Calluses on my hands snag my hair!

[gin]

I'm a rock climber and I have rough skin and calluses all over my hands, mainly on my fingers and upper palms. I already own an electric filer that I use frequently to file down my calluses to avoid painful "flappers" which, in the climbing world, are basically skin breaking/tearing off in large chunks causing bleeding and other fun stuff (sorry if that's TMI).

My rough hands have proven to be a problem when dealing with my hair. My hair will snag and get caught on my hands! I basically can't try any bun or hairstyle that requires twisting/twirling or running my hands along the length of my hair unless I want to deal with constant snagging/pulling. And just touching or putting my hair up in any style (even basic braids and ponys), I have to be SUPER careful and it takes awhile.

The only time my hands soften up is when I take a bath. Lotions and creams and oils have not helped.

Does anyone have any ideas on how to deal with this issue? Even when I file my hands down I can't get them smooth enough to avoid this entirely (though it does make it better). I feel like I need special silk/satin coating or something. :) And FYI it's not just my hair that my hands catch on constantly. Also sweaters, anything satin/silk/light fabrics...

And no, I'm not going to stop climbing or get rid of my calluses (because they help in climbing).

[Bonny]

Some of my sewing friends make an exfoliating scrub from oil and sugar for their hands. They use it before they handle silky fabrics. Maybe try that?

[GrowlingCupcake]

What about wearing soft gloves or something while doing your hair? Not ideal, but less snaggy.

[Groovy Granny]

What about wearing soft gloves or something while doing your hair? Not ideal, but less snaggy.

That was my thought....even the cheap/thin clear gloves sold in the laundry section of your grocery store....or health/beauty would do the trick and can be reused.

[lapushka]

What about wearing soft gloves or something while doing your hair? Not ideal, but less snaggy.

Yep, latex gloves, just to put the hair up. That would be my suggestion as well.

[gin]

Some of my sewing friends make an exfoliating scrub from oil and sugar for their hands. They use it before they handle silky fabrics. Maybe try that?

This sounds intriguing - Do you know how exactly do they use it? Do they rub the scrub on their hands and then wash off with soap, or just rinse off, or leave it on...? My hands definitely ruin silky fabrics. :)

[Kalamazoo]

The only time my hands soften up is when I take a bath. Lotions and creams and oils have not helped.

Would it work to moisturize your hands according to a pattern that we'd normally use for moisturizing our hair? I mean, something like, put a lotion/cream/oil on your hands, then rinse them, dry them, and add another layer of lotion/cream/oil immediately before handling your hair? I mean, maybe you need your skin to be damp to make the lotion/cream/oil work? And then massage that lotion/cream/oil into your hands, as per the instructions for how to amp up the hair conditioner in that "300 seconds for more effective conditioning" thread? https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=67634

[gin]

What about wearing soft gloves or something while doing your hair? Not ideal, but less snaggy.


That was my thought....even the cheap/thin clear gloves sold in the laundry section of your grocery store....or health/beauty would do the trick and can be reused.


Yep, latex gloves, just to put the hair up. That would be my suggestion as well.

RE: gloves - I would think latex gloves would just stick to my hair and not slide (kind of like rubber bands)? I'm thinking of those gloves they use in science labs or at the doctor's office (I used to work in both). I'm not familiar with other types of gloves out there, but I'll start looking on Amazon or something. The only gloves I own are fleece ones for cold weather. I'm not a big fan of gloves in general (I feel super clumsy with them on), but if I found something that wouldn't be damaging to hair I would definitely try them.

[gin]

Would it work to moisturize your hands according to a pattern that we'd normally use for moisturizing our hair? I mean, something like, put a lotion/cream/oil on your hands, then rinse them, dry them, and add another layer of lotion/cream/oil immediately before handling your hair? I mean, maybe you need your skin to be damp to make the lotion/cream/oil work? And then massage that lotion/cream/oil into your hands, as per the instructions for how to amp up the hair conditioner in that "300 seconds for more effective conditioning" thread? https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=67634

I read that thread! Sounds so interesting. I'm pretty impatient so I'll admit when I've tried moisturizers/creams/oils on my hands it was just one pass and didn't put much thought into it. My hands don't absorb product very well (callused skin is very thick), adding more lotion/cream/oil just make them super oily. I'm weary of lathering my hands with too much product, because I don't want to add more product to my hair either. :) Good idea about damp hands, I should definitely see what happens with damp hands, or at the very least right after bathing when I know the skin is softened.

[Kalamazoo]

I've noticed when cutting my toenails that I don't have to soak them for ages to get them soft enough to cut easily -- just a quick rinse & towel-dry does it. So maybe that applies to softening up callouses?

[Chromis]

Latex gloves sounds worse than calloused hands! Eeek, so grabby. It would have to be those plastic ones, but those always are massive so they've be hard to work in.

