split finger tips advice needed

[drdjembe]

the urine contain a protein called urea, which feed the skin.
except that the best way to prevent skin cracking is to get volume sound by technique, not power.
there are creams for crack in the foots or hands due to cold or dryness like "avibon", use the one for the foot.
before playing i use cocoa butter, a little bit is enough and it doesn't damage the djembe skin.
most of all, don't play cow skin like goat skin, the technique is different.
increase your power gradually over the years, build yourself, don't destroy yourself, patience result in enjoyment not frustration.

[djembeweaver]

Michi's tip about hot salt water is the best thing for sore hands of all descriptions. I just got over a big problem of splits in the dry callouses on the pads of my palms (where my hands contact the rim of the djembe) and soaking my hands like this every day really helped. My teacher gave me some ground red wood to steep in the water (traditional medicamen). I presume it's anticeptic but who knows.

Another good tip is to hold your hands over a low gas hob while rubbing the shea butter in. Your skin seems to drink it up when it's heated.

The other really big part of the solution for me was using a pumice stone after soaking my hands. Now I do this ever day in the shower (followed by the obligatory shea butter) and my hands are soft and supple as a baby's backside!

[archetypo]

I tend to get split fingers and cuticles a fair bit in winter, especially if I have a heavy teaching schedule, and I find what works best for me is to use elastoplast fabric bandaids in combination with a healing balm (the one I use is made by an aromatherapist and contains lots of lovely essential oils that are antibacterial and promote healing). I find that if I let the splits dry out, they just keep re-splitting in the same place, but if I keep them sealed in the fabric bandaids (the elastoplast brand seals all the way around the pad area) they heal up completely within a couple of days. I've never tried 'micropore' tape, but I've tried various other tapes, and I'm not so fond of them. The elastoplasts have to be changed regularly, and they do make your fingers a bit goopy with the sticky gunk, but it works for me.

I also use shea butter every single time I play, without fail - this has made more difference than anything else. Traumeel is excellent stuff for bruised and sore hands, but you don't want to use it in cuts or splits. I also second the salt-water soak method, with a suggestion to add a lump of shea butter directly to the water while you're soaking, along with a few drops of lavender essential oil (antibacterial plus it smells great, very relaxing). Your hands will feel amazing afterwards!

The urine thing - aside from the antiseptic qualities, the key thing about urine is that it contains urea, which is an ingredient that is often put into lotions for extremely dry/cracked skin. There's this stuff that I often use, called Uremol (yeah, I know, not really an appealing name) which is awesome for dry, cracked hands, feet, heels & elbows, but I never use it on my hands if I'm about to play a djembe. It contains 10% (or 20%) urea, and I'm always worried that the urea will break down the goatskins faster than I already do (90% of my djembe skins go in the same spot, from hand wear).

[bkidd]

Archetypo wrote:
The urine thing - aside from the antiseptic qualities, the key thing about urine is that it contains urea, which is an ingredient that is often put into lotions for extremely dry/cracked skin.

When did urine become an antiseptic? Bacteria will grow just fine in urine. If this weren't the case, people wouldn't get urinary tract infections.

[michi]

When did urine become an antiseptic? Bacteria will grow just fine in urine. If this weren't the case, people wouldn't get urinary tract infections.

Urine is normally sterile, so you can, for example, use it in an emergency to safely irrigate wounds or drink it. I previously did searches to find out whether urine is antiseptic and couldn't find anything credible. I don't think it is antiseptic (or at least, not strongly). As you say, urinary tract infections make that pretty clear.

Cheers,

Michi.

[djembeweaver]

Forgot to say that last time I had an open split on the pads of my palm I used superglue because practically you can't use tape or plaster there. It was amazing - it totally sealed the split even though I played every day for at least 2 hours that week. After having had the same annoying split open up again and again over 6 months the superglue sorted it out once and for all.

Apparently the first use of superglue (Cyanoacrylate) was to suture wounds that could not be stitched so using superglue for splits is not so weird as it may first appear. Dermatalogically speaking it is not toxic, although the fumes can be (don't inhale kids!)

I know rock climbers that use superglue on their finger tips too.