Never done it but know about dry hands. My hands get so dry this time of year that I have gloves on with lotion all the time when I'm not baking. When I am baking I have my other gloves on. My hands still crack and bleed.
You know your hands are dry when
you can use them to sandpaper the wooden furniture!
(yea, I know it was corny!)
Not grossed out at all! My hands are totally dry right now too. I did 3 cakes this week, which for me is big. Plus cookies and fudge and chocolates. My cuticles are burning. And that dish soap with hand lotion does NOT work! lol. I love Nivea lotion, it does help. Just my suggestion 
Oh, I thought I was the only one with bad hands. My hands and fingers crack and bleed and are so painful sometimes! I don't know if QV is available in the states but they do an intense moisturiser that is like vaseline but once put on absorbs easily. I have found this to help.
When I was taking classes and working with fondant so much my hands were so much softer from using Crisco all the time. I find now that if I go long periods of time between working with fondant or gumpaste my hands dry out really bad. Gotta love the Crisco! My also try using oatmeal soap to was your hands and see if that helps. I have some I use in the shower during the winter when my skin is so dry and it does help sooth the skin. Also , if you have aloe vera, you might try using that as well. It's sticky, but it should help if you can stand it.
Ok, now for one step beyond grossing out........When I had my infant son, the nurses would suggest using crisco grease as a "moisturiser" for a certain part of the female anatomy that got worn out by hungry babies....No further explanation necessary (my apologies to the men out there.)
Hey, Edna said she uses it as face cream and that's why she looks 22 and gorgeous. (Man, I hope she wasn't kidding... I'm thinking of trying it! Hahaha!)
Ok, you know your hands are dry when you make a fist and your skins rips like tissue paper, leaving thousand of tiny cuts that bleed. You know your skin is in bad shape when you put lotion on and it burns like fire. And I use hi-ratio shortening, so it's not really redneck lotion... it's more like expensive, exclusive baker lotion! 
Oh, I am right there with you with the dry hands that get so bad they crack and bleed. Less than pretty (and painful to boot!) I have tried a mulitiude of lotions/creams and finally found one that actually works. The only downside is that it isn't cheap, but considering the pain I am in and the cracking getting worse when I close my hand around a pastry bag, this one splurge is worth it. It is the Beeswax Hand Cream (not the lotion - it doesn't work as well) made by the Savannah Bee Company. I get a 3.4 oz. size jar and use it only at night, right before bed, focusing on the back of my hands and knuckles. My hands really do heal overnight. I can make the jar last the winter (in am in VA) and it is worth the $13 as I really can't find anything else that works. You can find it online (Amazon, etc) and sometimes at Bath and Body Works. Like I said, expensive, but I have gone through so many other creams and lotions that just don't work. Maybe I should try Crisco as well. 
I took a look at your photos...Your cookies are absolutely beautiful! I haven't seen any look better. Excellent job!
Tracy LH, I agree, your cookies are perfection! I am just learning how to do the flooding with Antonia's RI, and your pictures give me lots of ideas
As far as dry hands go, two things have helped me with cracked and bleeding hands: Gloves In A Bottle, which is like a silicone sealant that you apply over your hands just after washing them, and it seals in the moisture. I bought it locally at Basha's grocery store in the pharmacy section, but you can order it online, too. The other thing that helps me is old-fashioned Bag Balm, which I put on at night when my hands are really bad, and sleep with socks or gloves on my hands to avoid staining my sheets. Smells weird but really helps!
I took a look at your photos...Your cookies are absolutely beautiful! I haven't seen any look better. Excellent job!
Tracy LH, I agree, your cookies are perfection! I am just learning how to do the flooding with Antonia's RI, and your pictures give me lots of ideas
As far as dry hands go, two things have helped me with cracked and bleeding hands: Gloves In A Bottle, which is like a silicone sealant that you apply over your hands just after washing them, and it seals in the moisture. I bought it locally at Basha's grocery store in the pharmacy section, but you can order it online, too. The other thing that helps me is old-fashioned Bag Balm, which I put on at night when my hands are really bad, and sleep with socks or gloves on my hands to avoid staining my sheets. Smells weird but really helps!
