Hard work and sore hands

[Marina]

My youngest lad has managed to find himself a labouring job, during the Easter school holidays. Unfortunately at the end of the first day he has very sore hands. Bless him!
The skin isn't broken, but I think he may have blisters by morning.
The Spanish labourers have told him that they put cream on, but I'm worried that this will make his hands softer and make the problem worse. I'm thinking that the skin needs to harden. Can anyone advise on the best thing to do?
The boss has said he can have tomorrow off, but he obviously doesn't want to loose a days money, but then he doesn't want to make it worse and not be able to work at all!

[keddyboy]

After I left school and awaiting the launch of my future career I went to work in Mid Wales for the Forestry Commission as a trainee lumberjack. Boy what a culture shock!!! For sore hands, and beleive you me I had blisters on my blisters x 4!! I was told to do nothing more than wear gloves, which I did and after a period of time, my hands first of all healed, then hardened and eventually the gloves were not needed. My grandfather told me to wash my hands in Methalated Spirits but he retracted this after I screamed out loud for hours on end!!! He decided the gloves were a good all round solution.

[Marina]

Thanks Keddyboy,

What were your gloves made of?

[Valencia_Paul]

I agree with Keddyboy. A long time ago I spent 18 months working as a plasterer's mate. If your lad can alternate between wearing gloves and not wearing them his hands should toughen up quickly.

Suitable gloves are those half-cotton, half-suede gardening/builder's gloves.

[frank]

After I left school and awaiting the launch of my future career I went to work in Mid Wales for the Forestry Commission as a trainee lumberjack. .

I took a fill in job as a labourer too, it seemed to pay the best money whilst I was waiting for another job to kick in. All the old boys there assurred me peeing on your hands was the answer! Couldn't bring myself to do it though!

[ron]

I'm a gardener and I use aqueous cream to clean and moisturise my hands. I have no problems

[Marina]

Thanks for the tips. I think I've got some smelly old gardening gloves in the garage which I can look out.
I'll pass the other tips to him, though I guess I know which he'll prefer

[spanish_lad]

i wear leather glovers, the yellow ones. i dont get blisters.

[citymike]

After I left school and awaiting the launch of my future career I went to work in Mid Wales for the Forestry Commission as a trainee lumberjack. .

I took a fill in job as a labourer too, it seemed to pay the best money whilst I was waiting for another job to kick in. All the old boys there assurred me peeing on your hands was the answer! Couldn't bring myself to do it though!

If you got a few beer down yer neck you wouldn't be so squeamish Frank, and you probably wouldn't notice that you'd peed on your hands!

[Bongtrees]

I've got some smelly old gardening gloves in the garage which I can look out.
I'll pass the other tips to him, though I guess I know which he'll prefer

yes and it wont be the gloves!

Get him a new pair or 10 pairs as they wont last long in his line of work.

Mike

[frank]

If you got a few beer down yer neck you wouldn't be so squeamish Frank, and you probably wouldn't notice that you'd peed on your hands!

Yeh, but although I was very young and very impressionable, I didn't believe everything they told me! There was a fair chance they were just winding me up! I have heard it since though, so it may well be true. I opted for a less manual life instead, that was much too rough a game for my tender, little hands!

[Troglodyfae]

Hi I don't know if this will help in this case, I am in the middle of a project on the cave house we have bought, this involves a lot of work with brick, stone, cement and yeso and the first week my hands were in shreds. I bought some hand cream which I believe is Atrixo as can be bought in the UK but it is called Atrix here. I put that one before work in fact I lather it on and let it sink in. I alternate between gloves and no gloves. If I am working with bricks etc I wear the leather gloves, cement I wear the knitted gloves with the rubber hands and finger sections. Yeso is evil so I wear rubber gloves the rest of the time no gloves. I now only have two small cracks in my hands and one blister where I forgot to put my gloves on. I know this is sad but at night I lather on the hand cream again and sleep in cotton gloves to help it sink in

I have found the main reason my hands get so sore is due to lack of hydration which causes the cracks and does nothing for the blisters.

Hope your sons hands feel better soon and that maybe one of the solutions here help

[Marina]

Many thanks.
He wore some old gardening gloves today and these seemed to help, as did finishing early because of the holiday. He also put plenty of cream on last night and if he's peed on them he's not letting on! The gloves are in tatters now but at least I can stock up on them tomorrow.

[spanish_lad]

gardening bloves are no good, they are too thick and he wont be able to "feel" the bricks, you need the yellow leather ones or the white leather ones with the green backing. - 4€ a pair. they are well worth it, and dont worry, HE can buy his own when he gets paid stop pandering after him, he´s a man now.. grrrrr

[Marina]

Point taken about the gloves. He doesn't need to feel any bricks though as it's all spade and pick axe work, and carting of rubble.

He may be a good six inches taller than me but I'm going to pander while I can. He'll be gone all too soon

[citymike]

If you got a few beer down yer neck you wouldn't be so squeamish Frank, and you probably wouldn't notice that you'd peed on your hands!

Yeh, but although I was very young and very impressionable, I didn't believe everything they told me! There was a fair chance they were just winding me up! I have heard it since though, so it may well be true. I opted for a less manual life instead, that was much too rough a game for my tender, little hands!

LOL! I worked in an office. I once knew a woman who worked in construction and she loved my soft delicate hands and she used to love stroking them. She told me that she used to use hand cream after she had done some hard work with her hands but the guys used to make fun of her so she stopped using it.

[frank]

She told me that she used to use hand cream after she had done some hard work with her hands but the guys used to make fun of her so she stopped using it.

She probably used that hand cream that keeps the chaps away!

[spanish hopes]

I would think that piddling on your hands would keep the chaps, the ladies and the cat away Frank.

[gazalucy]

My misses sez "you cant beat marigolds "

[mark]

A bit of useless info........Regrading the peeing, this was used during World War I by the troops in the trenches to combat trench foot, they used to pee in their boots. I believe that it is something to do with uria.