Healing Touch Lotion for Cracked Skin

Description

Cracked skin is a common problem for gardeners and people who spend hours in the kitchen. It’s also a common problem for those who wear plastic gloves regularly. The oils in this lotion have been used by herbalists for centuries to sooth irritated skin.

My Story

My mother works in her garden and kitchen for hours every year. As soon as she can work the ground, she’s planting and weeding. Before that, she’s starting tomato and pepper seeds so she doesn’t need to buy plants from the nursery. Some years, she even starts broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage plants.

A few years ago, all that exposure to dirt (and washing it away with soap) dried the skin of her fingers to where they were rough and cracked. None of the lotions she was using helped. And wearing plastic gloves didn’t help either. In fact, they were making the problem worse. Thus began my search for a formula that would help heal the cracked skin on her fingers.

Cracked Skin May Respond to Soothing Oils.

I discovered that calendula-infused oil has been use traditionally to reduce pain and swelling and to treat skin that’s not healing. [Source] In addition, I learned that some research has suggested that black currant oil helps reduce stiffness from rheumatoid arthritis. [Source] So I included this oil in my lotion, too, just in case it would also help relieve some of my mother’s joint stiffness.

Castor oil was used in the West Indies for all kinds of skin problems, so I thought it might be a good addition to my lotion. Anecdotal evidence suggests it is anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial. I figured if some fungus in the soil was attacking Mom’s skin, the castor oil couldn’t hurt. I included carrot seed essential oil, rosemary oil and camomile oils for the same reason.

Then there’s shea butter. Africans have used it for centuries for arthritis, dry skin, wound healing—essentially anything going on with the skin.

The FDA doesn’t allow me to make any claims for this lotion. Don’t use it as a hand sanitizer. And if you have severe cracking, like my mom did, you may need a barrier cream. Check out Healing Touch Barrier Cream.

My mom’s dermatologist recommended O’Keefe’s Working Hands Hand Cream, a barrier cream. Within days of using that product, the deep cracks in her fingers began healing.

However, if you only have mild dryness, this lotion may be just what you need.

*The FDA has not evaluated this product, and it makes no claims to treat or heal any disease. Please consult a doctor if you are experiencing symptoms that might be connected with a disease. Do not self-diagnose.