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The Magic Cafe Forum Index » » New to magic? » » Dry hands (14 Likes) Printer Friendly Version

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jaschris
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Another vote for O'Keefes Working Hands. Out of curiosity, I ordered some stuff from Williams magic called Gripper. We shall see.
https://williamsmagic.com/shop/index.php......&x=0&y=0
dschmunis
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Hillsboro, OR
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I have to say that out of all the creams, lotions, sticky stuff that I’ve tried so far O’Keefes is probably giving me the best results, although I usually have to re-apply after 20 minutes or so.

The other interesting thing is that for just moisturizing my hands I usually use the one that comes in a tube but for magic work I use the one in the plastic jar/container. As far as I can tell they are both the exact same (just different container), yet they feel very different in my hands. The one in the tube makes my hands and card feel a lot damper... go figure...
TeddyBoy
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New York, NY
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1 part Glycerine/1 part alcohol/1 part water or other toner, e.g., witch hazel. Mix it in a small spray bottle. That's it. Glycerine can be bought in any pharmacy.
So many sleights...so little time.
"Slow...deliberate...natural." Bill Tarr

Cheers,
Teddy
gaddy
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Columbia ProGrip Non-Slip grip cream. Marketed to bowlers & golfers, this stuff is completely waterproof and doesn't really gunk up cards or coins once it is worked into the fingertips and palm crevasse. A tiny bit goes a looong way.
*due to the editorial policies here, words on this site attributed to me cannot necessarily be held to be my own.*
dschmunis
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Gaddy thank you for the top on the ProGrip. Just placed an order to try it out. In the process of reading its reviews on Amazon I found another product that was also recommended for grip: https://www.amazon.com/Gorilla-Snot-Original-Drumstick-Guitar/dp/B00JTP1S94/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Gorilla%2BSnot%2B%26%2BPick%2BHoney&qid=1610742972&sr=8-1&th=1. I also purchase these to try it out. Once I get my hands (PUN TOTALLY INTENDED) on both this products I'll post back a quick review!

Stay safe and stay healthy!
Diego
dschmunis
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Hillsboro, OR
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UPDATE: Today I got the little jar for ProGrip. I HATE IT! It smells like listerine but worst and it's tacky and way to grippy and sticky. I can see how it can be a great product for anything requiring a solid grip (drums, golf, baseball, etc.) but for cards it's just too much!
DerekG
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@dschmunis Any update on the Gorilla Snot?
dschmunis
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Hi DerekG,

The product is back ordered and Amazon doesn’t have a timeline for when it may ship Smile
Nikodemus
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I have tried various moisturisers. They all leave my hands feeling very slimy. This includes a "non oil" one by Neutragena.
The only exception so far is O'KEEFE"S. You only need a tiny amount. As soon as I apply it, it feels kind of "dry" but grippy. Totally different from all the other gooey ones. Kind of like your hands have been given a fine coating of rubber.

Another tip I read on the Café - it looks pretty gross to lick your fingers, but moisture on your fingertips helps a lot. So try having a cold drink to hand. It needs to be cold enough to create condensation on the outside. (And needs to be in a glass container I think, not plastic). Whenever you pick it up for a sip, you automatically lubricate your fingertips with the condensation.
.
dschmunis
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Hillsboro, OR
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Yeah I have to say that out of all the stuff I tried so far, O'Keefe's has probably been the best. howerver I need about 5 minutes after applying before I can use cards as it feels to wet and soggy immediately after
mightytimbo
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Franklin Park, NJ
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I Just want to say I am so grateful for this thread. I was so very frustrated working with cards (My primary interest) and ready to give up on any of it, until I found this thread. As the OP mentioned my hands just slide of the cards like they are made of ice, but per the suggestions here I got okeefe's and I can handle the cards with any sleight. (Anyone that I can do anyway).

