

I linked the 9oz can, but they also have a tiny trial size that goes for $2.50 at my local grocery store. I almost always carry one around. Just about any grocery store with a natural foods/cosmetics section will have this stuff, very easy to find, no waiting 5 days for shipping, just a 5 minuet drive to your favorite grocery stop.

Corn Huskers Lotion:http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=12560532&sourceid=44444444440153505642 is a manly product. It has a rather pungent aroma that will not be mistaken for your girlfriend's hand lotion. If you can get past the scent, this stuff works very well. It is does not leave greasy residue. It costs $3 to $4 for a 7 oz. bottle. It works quickly. Within a few minutes of rubbing it in, you actually feel the cracks and fissures in your skin softening up, regardless of how dried out your hands are.

I've used a lot of the products recomended here.

I can't remember how well udderly smooth worked- think it was decent, but I never bought more. Bag balm works really well, but the thick, greasy feel- very much like petroleum jelly but more oily once you rub it in for an hour- along with the thick camphor-like smell was too much. The Jack Black Industrial Strength Hand Healer works great, smells manly (slightly menthol-like) without being overpowering. The unscented Neutrogena hand cream (the one that's sold as a tube in a box) also works well, can be found at any drugstore or grocery store, and is more affordable than the Jack Black product. Lastly, Gold Bond Ultimate lotion with CoQ10 is the only lotion that has taken care of a bit of eczema I had on my wrist. It leans slightly towards the feminine side scent-wise though, so I use it before bed.

Almost forgot... Corn Huskers works well- goes on liquid-y and drys fast (60 sec maybe?) but it never seamed
to do more than help temporarily.

For painful cuticle cuts and splits, the only thing that works for me is Sally Hansen Diamond Cuticle + Nail Creme. It comes in a little Carmex-like pot and lasts forever. Unfortunately, it smells exactly as feminine as you'd think a product with such a name would smell, only 10x stronger. Bedtime use only. Also, I see it's been discontinued (though you can find it on eBay) and replaced by Sally Hansen Nail Quencher Hydrating Cuticle Creme, which I haven't tried.

Neutrogena Norwegian Formula Hand Cream

No-Crack Super Hand Cream
This is manly stuff from the Duluth Trading Co.
Been around since 1942.
I work in the Heating business and all our guys have this stuff in their trucks.
http://www.duluthtrading.com/search/searchresults/75128.aspx?feature=product_2&kw=hand cream&processor=content

No-Crack Super Hand Cream
This is manly stuff from the Duluth Trading Co.
Been around since 1942.
I work in the Heating business and all our guys have this stuff in their trucks.
Product Name cream&processor=content

Bag Balm all day long.

As a river guide, your feet especially get dried out from being in the water all day long (which washed away the natural oils of the skin).

Bag Balm looks like a thicker vaseline, but it's magical stuff...

You can apply and rub it in, but it'll take a while. Your best bet (if this is the affected area) is to apply it to your hands or feet before bed, then cover with soft gloves or socks. In the morning you can wash off the Bag Balm and have some seriously improved skin.

If Bag Balm's too heavy-duty, Eucerin's Aquaphor Healing Ointment is a great product that is very mild but quite effective.

On The Job Hand Lotion is probably the best stuff out there. I don't usually use much lotion, but in the winter this stuff saves my life.

Super weird sounding, but Udder Balm is pretty fantastic.

My in-laws gave me a tube a few years ago (they live in Texas, of course) and I've actually come to love the stuff. NOTHING works as well at repairing cracked, dry skin. Sometimes in the winter my hands will dry out so bad they just start oozing blood between the faint cracks and lines. One tiny dab of this stuff and they're soft as a baby's bottom afterwards.

And yes, it was originally created to stop chafing on cow udders.

Burt's Bees makes some pretty great products for cracked hands. I had a friend who used to bite his cuticles and had terrible cracked hands. I used the following Burt's Bees products on him. It worked like a charm and left his hands feeling a lot more human again.

Almond Milk Beeswax Hand Cream
Lemmon Butter Cuticle Cream
Hand Salve
Beeswax and Banana Hand Cream

http://www.burtsbees.com/natural-products/body-hands-feet-hand-moisturizers/

I assure you, your manhood will still be intact and the ladies will love you for it.

Surf to live, live to surf
- Tara

I agree with many of the answers above, however in addition to using bag balm or one of the other treatments listed above you will need to wear cotton gloves to bed. First apply a regular moisturizing hand lotion (jergens, nivea, etc.), then apply bag balm or any other barrier protective lotion (this will create a "barrier" that will lock in the moisture). Lastly put on a pair of cotton gloves to wear while sleeping, this will increase the amount of moisture your hands retain. If you need help picking out either lotion ask your pharmacist as they no doubt deal with this question often.