CB - never thought anyone else used Comet! Actually, I find the state of my hands and feet are sometimes the source of new gardening friends! To see one, is to know one.... I long ago stopped worrying but don't wear sandals out in public anymore and sometimes use an old toothbrush with bleach under the nails when the occasion calls for it. One day I stopped at the door to my husband's studio, looking like I usually do when in the yard..covered with dirt, blood running down my legs, plumbago flowers stuck everywhere, smelling less than fragrant,dressed in saggy tank top and torn shorts, and said to him... "Is this the woman who stole your heart?" His response was something like.."How come when I see photos of other gardeners, they are dressed in long skirts, wearing hats, carrying straw baskets full of flowers?" So I said, "you're just lucky, I guess." So no more vanity in my life! Hester

normally no...but this week has been a killer...my lips are chapped and hurting...and my thumbs both have splits...I usually lather on Lanolin grease I got thru Amazon and sleep in gloves...that clears it up in a couple of days...Hubby ordered four huge bottles of Amlactin for Christmas...he uses it and we sent a bottle to his Mother and gave the other ones to the kids...it doesn't work for me...I got a bottle subscribed a few years ago and hubster ended up using it...Now that its on Amazon he loves it! There is a lanolin grease called Lansinoh you can find at some drugstores and also back in the baby department at Walmart...its sold for nursing mothers...lather some of that on your hands and sleep in gloves...you'll be amazed at the results! I think every one of our bodies are different and you just have to keep searching till you find what works for you!!

Over the last few years, I have developed extremely dry skin as well. Mostly on my feet. And not like most people, who get callouses mainly on their heels. I actually get very dry skin along the outside edge of my sole. It just cracks open and bleeds. No lotion helped, and believe me, I tried MANY lotions. The only thing that gave me some relief was to wear Band-Aids over the cracked portion and to always wear socks. Of course, many times when I removed the bandage I would also remove some skin, causing more bleeding. And then I turned to the article in the Reader's Digest that changed my life. No kidding. You know they always have those articles - 13 Things Your Waiter Won't Tell You, 13 Things Your Mechanic Won't Tell You, etc. A few months ago the article was 13 Things Your Podiatrist Won't Tell You. I read it with interest and the recommendation for dry and cracked feet was to use AMLACTIN. The doctor who recommended it said it was "pretty much magic in a tube". There is a body lotion and one specifically for feet (a little thicker). The only caution is that if you use it you should limit your exposure to sunlight. I felt that if my feet never saw the light of day again but stopped cracking and bleeding, I would be happy. It promised to also exfoliate. And guess what? After using it just twice a day for less than a week, my feet were 100% better. No cracks or bleeding. I continued to use it for about a month and the skin on the bottom of my feet became soft and supple. I know I sound just like a commercial, but I truly felt that I had found my miracle. I now use it just a couple of times a week and I can't recommend it highly enough. It is expensive IMO (about $12 for the foot cream), but SO worth the cost.

I use a product called Callex. It comes in a small jar and I order several jars at once from Amazon. I believe it is also sold at CVS, etc.. It was recommended to me by a coworker who was told by her podiatrist about it. It is the consistency of Vaseline. I put it on at night with socks. It works really well to keep my heels smooth.