Tending to the soil may be relaxing, but it’s rough on a
gardener’s hands. Cuts, scrapes and those nagging wind cracks leave
fall hands painfully sore all the way through winter, and the
harsher clime can also prematurely weather a pruner’s paws.
Tending to the soil may be relaxing, but it’s rough on a gardener’s hands. Cuts, scrapes and those nagging wind cracks leave fall hands painfully sore all the way through winter, and the harsher clime can also prematurely weather a pruner’s paws.
To keep yours in prime condition, consider using a skin system specifically designed for gardeners.
English soap maker Crabtree and Evelyn counts their Gardener’s Hand Therapy as the company’s number one seller, both company-wide and in their Gilroy Store, according to sales assistant Tina Elder.
“We go through it the most of anything in here,” said Elder, who works at the store in the Gilroy Premium Outlets. “It’s got lavender, which helps soothe cuts, scrapes and bumps. Chamomile promotes healing and shea butter moisturizes. The glycerin helps to lock in moisture and the bees wax seals it without making it really greasy.”
The lotion ($12 for a 100 mL tube) isn’t just for gardeners. Elder said she counts plumbers, truck drivers and moms among her clientele. Her most loyal customer was a woman who worked for PG&E climbing telephone poles.
With such a profit powerhouse on their hands, the company has expanded their gardener’s line to include a soothing gel (especially good for bug bites and sunburns), a hand recovery salt scrub with moisturizing macadamia nut oil, pumice scrub and hand soap along with themed gift baskets. These include items like trowels and small flower pots along with the product line.
For hands in need of less stringent care, Bath and Body Works (also located in the outlet center) offers a line of pampering spa products with tongue-in-cheek titles like Glove Potion #9 and Look Ma! New Hands.
Glove Potion softens with shea butter, olive and avocado oils, said store Manager Maria Valiquette, while New Hands fills in dried skin with paraffin, vitamin E and a mix of avocado, olive and apricot oils.
And the garden isn’t just getting more comfortable, it’s going high tech. Shoppers at www.gardeners.com can pick up a variety of relaxation items, from slippers with microwaveable insoles to cordless heating pads.
But most impressive has to be the gardener’s watch. For $39.95 it will give its wearer the current UV index, alerting owners to times when they might need to put on sunscreen or a hat.
For gardeners who can’t stand to leave the rest of the world behind even for a moment there is the gardener’s phone belt, a cotton/poly blend hip holster for pruners, keys, seeds, an a phone. It’s yours for $24.95.
