i don't put lotion or anything on my hands. which is fine. then the other day, i was wearing one of the hiking shirt which is made out of synthetic fabric and my hands were scratching and getting caught on the fabric. noticed that it's very dry. 

i think this started after i play with soil mixes over last few yrs. i always had rough hands due to working with swords, but never really this dry before. 

my wife uses lotion on her hand like it's going out of fashion and she always wears glove when working on the garden. 

i prefer to work without the gloves. 

what is the best product to use so my fingers done dry and start cracking? 

Amlactin lotion is good.  My dermatologist recommends it.  Costco has it.  Also there is some kind of cream you can get at feed stores that people use when milking cows.  Udder cream.  Not sure of the brand.  You can coat the cracks with liquid bandage stuff.

Suzi

For me these work the best :  http://www.gramplyford.com/  , http://www.badgerbalm.com/p-14-badger-balm-for-dry-cracked-hands.aspx ,

 http://usa.weleda.com/our-products/shop/skin-food.aspx?gclid=CNSphM-tsL0CFcFlOgodrTUACA ,

If I don't use these or something similar my fingertips crack and bleed from working with soil , potting mix etc.  Only started happening a lot as I got older , you may be getting older too Pete.

I have the same trouble... I don't like to wear gloves and the soil sucks the moisture right out of my hands. (Though lately I've started to wear latex gloves - the medical kind.) Search "Aquaphor healing ointment" on Amazon or wherever. It's brilliant. After a day working outside a tiny bit and your hands are good as new. You don't learn about this stuff until you have a baby. 

anyone use this? 

http://www.amazon.com/Dairy-Association-Bag-Balm-Moisturizing-Softening/dp/B00D8OKIPW/ref=sr_1_17?s=beauty&ie=UTF8&qid=1395843888&sr=1-17&keywords=udder+cream

looks interesting. 

The inconvenience with that type of product is that it instructs you to leave it on the skin. My wife, who's tried a similar product on her hands/feet, puts it on before bed and then put socks over her hands/feet overnight while she sleeps. Also, the brand my wife tried doesn't smell all that great and the smell does linger... might be the lanolin(?)

A few months ago I was trying to choose between bag balm and corn huskers lotion, my hands were getting real bad, little cracks were coming all in between my fingers and they would just get bigger. I ended up getting the corn huskers, I used it twice a day for a week and it started to get better and as long as I kept using it they were fine.
I work in a kitchen and I'm constantly washing my hands though and the soap we use drys up skin real fast especially in winter time.

I used Bag Balm on the kids bottoms and it works great but I always washed my hands afterwards because it leaves you feeling greasy. 

I make my own furniture polish and it's also what I use on my hands and feet. 1 cup organic walnut oil, 1 cup raw bees wax and blend after melting. My hands look particularly good after treating wood :)

Grandma was always in garden that was her passion along with cooking.
She rubbed olive oil daily during life and had nice smooth skin course living to 90+ the age spots were there but not dry skin.

My knuckles and elbows tend to dry and i do the same not as often as i should but it helps when i do.

Pete,
Im a potter and a gardener so this is something I have to deal with a lot.
I have a couple suggestions.
Whichever lotion you choose, put it on before you work with potting mixes and let it absorb.
It helps to act as a barrier cream but wouldn't do the job all day.
Wash up well, use a fine pumice stone if you cant get all of your days work off and reapply lotion.

The other thing important is hydration.  
One opinion out there is that people should drink about 1/2 their body weight in ounces each day.
I'm 200 lbs and I try to drink 100 ounces of water each day.
If I end up drinking beer and forget the 100 ounce water thing I will notice that my lips and hands dry out quickly.
If I balance out the water and back off the beer, the problem goes away.

Badger balm, mentioned above is GREAT but it is greasy, which I'm not a fan of.
I like Udderly Smooth because it absorbs and is non greasy
http://www.amazon.com/Udderly-Smooth-Udder-Cream-Moisturizer/dp/B0000AS54S/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1395847991&sr=8-4&keywords=udder+cream
Good luck,
Eric

Yes, working with soil/dirt of any kind sure seems to dry out the hands. I've used Aveeno lotions for years. I usually apply it every night before bed. I don't use gloves or anything like that. I just let it absorb before turning in. It's worked well for me. May have to try some of these other products mentioned too though.

Mention of the Corn Huskers and Bag Balm has reminded me of my Grandfather. He milked Jersey cows by hand for decades - just one small part of managing a 100 acre KY farm - the old fashion way. He used the Corn Huskers on himself and the Bag Balm on the cows. Some of my best childhood memories involved learning how to milk those cows with my Grandpa. Amazing stuff ;-) .

Yeah, working in the dirt, lets not talk about getting older. The best stuff I've found is wool wax creme  http://www.marchalabs.com/   I get it from my chiropractor $6 for a can and you use such a little at a time that a can lasts forever. Nitrile gloves are a lot tougher than latex. I get them from Harbor Freight.

i guess i'll try corn huskers. seems like an old favorite. 

back when i was little in korea, olive oil was used for sun tan lotion. i still remember the smell. it goes better with some good tomatoes, mozzarella, basil, salt and black pepper.

Corn Huskers lotion

Cowboy Magic by the Charmar Land and Cattle Company.  Pretty pricey but it really works.  I think it is Bag Balm that is repackaged under private label.

Jergens Ultra Healing, at most grocery stores. I love this stuff. It's also great for sunburns. Takes the burn out instantly.

Difficult to find, disappears, no residue, NO lingering fragrance, herbal blend, and it works great... try:

ZIM'S CRACK CREME- HEEL AND FEET.  I use it on my rough hands, elbows, as a face cream after shaving, etc.  Wonderful product, very soothing. 

Makes my face feel like a baby's....never mind.


Frank

Aquaphor and it's at CVS. I have had severe dryness and cracking for
years. Tried many creams and lotions before I found this. I use it every
night last thing.

Aquaphor is the best product to heal skin.
I personally never miss the chance of rubbing my hands with freshly squeezed lemons to be discarded, I scrape my hands with the used lemon and the zest the left juices and whatever else is in that lemon. i don't wash my hands for at least 5 min, then just lightly rinse to get rid of the acid, just incase you rub your eyes with your acidic hands.
I always have soft hands , it's a must to have when you work in hospital.

Alcohol can cause dehydration. Maybe you can try going without alcohol and see how your skin reacts.

My sons have had eczema and are allergic to most of the products mentioned above. Napca or Gloves in a Bottle are what we have found to be most effective.

Udder cream or lotion that is meant for cows milking teets works well too, they usually sell the same thing in the grocery stores for more money since it's marketed for people, but if you have a co-op or farm store they usually carry udder cream.

oh I just remembered... read on Shae Butter. It comes from Africa, that thing is amazing and smells so good.

I'll second the use of shea butter for the cracks that can occur in heels and hands in cold weather.  Works for me.