It's THAT time of year again

[Raven]

this the natural method..........

the wood dust is s#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&g the moisture out of your skin
big-time ok as is the cold weather

plus the heat at the shop and at home is so dry it's the equivalent of the Sahara desert for dryness...even more so
because of the heaters

put a stainless tea kettle on your pellet stove
to put moisture back into the house for one

wear band aids only the cloth type that breathe to keep the finger cracks clean while working

when ya get home "and" after the finger cracks have grown some ridges of like off white scar/connective tissue on each side of the crack as they try and heal up.........

then........ soak your hand or finger in warm water just long enough to moisten that tissue thoroughly then put on a fresh band aide to force the crack closed again so that the moist connective tissue touches together. especially while you sleep...not to tight now
or you'll wake up with throbbing finger...

when moist, it is as sticky as super glue and they join together like magic if you do it right.... there is a product called "new skin" too .........you can look for..........

you need more oil in your diet (wintertime)
and the best oil is made from KRILL
it lubricates joints and makes skin soft as does lanolin.

there are a certain kind of gloves sold at koopman's lumber
in uxbridge made from deer hide... more supple than cow leather and they have lanolin inside
that makes your hands as smooth as can be.

treat yourself to a pair of those.....soak them the first time you use them and the squeeze out the excess water and then-> let them dry on your hands when it's a bit warmer and they will take on the shape of your hands.

that's what i do.... and also drink more water to hydrate yourself
remember: fat cells are water soluble and you can piss them away

i learned this from working in the desert in very dry conditions