Question:
Wintertime turns my nails and cuticles into a mess. A dry, peeling, mess. Naturally I make it worse because when I feel hangnails forming around my cuticles, I tend to pick at them or touch them so often I aggravate things.
So besides trying to stop picking at my cuticles in winter (as if I think this barbaric grooming will actually help?!), what are some things you do? I have tried cuticle creams and oils and not only is it a pain to remember to do this every evening, but I wasn't too convinced they helped. I put cream on my hands every time after I wash my hands, but I need to get some good gloves to be better protected in winter (I need a thin, but warm, glove).

Answer:
This is not an exclusively female issue, I fear - the same thing happens to me. My hands in general get very dry and raw in the winter. Cracking and bleeding is not uncommon.

Answer:
I think you should keep up with the oils and creams. Also, after you wash your hands, push down cuticles quickly and gently when you dry them. If you make it a habit, hangnails won't have a chance to form.
I use an oil as often as I can. Solar oil or anything that's around. Olive oil or cooking oil works just fine. Just massage a few drops in and use the residue on the rest of your hands. I feel it's really less greasy than most hand creams.

Answer:
Gloves are a must. Cold dry air is bad enough, but also cold fingers don't get good blood flow, so the cuticle and entire nail will not grow as fast and renew. I do love Solar Oil, and the Solar cream is nice, but it smells like almonds and sometimes it interferes with my fragrance. I use a lot of unscented Sweet Almond Oil, like one can buy for massages, after a bath for all over. It's a pretty non-greasy oil and soaks right in. It's a primary ingrediant in Solar Oil, but without the bitters (the fragrance component.) The thing about lotions is they have water, which makes things damp, which invites yeast or bacteria when used constantly, and which evaporates and makes things cold. All bad.
My Mom, who works outdoors incessantly, actually just uses Vaseline, and swears by it. She has, I admit, the dryest skin I've ever seen, and she puts this in a thin film on her face as well. It's a total evaporative block, so no moisture escapes, and she feels no wind chill. She has pretty good skin for 72. I couldn't have it on my face, I don't think, but on problem cuticles in winter it would last like nothing else, I bet, and probably not wash off easily with the necessary anti-virus hand washing of winter.
I use a AHA face cream on my cuticles in winter at night. It's easy, since I have it on my face and hands anyway, I just rub in a bit on my cuticles. Sam has more dry skin problems than me, and I started out trying to help his painful and constantly torn cuticles. The AHA helps shed the dead cells completely so they can't "hang around" (ha, ha, get it? God, I'm so funny.)
For dry cracked and bleeding fingers, find and try Lotil cream. That condition has an element of fungal/yeast infection and Lotil has antifungal properties. This is not my advice, but that of a hand surgeon I used to work with.
Oh, and definately keep a nail clipper in your pocket, to clip hang nail right away. Even Sam does, a 12 yo boy! This mama also disinfects it with alcohol when I empty his pockets to wash his jeans. His nails were really a painful annoyance to him.
Uhmmm, also, don't use a triple antibiotic ointment as a constant thing, as this throws off the balance of natural, good skin flora (the happy term for bacteria we like) and you promise yourself a resistant infection.
Okay, I'm done.

Answer:
I always take a tablespoon of cod liver oil (with lemon flavour) daily in winter. Believe it or not, it solves the problem!

Answer:
I have the same problem as you Mochi, and the worse they get the more I pick at them, bad. Tigrushka, about the only thing I haven't tried is cod liver oil. I'm getting some. But does it make you smell fishy?

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I just bought a huge bottle of cod liver oil capsules, now if I can just remember to take them everyday. It does leave a fishy taste in my mouth, but I don't smell fish on my skin. Might take a while to notice a big different.

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The capsules leave the taste, but the flavoured oil does not. It takes some time before you can see the difference but it works wonders.

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Usually takes 4 weeks for vits to kick in.

Answer:
Originally Posted by tigrushka I always take a tablespoon of cod liver oil (with lemon flavour) daily in winter. Believe it or not, it solves the problem! My mother does this,too. Geeaagghhh! And hers is not flavored or anything. I tried the capsules, but I burp too much. I take a multivitamen and Flax seed oil capsules, which has the Omega-3 fatty acids. Cod liver oil is good for Vit A and D, but I take a multivitamen. I don't have to worry about heavy metals or PCB's with Flax, although realistically any reputable producer will test for these now. What my Mom does I pay attention to--not just cuz she's my mom but because she is my 75 year old mom who still works (play for her!) outside like a farm hand and giggles quite a bit. Healthy and happy.