Comments on: Gloves or no gloves? Hand care after gardening

By: Judy B.

Judy B. — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 01:38:44 +0000

So glad for this post. My hands are awful, year round! I’m not the only one who uses sand paper on their hands! I’m not a freak :’ ) hehehehe…

By: Karen

Karen — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 00:45:17 +0000

I never used to wear gloves until I became aware of the fact that garden soil is loaded with bacteria (good and bad) which can cause a terrible infection if you have any cuts or scratches (think rose thorns!) Leather is best since I wear cloth ones out really fast.

By: DanaP

DanaP — Sun, 31 Mar 2013 14:56:36 +0000

The little tubes of Vaseline for lips is a must – you can control just where to put it, and use the tip to massage it in fully. Urea cream, the prescription med to soften your feet, works very nicely on your hands as well, to remove the roughness and prevent the splitting/cracking.

By: janatk43@gmail.com

janatk43@gmail.com — Mon, 14 Jan 2013 15:13:11 +0000

Lotions and creams? Just use my Grammie’s cure for everything-hands,feet face-glycerin and whitch hazel mixed in whatever ratio feels good to you. That’s all you will need-ever.

By: Sue Langley

Sue Langley — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 03:09:46 +0000

In reply to Nancy. I love foxgloves and have used them before...glad to know you like them, too.

By: Nancy

Nancy — Thu, 27 Sep 2012 13:07:19 +0000

Ladies- I have found the most wonderful gloves for gardening. They are called Foxgloves. They were invented by a fellow gardener who was tired of not being able to pot plants or do delicate weeding with regular garden gloves. She used to buy old, long evening gloves at the second hand stores, but they wore out so fast, so she invented Foxgloves. They feel like they aren’t even there. They are made of a cloth material so your hands don’t sweat. They are on the expensive side, but I have had several pairs for over 4 years not. I just pop them in the washer when needed. Once in a while I will get a hole on the end of one of my fingers (I have long nails) but I just sew it up with some nylon thread and I’m good to go. You would still need to use a more sturdy glove for heavy work, and Foxgloves aren’t totally waterproof, but I will never garden again without them!!!!

By: kathy

kathy — Sat, 11 Aug 2012 14:40:08 +0000

In reply to miscelaineous46. same here...can't feel the weeds when I wear gloves

By: Patirica

Patirica — Wed, 18 Jul 2012 15:51:25 +0000

I don’t like gloves but I wear them. Garden gloves for the heavier work. Surgical gloves for potting, weeding and lighter work. Surgical gloves are much easier to work in and a box does not cost much. I keep a box in my kitchen drawer. Also good for lot of other messy task, like painting, washing the car/boat, etc.

By: miscelaineous46

miscelaineous46 — Wed, 18 Jul 2012 05:28:43 +0000

I often start out with gloves on but within 5 minutes they are off because I can’t feel what I’m doing! I will put one back on to pull up a thistle, but then I take it off again. I find that, when washing up after playing in the mud, if I wash with only water first, and get everything off I can that way, then wash with soap, I get cleaner than if I started with soap. Don’t know why, but it works. I have always used Avon’s Moisture Therapy-Intensive hand cream (the one in the blue & white tube). It soothes and heals all the gardener’s hand’s woes.

By: mk1ndred

mk1ndred — Wed, 18 Jul 2012 03:42:00 +0000

As much as I used to hate gloves, I wear them all the time now. My aunt got an awful bacterial infection in her index finger after gardening without gloves. She didn’t realize that the dirt could contain bacteria and she had a minute abrasion on her finger. It took months for it to heal and in the beginning weeks, they thought she might lose her finger….whoa! That should do it for anyone who doesn’t like gloves!

By: Christine Quattry Peacock

Christine Quattry Peacock — Wed, 18 Jul 2012 02:56:10 +0000

*thin latex…(typo)

By: Christine Quattry Peacock

Christine Quattry Peacock — Wed, 18 Jul 2012 02:55:21 +0000

I don’t think wearing latex or any plastic for an extended period of time is good for the skin, but I get those cheapo Home Depot yellow and black gloves that are a think latex (but thick enough to protect from stinging nettles) that allows dexterity with a cloth back that lets my hands breath. They also wash well, and at little more than $1.50 apiece, you can’t go wrong.

By: Nancy Meyer

Nancy Meyer — Wed, 18 Jul 2012 02:18:08 +0000

No, gloves most of the time. Use them when raking off the beds in the spring. AND I wear latex “dr.” gloves when planting up my containers —otherwise naked !!!!

By: arejay59Robin

arejay59Robin — Wed, 18 Jul 2012 02:08:05 +0000

No glove girl here. I buy them take them to the garden but rarely do they get onto my hands!! I use a nail brush and make my hand lotion.

By: Beth

Beth — Mon, 16 Jul 2012 15:50:21 +0000

I do believe in wearing gloves as much as possible. But, I also find myself ripping them off to get do fine work and for those times when I weed when I wasn’t planning on it.

I’m fortunate, though, because I started a company specializing in natural/green, handcrafted products especially for gardeners. I use my soap to fill my fingernails before going out and then to clean up afterwards. It has exfoliants to help get the dirt out. Of course, a nail brush is essential! I also make and use a gardener’s hand scrub for tough grime and for conditioning, and then, my lotion. At night, before bed, I use whipped butter to soothe and protect my hands, elbows, etc. I think I’m quite well protected!

I would rather not use bleach as I try to stay natural and green.

By: Carol

Carol — Sun, 15 Jul 2012 15:24:46 +0000

I guess if you want to look like you don’t work you’d wear gloves. On the other hand I like to look like I’ve done an honest day’s work so although I wear gloves when I leave the house, they are off by the time I start weeding. I feel like I can dig down into the earth and get a better grip on the roots with bare fingers. I like seeing calluses and hands that show character…why is it considered better to look like we’ve never done a day’s work in our lives???