O'Keeffe's Working Hands and O'Keeffe's for Healthy Feet are two products designed for hard-working people to provide guaranteed relief for dry hands and feet that crack and split. These two odorless formulas work with your skin's own natural repair processes to help alleviate problems with dry, cracking skin, which can be particularly problematic during the dry winter months when your hands are exposed to cold, wind, rain and snow, or when you're on your feet in heavy socks and boots in a sometimes seemingly futile attempt to keep them dry and warm.
These two O'Keeffe's products come in a small container (about the size of a can of dipping tobacco), so it can easily be stored in a pocket or tool pouch for access when needed on a job site. The formulas are more like a paste than a lotion in texture, but I found that after application to my hands, that the hands retained a greasier feeling for a longer period of time than I would've preferred. That may be a matter of personal preference, because I've never been a fan of lotions that left my hands feeling like I had just applied a product to them.
These two O'Keeffe's products come in a small container (about the size of a can of dipping tobacco), so it can easily be stored in a pocket or tool pouch for access when needed on a job site. The formulas are more like a paste than a lotion in texture, but I found that after application to my hands, that the hands retained a greasier feeling for a longer period of time than I would've preferred. That may be a matter of personal preference, because I've never been a fan of lotions that left my hands feeling like I had just applied a product to them.
O'Keeffe's Working Hands
Like many professions, contractors and woodworkers rely on their hands to make their living. Varying weather conditions, particularly the harsh conditions of winter can take a toll on the skin of the hands. In areas of extreme cold, people who work outside with their hands often need to keep their hands exposed to the elements, or worse, try to keep them in gloves to keep them warm, and then take the gloves off for short intervals while they attempt to work as quickly as possible, before putting the gloves back on. This back and forth exposure to warmth and cold can not only feel uncomfortable, but it can also be very irritating to the skin of the hands. If the hands are exposed to moisture and cold at the same time, the drying effects are intensified.
Imagine you're a carpenter working on a job site outside in the middle of winter, and you are responsible for making a lot of cuts with a circular saw or perhaps you're nailing up material using a framing nailer. To perform these tasks in cold winter conditions, heavy gloves won't allow you to operate the tool safely, so you're constantly taking the gloves on and off. Or maybe you're busy trying to get a roof put on over rafters, and you're hauling plywood up and down a scaffolding or a ladder wearing heavy boots and two layers of socks to keep your feet warm, but the exercise has your feet sweating. The hard work and temperature changes can cause your feet to dry out just like your hands.
O'Keeffe's Working Hands is formulated to try and help the skin draw in needed moisture and retain the moisture to allow it to stay soft and flexible. O'Keeffe's uses a three step process to relieve dry, damaged skin. First, the products contain glycerin (a product commonly used in the manufacture of skin products and cosmetics, which is actually a by-product of the manufacturing of soap products), which, along with water, help to draw moisture to the skin at the molecular level, allowing the skin cells the opportunity to begin the repair process.
Secondly, once moisture is introduced into the skin cells, it needs to be retained. To help keep the moisture in place, O'Keeffe's uses stearic acid and paraffin, again two products commonly used in skin treatments, to help prevent moisture from evaporating, allowing the moisture to stay in the skin.
Finally, O'Keeffe's products help keep the pH of your skin at an optimal level, helping the body's own defenses to work on repairing and protecting the skin.
Imagine you're a carpenter working on a job site outside in the middle of winter, and you are responsible for making a lot of cuts with a circular saw or perhaps you're nailing up material using a framing nailer. To perform these tasks in cold winter conditions, heavy gloves won't allow you to operate the tool safely, so you're constantly taking the gloves on and off. Or maybe you're busy trying to get a roof put on over rafters, and you're hauling plywood up and down a scaffolding or a ladder wearing heavy boots and two layers of socks to keep your feet warm, but the exercise has your feet sweating. The hard work and temperature changes can cause your feet to dry out just like your hands.
O'Keeffe's Working Hands is formulated to try and help the skin draw in needed moisture and retain the moisture to allow it to stay soft and flexible. O'Keeffe's uses a three step process to relieve dry, damaged skin. First, the products contain glycerin (a product commonly used in the manufacture of skin products and cosmetics, which is actually a by-product of the manufacturing of soap products), which, along with water, help to draw moisture to the skin at the molecular level, allowing the skin cells the opportunity to begin the repair process.
