My skin is usually pretty dry but with the weather getting colder I am getting so dry I can not work the cards anymore. I tried the invisible deck and can't get the upside down card to show at all.

I can use regular hand lotion and then I can use the cards but is there a particular moisturizer you would recommend I use? Or any in particular to stay away from? I don't want to ruin my cards by using the wrong lotion on my hands.

Drink more water throughout the day.

Some lotions work temporarily but need to be applied more often. Avoid lotions with alcohol in them or other ingredients ending with "ol".
All natural types such as Burt's Bees are good.

Thoroughly massage a very small amount of olive or vegetable oil in to your hands for about a minute. Then rub with a paper towel to remove the greasiness. Your hands should no longer feel greasy but there may be enough oil residue that you may not feel like you want to handle your cards.
Rub a small amount of baking soda in well and then rinse with water (no soap). Dry with a towel.

Any residue from lotion will reduce the longevity of your cards. The baking soda trick is effective with this too.

I honestly think that different lotions will effect different people different ways. We all have slightly different PHs, different skin oils, and we live in different climates. Personally I use the Neutrogena concentrated stuff. It requires less than a dab for the whole hand. But that may not work for you. I think you just need to play around until you find something that works.

As for the effect they have on cards. That will depend too. Again, the easiest thing to change on a deck of cards is the finish. So card companies probably have a wider variety of finish spray coats, or varnishes in some cases, than they do stocks. I mention this because, though it may seem like a small thing, it seems that you get different people having different experiences with different cards. For instance, when the Smoke and Mirror V.4s hit the market about 80% of people who got them just loved the way they performed(me included) but a good 20% complained that those cards clumped. Similarly, I had huge issues with Anglo Rug backs clumping but other people loved the way those cards fanned. So all I can explain that with is the fact that different people, different hand creams, different climates all effect different card finishes in different ways. So in the end of the day you need to find a hand cream that works for you and then a deck of cards that isn't adversely effected by all of that.

I was using lotion for a short while, but they actually made my hands too moist. esotesh is right, we all have different skin types and locations. I'd simply keep trying lotions until you find one that works for you.

-ArchAngel_G

Thanks for the replies. I do have some lotions that work well on my hands but I was worried about the cards. I have some old decks so I will experiment and we'll see...

As I get older and older this is a real problem for me. I don't use cards but coin handling is effected by dry hands also.

I use "Cornhusker Lotion". It can be hard to find so when I find a source I buy a bunch, mostly at small family / general stores in the area.

Here's a tip I learned yrs ago: The lotion you put on should "trap" the moisture that is already there. Before applying lotion rinse your hands in lukewarm water so your skin soaks up what it will, THEN apply the lotion. Lasts longer.

And remember to drink more water throughout the day.

I use a fingertip moistener product from an office supply store. The brand I have right now is called Sortkwik, but there are other brands out there that work just as well.

Give it a try, you may find it works better than hand lotion for doing card work.

My hands are often dry and I found great relief with aloe vera lotion. The brand name is called Jason and it is not greasy at all and it gives me and nice firm grip on the deck. Also it hydrates your skin really well.

As I have become older (54) my hands have become dryer and drinking more water does not help. After searching for a while now I have found a product in Canada that works great, it is Glycerine & Rosewater, made by Western Family, it is available at Save-On Foods in British Columbia.

Gary Ouellet also has a recipe of using glycerin and rosewater, in one of his books. His lotion is available from the Carmirand Acadamy, also in Canada. I have not used Gary's product but assume it to be similar to the Western Family product. The Western Family product is a liquid and a small amount is rubbed onto your hands until dry, it leaves a tackiness that is not greasy, so there is no residue left on the cards. It also seems to last a while before having to re-apply. I believe I bought Gary's book thru Penguin maybe they have access to acquiring his lotion.

Sorry, I did not get his book from Penguin, but I have seen the lotion sold by one of their competitors, so they may still be able to look into selling it.

Chamberlain's Golden Touch lotion is recommended by some of the card greats. It's not a thick lotion, it's more liquid, pretty much the glycerin and rosewater variety.

Do an online search, you'll find it.

The Glycerine & Rosewater sounds good as does the Chamberlain's. And I looked and see that Chamberlain's main ingredient is glycerine too. I'm sensing a pattern.

As I'm getting older my skin is just drying out. I use lots of hand lotion and have smooth skin, no callouses, but they just stay dry. I will try some of the Chamberlain's and see how it works.

Thanks for all the great replies.