Dry hands OCD?

I can never really explain this right, but I'll give it a shot.

I can't stand the thought of my hands being dry. I really, really can't. It has gotten to the point where I carry a small bottle of lotion wherever I go, as well has having an obscene number of lotion bottles in my room. (Even though I'll a girl, it still looks bad.)

I LOVE Algebra, okay, but one day in Algebra II, we were taking a test, and I'd left my lotion bottle at home. The teacher didn't have any; my hands suddenly felt dry as the Sahara, and I couldn't stand to touch anything but the desk (smooth plastic). Not my jeans, my face, my hair, my pencil, my paper. I just couldn't do it. After panicking for a minute, I ended just sitting there for a few more minutes with my hands clenched in a fist. Soon, my hands began to sweat, and I felt better enough to continue on with the test.

Even when my hands aren't dry, watching somebody, doing it myself, or the thought of rubbing my hands on things like jeans, chalkboard, carpet, dry wall, dry hair... it literally gives me goosebumps, and not the good kind. Just writing this right now, I have gotten chills three times.

...and I just put lotion on.

This all applies to my feet too. I have to wear socks to bed, because I can't have my feet bare against the sheets.

And it's all so terrible because, for some reason, a lot of people have the habit of running their hands over their thighs incessantly, and after a minute I am ready to punch them or cry or leave. All I can do is close my eyes but even the sound, if there is one, will get to me.

I tried to explain this all to my friends one day, but all they got out of it was, "If you rub your hands on your jeans, Kim gets huffy", and then, as preteens will, they teased me with it and did it all the time in front of me. It was horrible.

Can anyone relate? I googled it, and I found one person who was similar, so I know if there's one, there has to be more.

eta: I also have two other OCDs, with actual names: Trich, only on my eyelashes, and Dermatillomania on my lips.
 

rodinski

Well-known member
:(

one thing to note is that the body naturally releases oils to keep the hands hydrated. If you give it a few days they'll become smooth.

I am kinda the opposite. Not exactly though. The amount of hand washing I do corresponds to dry hands. After a few days if I don't wash them as much they gain their natural moisture back. Try giving it a few days? Try it on the weekend or long weekend.
 

rodinski

Well-known member
Maybe I'll try it. It'll be absolute torture though.

It will. I have a feeling my bro went on my PC yesterday while I was out. There is signficant evidence of so. My PC is contaiminated to me but I continued to sit down and play my games. Eventually it got better.

Exposure did help in my case. Biggest thing with fears is to face them.
 

Feathers

Well-known member
Hi TT!

Yeah, washing hands with soap a lot really does dry them.. It's better if you use less soap (and very 'mild' soap for sensitive skin, like honey-based or something) or just use water sometimes..

Showering (with soap/shower gel) a lot can dry feet or legs too.. And usually people use too much anyway.. So it may be better if you shower less frequently..)

I sometimes like to sleep with socks (if it's cold) and sometimes without.. It may depend on what your sheets are washed with too.. A neighbours' kid was allergic to fabric softeners.. Is this the same for you with different washing powders and detergents or did it maybe start after switching? Is it worse under stress/in stressful situations? I have a bit different problems than you do, hope you do find other people with this or knowledgeable help..

I think it's great that you LOVE algebra! You rock!
Hope other things get better too!!

Have you seen a therapist for any of your OCDs? Or tried tweaking nutrition or supplements or such?
 
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Hi TT!

Yeah, washing hands with soap a lot really does dry them.. It's better if you use less soap (and very 'mild' soap for sensitive skin, like honey-based or something) or just use water sometimes..

Showering (with soap/shower gel) a lot can dry feet or legs too.. And usually people use too much anyway.. So it may be better if you shower less frequently..)

I don't have a hand-washing OCD... I wash my hands a normal amount. I even sometimes skip it, if we want to be brutally honest. I don't think that's the problem.

And I can go days without showering during the summer.
 

rodinski

Well-known member
OCD is a very on off sort of thing. Also filled with many contradictions. One of the harder psychological disorders to even remotely understand.
 

GinaMarie

Member
Hello
My name is Gina and Im 25 years old, and I "suffer" from the almost exactly the same thing you do. I have been this way for as long as I can remember. I understand that feeling of dry hands. I am obsessive when it comes to lotion. I have tons of it in my apartment, in every room. I carry 2 bottles in my purse. I have it at work, I have it in my car. Im never without it. I have been in the situation before where I have even licked my hands to get some sort of relief. Gross right?

Some of the worst things for me are, newspapers or book pages....certain fabrics like denim or fleece.....anything like walls or hard surfaces that do not have a slick finish.....the thought of someone elses hands being dry....

