Dry hands - lotions?
Any recommendations for skin cream or something for dry hands? Its particularly a problem for the bow hand but even the left needs some association. I don't want to overdo it nor damage the wood. Its probably worse with the cold weather...
There was a topic partially on this before:
http://www.violinist.com/discussion/response.cfm?ID=14516
which was very funny but didn't really give any solutions.
Replies (18)
Thanks - I'll look out for that but if anyone has a fave brand (or luthier a horror story) then please do say.
The use of superglue is quite logical - I think its used in surgical procedures too.
But make sure its dry before playing :D :D :D
Does the problem go away once you've warmed up? If I keep to simple stuff for the first few minutes and get the blood flowing, my fingers become more flexible, which allows the pinky to stay put even if it's dry and smooth. If I can't get warmed up, I turn up the heat.
Look for something with shea butter in it. It's long-lasting and not greasy. You would want to give it a bit of time to sink in before you play. Thinking about it, there are a lot of things that need to sink in before you play . . .
Emily: I haven't thought about that - perhaps it does. And it could certainly be the cold-hand-syndrome...
Lisa - Shea butter. Made, I assume, from fresh Shea cream. Only thing I have to do now is figure out where to buy shea livestock and invest ina farm! :D
You need a good fence to keep those sheas in, too, but it's worth it.
Eucerin, which Tom mentioned, is something that I use on cold, dry days; but I let it sink in before I play -- a technique Lisa recommended. During the hot summer of 2010, it also helped me deal with the pain and inflammation I had as part of an allergic skin reaction to a poisonous plant.
Four things that help me:
HYDRATION: Get 8 cups of water per day -- spread throughout the day.
HAND-WASHING: When the heat and humidity fade, I use anti-bacterial soap less and aloe-type hand soap more -- to prevent excessive drying.
EXERCISE: Regardless of season, before a practice session, I take a 20-minute walk first. This pumps the blood throughout the system, and the feet and hands get warmed up and stay warm for a long time. I also jump-start my practice by running very warm water over my hands.
SLEEP: I try to avoid running up a sleep deficit -- although, with my schedule, I can't always control this. I can compensate for it with short naps. More on this in another thread sometime, maybe. I notice that the problem of drying and chapping gets worse with sleep shortage.
Thanks Jim - yes I suppose I should deal with the 'root cause' which would hopefuly negate the need. but some of what you list is not curable - chronic insomniac (fall asleep fine, wake up even better :-\ ) , can't drink water (it comes right through), probably drink too much coffee and even wine... etc etc. So, pass me the Eucarin...
Neutrogena Norwegian Formula Hand Cream, Fragrance-Free works for me.
The CVS knock-off version is good too.
hi elise, my advice is to buy first best lotion you find in any shop, but to wait 4 minutes between applying the lotion and practicing! then it dries and does not stick to the violin. cheap lotions r usually great.
Elise, that's interesting background. I don't know the details of your insomnia; but if you can cut back the caffeine intake -- or, more specifically, limit it to the early part of your day -- this could help.
Not sure how the wine effects sleep. My childhood experiences played a big part in keeping caffeine and alcohol out of my diet -- see thread called "Boozing on the bowstrings?"
More regarding heat and cold: Now that the cold weather is setting in, I use three layers for a top -- T-shirt, long-sleeved thermal top, and sweatshirt. What a difference for the better. Even if the room isn't as warm as I'd like, with just a little bit of finger-exercise routine, I can start warming up the hands, break a light sweat, and maintain traction -- all this combined with the steps I mentioned yesterday.
I have chronically dry skin caused by soaps used at work. It gets even worse in the winter time. To fight the dryness, I use pure aloe gel. After the aloe absorbs into the skin I rub in a small amount of lotion from Bath & Body Works.
You could use Argan oil, though I'm not sure if it would stick to the violin or bow.
I still like the Neutrogena I mentioned five (!) years ago, but since then I have found a hand cream that is even better: O'Keeffe's Working Hands Hand Cream. It is inexpensive, unscented, long-lasting, and very effective.
Cetaphil
Strings Magazine had an article some years ago on this topic. They contacted dermatologists, and the result was a recommendation to use lotions with apha-hydroxils. I use Eucerin Intensive Repair, which has those substances.
Cerave lotion is the best I've found
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November 26, 2010 at 07:44 PM ·
Years ago, Strings magazine had an article on this. The bottom line from the dermatologists was that you wanted a lotion with Alpha Hydroxyls. I use Eucerin Plus Intensive Repair Hand Creme, but there are many others on the market.
The other interesting thing in the article was the revelation that string players used superglue to repair cracks or splits on the end of their fingers on the left hand so as not to be sidelined, and that this was quite effective.