I find that you have to scrub the palms of your hands with a (soapy) nail brush to get them clean, it's a little bit painful, but it does work.
As for cracked hands, in my experience
Neutragena hand cream is the best remedy. A strip of it across each of your knuckles is all you need. Its expensive, but it works v well and seems to last a long time.
I know it is a bit of a sissy question but would like to know what the pro's use
Not at all, if you don't look after your hands, you wont be able to work, end of story. And who wants to have chapped, cracked, sore hands? Not me. I couldnt care what anyone thinks, if something will help protect my hands, I'll use it. There's nothing macho about not being able to bend your fingers.
Sometimes I get shards of aluminium (from the ladders) in my hands-its very important to get these out as soon as you get home. They can easily get infected, and aluminium ingress can give you blood poisoning. (or so I read somewhere)
Philip
