soap?

[shirlthegirl43]

AAAAARRRRRGGGGGHHHHHH just the name Hibiscrub sends me running - I am allergic to the darned stuff!!

[kernowyon]

AAAAARRRRRGGGGGHHHHHH just the name Hibiscrub sends me running - I am allergic to the darned stuff!!

it's the smell of it that gets me!

[pigletwillie]

At work we have "pre-work" hand cream which we all use as it makes it really easy to clean the clay, oil, grease and unmentionables off our dannies.

Believe it or not there is another dispenser for "after-work" hand cream which you.....well its obvious isn't it.

[Headfry]

KirstyB yes it's the sae for me...right hand index finger yuck!
I hate wearing gloves- unless I am dealing with prickely things, but I dont need the builders hand look...girly hands rule for me!

[moggssue]

Yep, same here with the grubby index finger! Its really rough as well. My OH is always giving me those really thin plastic gloves (he gets them from work) but even they come off after ten minutes, they just get in the way or I put my finger through them. Think I need to invest in some 'serious' handcream!

[muckdiva]

In the winter, I get contact dermatitis if my hands have too much exposure to water, soil, compost, horse hair (and muck of course), so I have found the surgical gloves a real boon. They look naf, but are thin enough for handling seedlings and such without having to keep taking them off. I had heard the surgical gloves which have powder inside for ease of putting on are possibly carcinogenic, but no idea if this is true - I think it's only cornstarch powder!! Anyway, I prefer using them to having sore weeping mits any day.

For really ingrained dirt, you can't beat a bit of olive oil mixed with some brown (or white sugar) and a couple of drops of your fav essential oil (lavender). Rinses off leaving skin lovely and soft.

I also make my own handmade soap when I get the inclination, and a 'gardeners bar' can be made by adding some pumice or rhassoul mud to the mix. Works really well as it has a gentle abrasive action.

If you have rough hands, another great tip is to soak them in warm olive oil and put on a pair of cotton gloves (like the ones used in the catering trade) for half an hour - or as long as you can stand. If you can leave them on overnight without risking divorce, you will wake in the morning with lovely soft hands

[moggssue]

Muckdiva - have you posted the recipe for your handmade soap? Is it difficult to do?

[Peter]

Weeding with bare hands is what makes my mits grubby, down the thumb side of the index finger is worst and it cracks and the dirt goes in the cracks.

I use a three stage process.

1. Scrub with Crabtree & Evelyn Gardeners hand cleaner, like swarfega with little bits of pumice in it.
2. Soak when having a bath to get the calluses & ingrained dirty bits soft and then use a pumice stone on them with ordinary soap.
3. Apply Crabtree and Evelyn Gardeners handcream, unperfumed.

[muckdiva]

Muckdiva - have you posted the recipe for your handmade soap? Is it difficult to do?

I make soap by the old fashioned cold process method, basically because I found bought stuff too harsh for my eczema and dermatitis prone skin. Cold process soap is simple fairly to make, but because of the raw materials required, you need to keep in mind some essential safety precautions, and you MUST measure ingredients to the nearest gram. So rather than posting a recipe, I will refer anyone interested to a book I have found excellent as a starting point.

The Handmade Soap Book (The Handmade Series) by Melinda Coss
Available from Amazon or libaries.

If you dont want to be bothered with making soap from scratch, you can buy packs of glycerine soap base which you can add stuff to and tailor to your own requirements - such as the pumice grains for gardeners soap etc. A good site supplying soap packs is

www.aromantic.co.uk
I have bought raw materials from them and they are very reliable, but never the glycerine soap packs as I don't make soap this way.

Either way, a bar of gardeners soap makes a great gift, so it may be worth looking into, but be warned, it's addictive.

[moggssue]

Thanks for that - I think the packs of soap base might be better for me, at least to start with, so I'm off to have a look around that site ...

[Madasafish]

I suffer from dermatitis from contact with soil.. so barrier cream and thorn proof gloves (£2 in supermarkets - last a year).
When on car, latex surgical gloves - great for oil.

Manista natural cleaner plus polychips for cleaning : less harsh than Swafega

[zebedee]

Udder cream from the farmer's co-op is the best thing for softening rough hands. Slap it on and sit with cotton glove liners on for 10 minutes and your hands will be lovely and soft.

[I]Udder[I] Cream? Udder Cream? UDDER CREAM?
What the phud?

[SueA]

I bought something called 'Palms Hand Cleanser' at a gardening show, it has coconut,pine & oil of lavender in & has a gritty texture which rubs off most dirt. I also use a barrier cream before gardening when I remember to & it does stop you getting so dirty & makes the dirt easier to get off.Slap on lots of handcream after the cleansers though as they'll make your hands very dry.

[OverWyreGrower]

[I]Udder[I] Cream? Udder Cream? UDDER CREAM?
What the phud?

I know a while back there was a cream around called "Bag Balm" - originally for cows udders....

I believe it was something to do with soothing mastitis (which can cause ruptured udders I think if untreated)

I know several people who swore by the stuff for hands, elbows, heels etc...

[OverWyreGrower]

I make soap by the old fashioned cold process method, basically because I found bought stuff too harsh for my eczema and dermatitis prone skin. Cold process soap is simple fairly to make, but because of the raw materials required, you need to keep in mind some essential safety precautions, and you MUST measure ingredients to the nearest gram. So rather than posting a recipe, I will refer anyone interested to a book I have found excellent as a starting point.

The Handmade Soap Book (The Handmade Series) by Melinda Coss
Available from Amazon or libaries.

If you dont want to be bothered with making soap from scratch, you can buy packs of glycerine soap base which you can add stuff to and tailor to your own requirements - such as the pumice grains for gardeners soap etc. A good site supplying soap packs is

www.aromantic.co.uk
I have bought raw materials from them and they are very reliable, but never the glycerine soap packs as I don't make soap this way.

Either way, a bar of gardeners soap makes a great gift, so it may be worth looking into, but be warned, it's addictive.

Thanks for this.... quite fancy making my own soaps etc for festive presents.... am inspired!