Basically I just wanted to know that you are definately not alone. I have been given many "remedies" over the years, but its not an actual dry skin problem. Its a compulsion. Looking at our hands, we KNOW we do not have dry skin, we just feel like we do. To the point of anxiety.

My boyfriend is the best in the world for understanding. If anytime he wants to give me a gift, it always involves lotions. He keeps his house stocked with it, he has some in his truck just for me. And he takes me with him when he shops for clothes.....he wants me to make sure I can handle touching the fabric before he buys it. There are people out there that will support you, and understand.

There are no miracle remedies....and there are no solutions. Its something that you and I have to deal with in our own way. My way is to always be prepared. My favorite lotion is Eucerin Calming Creme. It has no scent and its effects seem to last longer than others that I use. Im sure you have your favorite. Most people will never recognize that you have a problem unless you tell them. I keep it mostly to myself that way it does not affect the people around me or their opinion of me. Thats my own personal choice, everyone with compulsion is different.

I know I have written a lot here, but when I seen your post I absolutely had to reply. I have never met or talked to anyone who shared this with me. It is very nice to know that.....IM not alone. :)

Thanks for posting. We should talk more. I would be glad to share with you anything about it.

:D
 
All three bottles of lotion I have, have actually run out, so I'll probably try yours next. I think I need to start buying Vaseline lotion or something along those lines.

I think book pages would bother me, but I love reading more than I care about being uncomfortable. I'd rather not think of rubbing my hands all over them, but my "dry" hands wouldn't be able to stop me from picking up a book and reading it.

I've been to the point of licking my hands too, or using the condensation of a bottle or cup.

I'm so glad we're not alone. Thank you so much for replying!
 

GinaMarie

Member
I have done the whole condensation on a bottle thing before! We seem to be very similar creatures. I love to read as well, but depending on what kind of day it is....I cant get past the way the pages feel. Some days are worse than others. I havent been able to pinpoint what makes it worse or better.

I notice that you said you had Trich and Dermatillomania as well. It seems that people with compulsive personalities always have more than one. Mine come with odd and even numbers. Odd numbers make me uncomfortable. Go figure. I dont ever buy one of anything, I usually buy two. Of course thats only one example.

You said that you love algebra. Thats wonderful! My mother is an algebra teacher and loves math, I never could quite get along with math. Me and numbers just dont go well together haha. Im glad that you enjoy math and reading, that will set you apart from others on down the road of sucess.

Tell me, do you put your hands in a fist to avoid touching things? Sometimes I ball up my hands so much they hurt. (on bad days) Do you do this?
 
Tell me, do you put your hands in a fist to avoid touching things? Sometimes I ball up my hands so much they hurt. (on bad days) Do you do this?

Yes, I do! And they stay that way until I've found some lotion. I mean, immediately after putting on lotion, I feel fine touching most anything.

Well, at least you'll always have a back-up of everything. Haha.

It's not that I make an effort to like math, it's just that, for some reason, I do pretty well at it. I love writing and reading, but in English class, it's all opinion. 'This is how you SHOULD do it.' 'You OUGHT to plan before you write.' 'It needs more of YOU in it.' But with math, it's either right or wrong - if you're getting wrong answers you're doing it wrong, and you'd better learn to do it correctly.
 

GinaMarie

Member
You know you are right. Math is definately cut and dry. You said it...youre either right or you are wrong. I think I was wrong too many times...lol. I think thats why I like the arts better....If I do it my way, then its right. Doesnt matter who else thinks so. Ha!

So, do you have college plans? Whats your future look like?
 

rodinski

Well-known member
Yes, I do! And they stay that way until I've found some lotion. I mean, immediately after putting on lotion, I feel fine touching most anything.

Well, at least you'll always have a back-up of everything. Haha.

It's not that I make an effort to like math, it's just that, for some reason, I do pretty well at it. I love writing and reading, but in English class, it's all opinion. 'This is how you SHOULD do it.' 'You OUGHT to plan before you write.' 'It needs more of YOU in it.' But with math, it's either right or wrong - if you're getting wrong answers you're doing it wrong, and you'd better learn to do it correctly.

Haha. I notice this a lot with other OCD people as well.

We have traits of both sides of our brains. We excel at math and the arts. BUT, english tends to be the worse. How are you in social studies? I have a feeling you are doing better in the social studies section then English eh?

English is not exactly about opinion. It is all about comprehending material and putting on a paper so you can explain it to someone. Your point is to 1. comprehend material, 2. convey that information or....frig, i can't find teh right word right now. Got it written down somewhere.
 