Secondly, once moisture is introduced into the skin cells, it needs to be retained. To help keep the moisture in place, O'Keeffe's uses stearic acid and paraffin, again two products commonly used in skin treatments, to help prevent moisture from evaporating, allowing the moisture to stay in the skin.
Finally, O'Keeffe's products help keep the pH of your skin at an optimal level, helping the body's own defenses to work on repairing and protecting the skin.
O'Keeffe's for Healthy Feet
O'Keeffe's for Healthy Feet is a formula similar to O'Keeffe's Working Hands, but it is formulated to be used daily for a life of healthy feet. This special formulation helps the skin cells of the feet draw in and retain moisture, allowing them to heal, particularly in the tough, thick skin of the feet and heels.
For best results, the manufacturer recommends exfoliation of dead skin before applying to the feet. The best times to apply are directly after a shower or before bed, because those two times of the day are when the skin temperature is typically a bit higher than normal, allowing for better absorption.
For best results, the manufacturer recommends exfoliation of dead skin before applying to the feet. The best times to apply are directly after a shower or before bed, because those two times of the day are when the skin temperature is typically a bit higher than normal, allowing for better absorption.
Testing Results
I decided to give O'Keeffe's a try to see if it could help heal my notoriously dry, cracking feet. Years of working outdoors in work boots in all weather conditions had left me with skin that was hard, crusty and cracked easily. I've tried a few different products over the years to see if they could help, including lotions, baby oil and coconut oil, all with varied levels of success.
To test O'Keeffe's for Healthy Feet, I applied a small amount every day immediately after my morning shower to my left foot only, leaving my right foot untreated. After about four weeks of daily application, I began to feel a noticeable difference in the softness of the skin on the bottom of my left foot. Some of the callouses had begun to soften, but the dry flakiness that was constantly present certainly was improved, enough so that my wife noticed a difference. After four weeks, I've begun applying to both feet, to allow my right foot to catch up with the left.
Living in Texas, I'm not exposed to the extreme winter temperatures that I experienced growing up in the upper Midwest. I grew up on a dairy farm, and my hands were constantly in and out of water in the barn, even in temperatures well below zero. As a result, every winter, my hands would take a serious beating. I'd have loved to have been able to test the O'Keeffe's Working Hands formula on my hands during those years, as I'm sure it would've helped quite a bit with the chapped skin from the cold and wet conditions.
To test O'Keeffe's for Healthy Feet, I applied a small amount every day immediately after my morning shower to my left foot only, leaving my right foot untreated. After about four weeks of daily application, I began to feel a noticeable difference in the softness of the skin on the bottom of my left foot. Some of the callouses had begun to soften, but the dry flakiness that was constantly present certainly was improved, enough so that my wife noticed a difference. After four weeks, I've begun applying to both feet, to allow my right foot to catch up with the left.
Living in Texas, I'm not exposed to the extreme winter temperatures that I experienced growing up in the upper Midwest. I grew up on a dairy farm, and my hands were constantly in and out of water in the barn, even in temperatures well below zero. As a result, every winter, my hands would take a serious beating. I'd have loved to have been able to test the O'Keeffe's Working Hands formula on my hands during those years, as I'm sure it would've helped quite a bit with the chapped skin from the cold and wet conditions.
Where to Buy?
Typically, one might expect to find products that help soothe dry hands and cracked, split feet in a local pharmacy or grocery store. While O'Keeffe's Working Hands and O'Keeffe's for Healthy Feet are available in many such locations, you might be surprised to find them also at your local hardware store or big box home center. If you visit the home center, try checking the paint department in the area near the solvents for your supply of O'Keeffe's products. You can also purchase them directly online by clicking the link on this page, or by visiting O'Keeffe's website.
Keep in mind that trying O'Keeffe's products are fully guaranteed. They claim that nothing works faster or more effectively to relieve (and protect) cracked, split skin on even the roughest hands and feet. If you're not 100% fully satisfied, you can return the product to O'Keeffe's for a complete money back reimbursement. See the O'Keeffe's website for details on the money back guarantee.
Keep in mind that trying O'Keeffe's products are fully guaranteed. They claim that nothing works faster or more effectively to relieve (and protect) cracked, split skin on even the roughest hands and feet. If you're not 100% fully satisfied, you can return the product to O'Keeffe's for a complete money back reimbursement. See the O'Keeffe's website for details on the money back guarantee.
Disclosure: Review samples were provided by the manufacturer. For more information, please see our Ethics Policy.