Other lotions had been greasy and were not a viable solution. The advice here has made a huge difference in my moving forward in magic. Hope bumping this up helps others.
dschmunis
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Hillsboro, OR
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Glad you found this thread useful. So far I’’ve gotten the best results with Okeefe’s and Chamberlain Golden Touch.

I like the feel of Okeefe but if I don’t apply just the right amount my hands can feel a bit soggy for a while. With Chamberlain they feel just right after about a minute but does require that I reapply a bit more often.

D
Rebis
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Verona, Italy
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Quote:
On Apr 28, 2021, mightytimbo wrote:
I Just want to say I am so grateful for this thread. I was so very frustrated working with cards (My primary interest) and ready to give up on any of it, until I found this thread. As the OP mentioned my hands just slide of the cards like they are made of ice, but per the suggestions here I got okeefe's and I can handle the cards with any sleight. (Anyone that I can do anyway).

Other lotions had been greasy and were not a viable solution. The advice here has made a huge difference in my moving forward in magic. Hope bumping this up helps others.


I felt the same; the top card palm (Morphew's way) has been a pain in the **s for a long time, then I stumbled across this thread and... done! Smile
gaddy
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Quote:
On Jan 23, 2021, dschmunis wrote:
UPDATE: Today I got the little jar for ProGrip. I HATE IT! It smells like listerine but worst and it's tacky and way to grippy and sticky. I can see how it can be a great product for anything requiring a solid grip (drums, golf, baseball, etc.) but for cards it's just too much!


This is a very interesting and valuable perspective!

I probably should have mentioned that I do not do much card work at all. I mostly do coin magic, for some reason the smell never even occurred to me & I think this is because I am often working with the "tinny" metallic, smell of coins. Pro grip definitely has a rather curious "astringent" smell.

Compared to the sometimes nasty smell of coins, I rather like it though!
*due to the editorial policies here, words on this site attributed to me cannot necessarily be held to be my own.*
michaelpenkul
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Rosin is a super cheap alternative that works pretty well - it's rubbed on violin bows so that they grip the strings better and produce a fuller tone, but it works great for adding grip to your hands as well. You just break up the surface with a knife or key until it's rough and powdery, then apply it to your hands.
Topper2
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I've tried Corn Husker’s lotion and found it really good for what is was intended, namely soothing very dry cracking skin, it gets absorbed into the skin very smoothly and quickly, the trouble is it didn't really give me enough grip on the cards. The O'Keefe was better but seemed a bit slower in being absorbed and left a slight residue on the cards, but it did have more grip.

I don't think either is a 100% perfect solution. Another possibility is getting a plastic bottle top, packing it with cotton wool or a bit of sponge, which you dampen with water, then you can keep that in the pocket and when you need a bit of grip on finger or thumb you put your hand in your pocket to moisten it; this is equivalent to licking the thumb but not so gross.
Topper2
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As an experiment I decided to try the Corn Husker and the O'Keefe's both together. First I used a really small amount of the Corn Husker and rubbed well in to the skin on the pads of my fingers and thumbs, just to tone up the skin. Then I followed up with an equally small amount of O'Keefe's to give a bit of grip and the result was surprisingly good. I don't know yet if it's my imagination (a sort of placebo effect) or whether it really is better this way but it certainly seems to work for me. Has anyone else tried combining lotions?
gaddy
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I like the bottle cap/wet cotton ball solution. Good tip!
*due to the editorial policies here, words on this site attributed to me cannot necessarily be held to be my own.*
Schlawiner
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I found this thread because I also have very dry hands and most people here recommend "O'Keeffe's Working Hands".
However, if you google it, you find lots of analysis that this creme can lead to cancer or allergies because it contains formaldehyd.

Are you all ignoring this? Does anyone else has another recommendation for people living in europa (I couldn't find other mentioned creme's on amazon).
dschmunis
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Hillsboro, OR
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Hmmmm.... thanks you for the tip Schlawiner. May be time to do some research and may be find a more natural one
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