When I worked in my family's deli, I didn't mind cutting and packaging the bacon. After cutting the salt pork into chunks, I would salt the butcher block and then rub my hands really good as I cleaned it off.
But I refused to cut head cheese!! lol 
I also have super dry hands...especially right now. My husband found some funky gloves from CVS for me for Christmas. They are lined with silicone and then contain some other things (grape seed oil and vitamin e or something like that). You wear them for 30 minutes, it feels weird, but I definitely noticed a huge difference when I took them off.
Thanks for all of the great dry-hand-solutions ladies! Lots of great ideas! So glad you started this one, Shiney!
Thankyous to Sandy2008 and SweetLisa - I got lots of inspiration from the many, many talented cookie decorators here on CC - many of whom I aspire to be as good as someday!
I suffer with the same condition of dry, cracking hands. But since I have been drinking lots of water from home bottled water that is refrigerated, I find that my skin is less dry, and the cracking does not occur as much. I save all my coke bottles , wash and fill them with tap water, and put them on the bottom shelf, and grab one whenver I need it. The reason that I use coke bottles is, I find they are a heavier and more durable plastic, and if I choose to freeze one or two, they withstand the freezing better than the boughten water bottle does. We really need to drink lots of water in the winter,we dehydrate so much easier than in the summer.
A friend recommended a treatment for my dry hands. Olive oil with sugar. Rub the mixture really well all over your hands, and let them sit for about 5 min. Rinse off and your hands will be very soft and smooth. I do this before I go to bed and then put cotton gloves on my hands. I wake up with new hands!!
You know your hands are dry when:
You actually consider using Superglue to close the cracks up (just like my Dad used to do).
A couple things that help me: I use antibacterial soap only when working in the kitchen. All the other soap is regular. I have a lotion bottle next to every soap dispenser and try to use it after every wash.
You know your hands are dry when:
You actually consider using Superglue to close the cracks up (just like my Dad used to do).
OMG, my brother is a psycho... he owns a shoe repair and leather goods business... he will accidentally slit open his hand and just pinch it closed and glue it.
Well you know...Superglue is the "manly" answer! [Insert Tim the Tool man grunt here.]
I'm just afraid that my Dad will one day try to pass down this bit of wisdom to my boys.
When my niece's were younger they had severe egzema (sp?).
I read an article that said for them to put crisco on the spots at bed time. They cleared up in days
I also just saw a great product on QVC for people like us that are constantly washing their hands. It's made with beeswax, and you put it on before starting anything and it keeps the water from absorbing into the skin.
I'm looking into it, because my hands, and fingers were just raw this year.
Happy New Year to All!
Danielle 
When my niece's were younger they had severe egzema (sp?).
I read an article that said for them to put crisco on the spots at bed time. They cleared up in days
I also just saw a great product on QVC for people like us that are constantly washing their hands. It's made with beeswax, and you put it on before starting anything and it keeps the water from absorbing into the skin.
I'm looking into it, because my hands, and fingers were just raw this year.
Happy New Year to All!
Danielle
When my niece's were younger they had severe egzema (sp?).
I read an article that said for them to put crisco on the spots at bed time. They cleared up in days
I also just saw a great product on QVC for people like us that are constantly washing their hands. It's made with beeswax, and you put it on before starting anything and it keeps the water from absorbing into the skin.
I'm looking into it, because my hands, and fingers were just raw this year.
Happy New Year to All!
Danielle
When my niece's were younger they had severe egzema (sp?).
I read an article that said for them to put crisco on the spots at bed time. They cleared up in days
I also just saw a great product on QVC for people like us that are constantly washing their hands. It's made with beeswax, and you put it on before starting anything and it keeps the water from absorbing into the skin.
I'm looking into it, because my hands, and fingers were just raw this year.
Happy New Year to All!
Danielle
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