Tenita

New member
I seem to have the same thing as both of you, I was wondering if any one else had the same addiction to hand cream/lotion as me!!
I can't stand the feeling of having dry hands. I use hand cream so many times in the day I lose count, after I wash my hands, any time I touch water or for any reason my hands feel dry. Touching paper (I work as a receptionist so every now and then it bothers me), when i'm cleaning at home, in the car, or just if I am sitting there and they feel dry.
I have also been at the point where I have licked my hands or used the condensation off a bottle of water or something so they don't feel dry! Have also used pawpaw ointment (similar to vaseline).
I am starting to not like holding my boyfriends hand when his hand feels dry... I think this has gone a bit far but I don't know how to stop I just hate the feeling when they are dry!!!!
 

Diend

Well-known member
I broke my OCD of praying for forgiveness from Jesus every time a curse word popped into my head, by disobeying the urge to pray. The OCD was crazy. One time walking home from school, a curse word popped into my head and I ended up praying as I walked. Bam! I bumped into a streetlamp pole. DISOBEY! When your hands don't touch anything, TOUCH! I mean don't go overboard, but touch your denim pants or something.
 

brainsthehead

New member
i honestly never even though to look and see if there were other people suffering from this, until a few days ago. i am so relieved to hear it's not just me!

it started a few years ago and i have no idea where it came from, but it's gotten progressively worse. i put on lotion at least 4 times every hour. i went from using normal hand lotion to using vaseline because it became too expensive, and my boyfriend at the time suggested it. it's become embarrassing for me- especially at the work place because it leaves an oily residue on everything i touch. i have to physically wipe things off after i use them. my phone, computer, and remotes are covered in lotion finger prints.

i wish i knew what caused this. i also can't stand the feeling of denim and the other thing for me is carpet. it used to just be those two, but it has increased to be any texture that feels rough on my hands.

it also moved from my hands to my feet as well. i saw someone commenting on how they would even lick their hands if they needed to. i've done that, and i've used chapstick if i can't find anything else :( i also can't hold hands anymore and i use condensation on cold drinks, too

i also don't shower daily (the dry hands and feet feeling is the WORST after a shower.) i drink plenty of liquids and my skin isn't as dry as i convince myself it is. i know it's all in my head. i just wish i knew why.
 

atlantaboy

New member
Hey Everyone! I just joined this site, and mainly to connect/share with others how I relate to this!

It started about a month ago, My hand constantly feel dry (like there isn't enough lotion you can put on them). My hands feels like paper bags. I absolutely CAN't touch anything like card board boxes, paper bags, etc, without feeling well the feeling is really indescribable! Touching anything that's paper based seems impossible. I really thought it was just the heat (from it being winter) drying out my hands, but after giving it more thought, I KNOW its more than that. I take a carry size bottle of lotion with me everywhere and have big bottles in each room of my house.

Has anyone been able to give any advise on how to make this feeling/phobia go away, or is it even possible to make it go away?

It's gotten to the point of when i run out of lotion I will spit on my hands to make them feel wet,:kickingmyself: OMG its so gross, what's wrong with me?!??!?!?

Please comment
 

cowboyup

Well-known member
Mine is not quite as significant or pronounced as yours but I carry little sample bottles of lotion with me everywhere I go.
I have one in my purse, a few in my car, and even carry both hand sanitizer (which can dry the hands) and lotion with me when I am watching the kids.

But i do get the general idea - I hate the feeling of dry hands. Bummer that I live in the desert too...which is just a dry heat.
 

Silatuyok

Well-known member
Um, yeah, I get this too. I've even gone so far as to not wash my hands after using a public restroom because I didn't have any lotion with me to put on afterward. I get really, really irritable if my hands get dry, and my bf is wise enough to start carrying a bottle of lotion in his truck just in case I forget mine. I can't really explain how horrible it feels; I don't want anything to touch me and it just makes my whole skin crawl. I can't concentrate on anything if I don't slather up on a regular basis.
 

danatay

New member
I have been searching for another person that has this little OCD that I have. It started in 4th grade, and ever since then I've been using Vaseling Intensive care.. it's been 14 years and I'm pretty sure this is my lotion I will forever use. The thought of that lotion not being made anymore freaks me out, and makes me worry for a little while. It gets in the way sometimes, when it comes to my jobs I make sure it's a place where I can have my little handy bottle..lol.. where ever I go, and that I can apply it when ever I want. I read the other woman's post about how her boyfriend is very understanding about all of this.. when ever my and my boyfriend are planning on going on a long trip and say I forget my lotion..which rarely happens.. he'll always remember to be right there behind me making sure he picks it up so im not suffering. I honestly do not know why this started but I wish it never did!! Just put hand lotion on. Since you posted this have either triplethreat or GinaMarie found a reason to all this what I can madness. I've done the licking of the hands.. and if I do not have my lotion I might not wash my hands..gross I know.
Very excited to see im not crazy.
 
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