Ruining my hands!

I hate wearing gardening gloves because they are so clumsy, but I am ruining my hands! I can't get the dirt out of my skin and my nails - ugh!  Any helps?

One thing that helps is scratching your nails back and forth on a bar of soap. The soap gets under your nails and kinda blocks out the dirt. When you wash your hands, your nails are nice and clean. I have ended up just wearing gloves myself because of the thorns etc on my property.

That is a very good idea, Dave! I have found that even with gloves on my hands get dirty.

What do you mean by "ruining"? All I see above is that they are hard to clean. Is the skin actually being damaged? Soil is generally not "dirty" or poison. It doesn't have to all go away for health. I know it doesn't look nice but the only thing I have seen ruin skin is over washing/cleaning. Bare hands in soil is the best as far as I can tell. I hate gloves as they are either too small to manipulate my fingers well or too big to be anything but clumsy. I did use nitrile gloves when working with indelible ink (XL), but found they got in the way otherwise.

If the skin is truly damaged, try rinsing (after washing) with cider vinegar and don't rinse off with water. Most soap is of higher PH than skin likes.

Also check out the no soap/shampoo thread.

Hi Len:

My hands are getting rougher and dirtier by the day. I wash them with soap and water and use a nail brush but I can't seem to get the dirt completely out. It is embedded in the cracks in my skin and the skin is peeling on my fingertips. Maybe I'm just being too girly. I just thought that some of you long term gardeners would have a solution. I'm going to start lap swimming on Monday and maybe that will take care of the problem!  I guess I will just have to start wearing gloves but I don't like them either. Putting soap under my fingernails before beginning my work in the garden would help a bit. I'll try the vinegar too.

On the soap/shampoo thread some spoke of using baking soda. That might be too abrasive. Thank you for the input!

I refused to wear gloves for years until I just couldn't take the blisters and cracked finger-ends.  But eventually I got used to wearing them and now my hands aren't quite as rough. 

<<<<< girly

Hey, I'll put soap under my nails and bag balm on my hands before I put the gloves on. I bet that will do it. I really don't want to have ugly, beat up hands. Just imagine what the pioneer women had to endure!?  I give them the utmost credit.  I come from good stock: French & Indian trappers/pioneers on one side and Czech immigrant farmers on the other. I can do this!!    Thanks all!

I wear gloves most of the time since I found an really lightweight, flexible brand. Not knitted:they let the soil right through: some kind of vinyl-type stuff.
I get them in flouro pink so I can find them after I inevitably take them off.
The only way I find to keep my hands semi socially-acceptable is cutting my nails very short and avoid gardening with dry skin,
Many's the time I've been doing something 'grown-up' at the bank, shop or whatever and realised that my nails could be giving the wrong impression

I read something years ago about the Garden Club Ladies; little blue-haired ladies dressed to the nines wearing thier jewerly and tell tale garden dirt in thier cuticles.

It wouldn't hurt my feelings to identify with them 

Leila Rich wrote:
Many's the time I've been doing something 'grown-up' at the bank, shop or whatever and realised that my nails could be giving the wrong impression

Oh my gosh, can I relate to that! I don't like to even show my hands they look so grimey. I've never been one to get my nails done; I like to keep them short because I cook a lot and have my hands in the food. I have to use an emory board to 'sand' the dirt off the sides of my index fingers and the dirty hangnails on the corner tips of my nails.  Where did you get those pink gloves?

I've found that only leather work gloves do for me; fabric gloves wear through in a day. 

I aspire  to be a lady who can walk out to her garden in her sandals, cute sundress ,floppy hat and pretty fabric gardening gloves and harvest a basket of vegs and flowers.  But that's no time soon.    I'm still in the work boots and leather gloves phase.

LOL  I hear ya, Ludi. I'm going to Rural King and buy myself some stylish leather work gloves  LOL!  I wear an old pink ball-cap, old stained T-shirts, old pants and old sneakers, and the first thing I do when I come in is take a shower (because I am dripping with sweat). I was so embarressed when a neighbor and his wife stopped by unexpectedly and found me working outside, bra-less and in my old dirty gardening clothes.

we could start our own thread with this topic.......Bra-less, grungy clothes, and check out the Feet.....I love the feel of the dirt under my toes.....
It is best to wear gloves to avoid the callusses and rough skin. I never go out side with out a pair of gloves in My back pocket. As I always find myself in the garden no matter what I went out side for in the first place.

I'm a little hesitant about going barefoot in the garden with all the spiders and bitey things. My husband loves raspberries and blackberries and our garden is full of them AND prickly lettuce. I frequently have bloody scratches on my arms from doing battle with the brambles. At least there are no poisonous snakes that I know of in our area although the Copperhead, Water Moccasin (Cottonmouth), Timber Rattlesnake, and Massasauga or Swamp Rattler are indigenous to southern Illinois. Still, when I'm poking around outside I'm wary about the possibility of rattlers - what's a couple hundred miles? We have other snakes and skanks, so why not rattlers? I'd like to have a pond but what might that invite? Those leather gloves sound better all the time. And maybe I will have to start wearing boots too!