I have a lot of callouses, and learned to do my braids using my fingertips mainly and using the tops and sides of my fingers for smoothing as I go to prevent backbraiding. I can't do buns that require a bunch of twisting either anymore. The nautilous and lazy wrap bun are both good for not needing the hair to be pretwisted.

[neko_kawaii]

I agree with Chromis that latex sounds like a really grabby bad idea. I have thin vinyl gloves and just tested with one on and it worked well enough, not grabby.

My hands are not as calloused, but I have learned to avoid the callouses when doing my hair.

You need the callouses, so I would be careful applying too much moisture or doing other things that can diminish your thicker protective skin. Look for styles that use less twisting. I'm fond of the Spidermom's Bun.

[Tinyponies]

I just had a go with my disposable gloves, not grabby at all. They are “examination gloves” and happen to be the latex free and powder free ones (I have allergies) but I recall the ones that have latex in them being incredibly similar. They come in a cardboard box containing about 100.

[CherryFrizz]

You can buy stretch+cotton white gloves. They're used by people handling delicate antiques. They won't catch on anything.

Also, they're washable and reusable. And, if you really want to soften your hands, you can put lotion on under the gloves overnight.

[gin]

You can buy stretch+cotton white gloves. They're used by people handling delicate antiques. They won't catch on anything.

Also, they're washable and reusable. And, if you really want to soften your hands, you can put lotion on under the gloves overnight.

I don't want to soften my hands. Well, maybe only temporarily when I'm about to touch my hair. I want them to stay rough for climbing. :)

Thanks everyone for the info on gloves. I'll go look for some gloves on Amazon or at a local store and try it out. I'm hoping I won't be too clumsy in them, but we'll see. :)

[AutobotsAttack]

I’m a weight lifter and have had calluses for years now due to the knurling on the barbells.

Before I touch my hair I just coat my hands in whatever lotion I have. Just to soften the skin in that area for a bit while I do my hair. Or I run my hands under some warm water for a bit to soften the skin, dry them off and then use lotion or an oil.

[lapushka]

Latex (just tested it) seems to work just fine on my hair. Quite smooth, actually. But I just do LWB & a Nautilus and that's it, really. :shrug:

Maybe you are thinking of nitrile gloves?

[Nini]

I'm sure thin silk gloves would help too. You could probably find some if you do a search for medical silk gloves and eczema, although they might be more expensive.

I used to be a farmer and always had rough hands, but nothing I couldn't work with when it came to my hair. I just adapted. If the occational hair snapped that's really not a big deal in the whole scheme of things I figure :)

[-Fern]

Use ClimbOn! Or other hand balm. I'm a climber as well and don't have much issue.

[Kalamazoo]

I googled "how to care for calluses for rock climbing". The first website that came up was https://frictionlabs.com/blog/hand-skin-care-for-rock-climbing

It sounds like the optimal calluses for rock-climbing would be smooth & hydrated, which would coincidentally be fine for handling your hair.

Disclaimer: I'm not a rock climber. I only know what I read on :google:

[gin]

I googled "how to care for calluses for rock climbing". The first website that came up was https://frictionlabs.com/blog/hand-skin-care-for-rock-climbing

It sounds like the optimal calluses for rock-climbing would be smooth & hydrated, which would coincidentally be fine for handling your hair.

Disclaimer: I'm not a rock climber. I only know what I read on :google:

Nice! Yeah, it's true that climbers don't want super dry skin because it can break/rip easier, which leads to the bloody stuff. The calluses/built up thick skin is what helps with being able to grip smaller/sharper holds without feeling lots of pain in our fingertips or our skin just tearing apart. Basically, we don't want soft skin, but still want hydrated skin. Smooth isn't nearly as important for climbing as for handling hair. I file my skin down very frequently already, so it is pretty smooth, just not smooth enough for handling hair. :(

My calluses/hard skin is mostly on my fingertips and finger joints and around my nails, so I can't really just use my fingertips. I already do try to use mostly the sides of my fingers when handling my hair, which makes things really difficult. :) I will definitely try out some gloves when I get a chance to go get some!

[gin]

Use ClimbOn! Or other hand balm. I'm a climber as well and don't have much issue.

I use this stuff too. Both ClimbSkin and ClimbOn (and I've also DIYed my own too!). My skin is just really really thick on my fingertips from hours and hours of hangboarding and campusboarding every week. :)

[trolleypup]

You might try polyurethane exam gloves, they less grippy than latex or nitrile...closer to the feel of dry smooth skin.

[Kat]

RE: gloves - I would think latex gloves would just stick to my hair and not slide (kind of like rubber bands)? I'm thinking of those gloves they use in science labs or at the doctor's office (I used to work in both). I'm not familiar with other types of gloves out there, but I'll start looking on Amazon or something. The only gloves I own are fleece ones for cold weather. I'm not a big fan of gloves in general (I feel super clumsy with them on), but if I found something that wouldn't be damaging to hair I would definitely try them.

Try the cotton ones meant for when you put lotion on, etc.



