soap?

[Headfry]

I am looking for a good hand cleaner/soap for 'girl' hands!
I work on reception, and my hands are always on display.....not so good on a monday morning!
I want to get a really good cleaner, where my skin is rough the dirt is really hard to shift. Help please!!!

[shirlthegirl43]

Swarfega takes a lot of beating. You can get various different smelly ones now - the orange is nice and refreshing

[Palustris]

Swarfega is good for grease and oil, but never found it much good for garden soil. Actually this sounds daft, but whilst it is not a lot of use for shaving, Boots Botanics Antibacterial shaving gel does get a lot of the muck out and softens the calouses.
Otherwise we are into the lard and sugar idea!

[moggssue]

Slightly different to your question, but I put on some handcream before gardening and that seems to help keep the worst of the grime out. I'd also be interested in any cleaning tips though!

[Headfry]

Its the hard skin bits that are a problem to get really clean!
but thanks for tips, does lard and sugar work????

[Palustris]

No idea, never tried it, was my mother who always swore by it. I am naughty, I use a pumice stone on the bad bits of my hands, painful but it does stop my wife from complaining!

[Hazel at the Hill]

If you rub a drop of washing up liquid in DRY hands before you go gardening, it forms a barrier between your skn and the dirt - then it washes off easy peasy.

[shirlthegirl43]

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.

[rustylady]

You need something gritty to get the worst of the muck off. Apparently the Romans used to use sand and oil, I've heard that sugar and oil (or lard) works well too. You rub the mixture all over your hands (or whatever), work it in well and then rinse off. I've never tried it. I use an old fashioned nailbrush (yes all over my hands as well as for my nails). I must start using handcream again, though. What I want to know is how do you get rid of the stains left on and behind your nails after you've podded broad beans? I'll use a nailbrush, but I draw the line at using bleach.

[shirlthegirl43]

Toothpaste or Jif (Cif) might do the trick for nails

[kirsty b]

Index finger on my right hand has ingrained dirt from gardening etc. As i have to have clean hands for work (hospital) I use the sugar/oil method. Don't have to worry too much about nails cos mine are really short

[Snadger]

I use sugar and washing up liquid! Damm site cheaper than Swarfega and does just as good a job!

[terrier]

Anything abrasive, i.e. sugar, may work short term, but long term you could end up with very sensitive skin. Also, I would not put neat washing up liquid anywhere near my hands, it's a very strong degreasant and you'll eventualy end up with chapped hands. Even just doing the washing up you should wash your hands in clean water afterwards. Better to use a barrier cream to begin with. Surgical gloves are good for keeping your hands clean and they also cause your hands to sweat which cleans out the pores in your hands, but always wash hands in clean water after taking the gloves off. Any ingrained dirt should come off by gently using a nail brush and liquid hand wash. Remember, hard soap is never used in work places now as that is bad for your skin as well. I like the toothpaste idea, that should work but definately NOT Jiff. Swarfega is very good but long term it is a bit harsh so use only when neccessary, Hibiscrub is safer.

[dexterdoglancashire]

I've just posted my fave home made hand creams in the "herb bed" section - a nice treat for when you've cleaned your hands! Bernie

[Alice]

I tend to wear gloves to save my hands from the worst of the mess. Then I scrub them with washing up liquid and a scrubbing brush and apply some hand cream. Never run into any problems and hands are perfectly presentable.