Over the Counter Products for Curing Dry Hands

Dry skin is a common problem, especially on the hands, which are exposed to constant hand washings, household cleaners and the weather. Dry hands often are red, irritated and itchy, and may become flaky, scaled and cracked. Fortunately, you have many over-the-counter options to cure dry skin quickly and prevent it in the long term.

Ointments and Oils

• Ointments have the greatest ability to trap moisturizer in the skin; unfortunately, they are also the greasiest form of moisture. This greasiness can be minimized by using only a small amount of ointment, but rubbing it in well. As an alternative to brand-name ointments, you can use some common household products, such as vegetable shortening, as an inexpensive moisturizer. Oils, while less greasy than ointments, are still effective. You can apply baby oil, vegetable oil or mineral oil directly to your dry hands.

Hand Creams

• Cream moisturizers are an effective form of moisturization that do not leave a greasy residue on the skin. Cream moisturizers, which are usually white, tend to disappear into the skin. As such, they are infinitely more popular than ointments and oils. Many companies make cream moisturizers especially for dry, chapped hands, although you can also use cream moisturizers designed for the entire body to treat your dry hands.

Lotions

• Lotions are suspensions of oily chemicals in alcohol and water. Lotions are the easiest to use of all these moisturizers, and are the least greasy and most popular choice. However, due to their alcohol content, lotions can actually dry your skin if used excessively, and they certainly do not "lock in" as much moisture as would more "oily" moisturizers. In addition, some lotions may cause you to have skin irritations or allergic reactions, due to fragrances, preservatives, sunscreens, urea and alpha hydroxy acids. Should you encounter these problems, ask your pharmacist to recommend another lotion.

Dermatitis Treatment

• Particularly dry hands may develop dermatitis, or skin inflammation. In milder cases, you can treat this over the counter, with cortisone creams or ointments. Apply the cortisone cream only to the red patches of skin, unless instructed otherwise, a maximum of two times per day. If anything that you apply to your skin causes burning or itching, talk to your doctor about it. Prescription-strength creams are generally required to treat more severe levels of dermatitis.