I used to use methylated spirits or surgical spirits (externally!) to harden my feet for hiking. I imagine it would work the same on finger tips.
Gordon -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of [email protected] Sent: 03 January 2012 17:05 To: [email protected]; [email protected] Subject: [LUTE] Re: Witch hazel. As a physician, I doubt it would do anything for the fingertips because players fingertips are calloused, and astringents (such as witch Hazel) work to constrict softer and less keratinized tissues, such as the face, or especially mucous membranes. trj -----Original Message----- From: Herbert Ward <[email protected]> To: lute <[email protected]> Sent: Mon, Jan 2, 2012 3:47 pm Subject: [LUTE] Witch hazel. I have a bottle of "witch-hazel", a topical medicine available in any drug store. The label says that it is an "astringent". The Wikipedia ariticle on astringents says that they "dry, harden, and protect the skin". This makes me wonder whether there are circumstances under which witch-hazel might be beneficial to our fingertips. Does anyone know enough dermatology to give us an opinion? To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html --