This sounds intriguing - Do you know how exactly do they use it? Do they rub the scrub on their hands and then wash off with soap, or just rinse off, or leave it on...? My hands definitely ruin silky fabrics. :)

It's like any other exfoliating scrub-- wet your skin, scrub as long as you want, rinse it off.

[Knightly]

I recommend scrubbing your hands with brown sugar, green tea leaves (the ones that come in the little paper packets) and coconut/ avocado oil. It always works for me, makes skin soooo soft and smells really good, besides it's all natural and cheap :)

[lapushka]

I recommend scrubbing your hands with brown sugar, green tea leaves (the ones that come in the little paper packets) and coconut/ avocado oil. It always works for me, makes skin soooo soft and smells really good, besides it's all natural and cheap :)

Yeah... but what about your drain? That is why I hardly ever use the "natural" stuff; coffee grounds en masse, or brown sugar en masse down the drain... I mean that can't be good?

I do an oil rinse every week and I worry about my drain. :lol:

[Knightly]

Yeah... but what about your drain? That is why I hardly ever use the "natural" stuff; coffee grounds en masse, or brown sugar en masse down the drain... I mean that can't be good?

I do an oil rinse every week and I worry about my drain. :lol:

Hmmm good question, I mean the sugar melts with water but the tea leaves not really lol I gues you could put a coffee filter sheet thingy on your drain to catch all that stuff and then throw it into a pot or your garden as some sort of compost ? I usually throw my tea leaves and coffee grounds on my garden like that but I'm not so sure if it'd work with this

[Tinyponies]

^ sounds lovely and I might give it a try too. Maybe you could just use a piece of kitchen roll to wipe most of it off and save going down the drain? The oils gonna sink in anyway. I’m guessing it’s not going to be on our hands long enough for the sugar to really melt and get things sticky?

[Chromis]

I use a strainer on all of my drains to catch any food particles. I just assumed everyone did!

[Kalamazoo]

The garbage disposal works just fine...

[lapushka]

The garbage disposal works just fine...

We don't have these "contraptions" on our drains in Belgium at all.

[MusicalSpoons]

We don't have these "contraptions" on our drains in Belgium at all.

Us neither, but we do have ordinary strainers, and often strainers built into plugs (pull up and the water flows down, the strainer catches bits; push down and it seals the plug hole). Very useful for the kitchen sink :)

[lapushka]

Us neither, but we do have ordinary strainers, and often strainers built into plugs (pull up and the water flows down, the strainer catches bits; push down and it seals the plug hole). Very useful for the kitchen sink :)

Yes, we put strainers on all the little plugholes. Very handy. :D

[gin]

What material are your pipes made out of? My husband builds homes and I asked him about this, and he said over here (Austin, TX, USA) assuming more modern piping, stuff like brown sugar and oil would have little to no effect, even at large amounts. But modern plumbing is apparently PVC which doesn't corrode like older plumbing which used metal-based pipes. I think I said this correctly, just trying to remember what he told me. :)

NOTE: I haven't gotten to the store yet to get gloves. But when I do I will try them out for sure and hopefully all my callus-grabbing problems will be gone!

[gin]

Guess what, I finally got some gloves! It took awhile, I got sidetracked with other hair-related things, and almost forgot about this until I saw some gloves while in the bulk section of the grocery store. So I just grabbed some of those. :)

The gloves definitely help a lot, no snagging or anything. Of course, these particular gloves are pretty huge on my small hands, so there's a lot of extra material flopping around at times which can get in the way of making certain buns and inserting hairtoys. I haven't tried the gloves with braids yet.

Other than the sizing issue, what I don't like about the gloves is that they make my hands feel hot, and there's also less sensitivity - I can't feel as well what I'm doing, which can be a drag when I'm still learning how to put my hair up. But with simple things like just twisting hair for a Figure 8 bun or etc, the gloves are great. Twisting is something that I've always avoided doing due to my rough hands.

At some point I'll see if I can find kids' size gloves or something!

[hennalove]

Calluses can be problematic if they crack or get flabs as you mentioned that can cause infection but filing can actually make things worse. If you were not rock climbing I would suggest using Lactic Acid lotion and sea salt scrubs (homemade). Sea salt kills bacteria unlike sugar that can aid it's growth. But you want those calluses so I would still suggest the sea salt scrubs but also gloves. I see you already bought some so hope they work for you. I'm thinking cloth gloves might be your best choice. They are washable and you might even find a pair or two at the Sally Ann. Sally's Beauty Supply might be able to give you a better option too. Another thing you might be able to use is those hair forms for creating braids or a topsy turvy tool or similar types of hair tools that involve less touching of your hair. Claws and other snap in hair accessories might work well too as there is minimal touching the hair.

[enting]

From what I remember from one of the craft threads, someone's relative used to make a scrub out of brown sugar and olive oil and just firmly rub the hands together a few times, then rinse off, so that her hands didn't snag delicate yarns.

If the gloves work for you though that sounds like the easiest option.