My hands are a mess - permanently.  I try to start out with gloves but then I start building up steam, the dirt starts flying and the next thing you know the gloves are nowhere to be found and I have dirt up to my shoulders.

Feet are another matter.  I must have socks on at all times - and yes I will commit the ultimate sin of wearing socks and sandals.

  On the rare occasion that I am in the yard in sandals with out socks - such as if I am going out to dinner or somewhere that I have to dress normally - I end up having to wipe off my feet in an obsessive-compulsive manner.  I can feel the tiniest grain of sand and sometimes I think they are imaginary.
I even have toe socks so that my toes don't have to rub together.  TMI?

I can't wear sandals in the garden, I don't like walking through the wet grass and foliage with my feet exposed. I don't want to have to worry about poisonous weeds or biting insects. And I HATE getting dirt in my shoes or sandals. My husband doesn't seem to mind dirt at all.

you must live in a very scarey place? knee high rubber boots are probably a good idea. you should also definetly wear gloves too

I love it! .....when you have to dress normally. I spend a small part of my life keeping up appearances so people won't think I am a dirty Hippy 

      I constantly handle slivery/nailey recycled wood, sharp scrap metal, caustic gypsum and broken glass. My hands are in perfect condition. I wear decent quality gloves that fit. Try that.

Personally, I would rather see a woman with Dirt on her hands and under fingernails than one that has all polished manicured fingernails.
One says I am responsible and a worker
the other
says.. High Maintenance...

Try soaking your hands in almond butter/Shea ? sp.. butter
it sounds like your hands are dry as in the skin is dry, the almond butter regenerates the skin cells, natural moisturiser and then the dirt has less spots to hide out in.

I do that, a guy as I work with Chemicals and such all the time

WildernessReturn wrote:
Personally, I would rather see a woman with Dirt on her hands and under fingernails than one that has all polished manicured fingernails.
One says I am responsible and a worker
the other
says.. High Maintenance...

LOL!  That's so funny.  I'm always in the dirt but I have a perfect manicure with nails that sparkle all around town.  Sparklie, that's me.  High maintenance?  Only when it's planting time... then my hubby has to keep me out of the nurserys and arbors because I'm always trying to diversify something.   

I always wear gloves, I often buy them from the hardware store among the men's tools.  They have ones that are ergonomic, padded in the right spots, flexible and they feel very natural.  They also have good velcro at the wrist and are super heavy duty.  Built for carpentry, I think. 

if you can stand it..run your nails over a bar of soap before working in the dirt and then brush and wash when done, also you can coat your hands with a gentle liquid soap, let it dry and work in the soil

JRTGirl et al:

I tend to have dry skin, and live in a dry climate, and am always dealing with sharp, dirty, splintery, potentially spider-infested things. I've found lightweight nitrile-palmed work gloves to meet my needs in many respects: keep my hands clean, provide better grip, a good fitting pair almost feels like surgical gloves yet are pretty puncture resistant, palms are moisture (think water/mud/chemical) resistant, but fabric backs allow for some airflow.
(I've tried gloves with polyurethane palms and was not impressed. Grip not so good, easy moisture penetration (which = cold hands in early spring) and the PU seemed to wear out quickly.)

Ansell Hyflex and Atlas Nitrile Touch / Nitrile Tough (check 'em out on eBay) are a couple examples of better quality (likely longer lasting, better fitting) nitrile-palmed work gloves. If you buy them at a hardware store, be ready to pay $5/pr. eBay, maybe $2 or $3, if you get a package of 5 or 10 pairs (try 'em on at Home Depot first, to know what size you want).

Farmtek.com had a deal on 'em at $1/pr (smalls only) but I can't find it on their site, so it seems those sold out.

Also, where I live, we have a place that sells what they call "industrial surplus," and they always have work gloves in a wide selection of styles and sizes, and usually at 1/3 to 1/5 the retail price. Might be worth calling around where you are...

Good luck! Good gloves (for me, at least) make all the difference.
  - David in Spokane

I've found lightweight nitrile-palmed work gloves to meet my needs in many respects: keep my hands clean, provide better grip, a good fitting pair almost feels like surgical gloves yet are pretty puncture resistant, palms are moisture (think water/mud/chemical) resistant, but fabric backs allow for some airflow.

Yup.  Take care of your hands, they are the one tool you use for everything.

I just figure all of me is ugly, why should my hands be different? 

Ants are a serious problem here, the kind that bite. I always have a collection of ant bites.  What is interesting to me is when we first arrived, each bite would turn white, and itch like crazy. Now, just a red dot, which quickly goes away. I have noticed the locals don't react to the ants, either.

Also, when we have guest, they smear all sorts of bug dope on, and they need it. Myself, not at all anymore. (maybe I am just a stinker...  )