• Scam Alert. Members are reminded to NOT send money to buy anything. Don't buy things remote and have it shipped - go get it yourself, pay in person, and take your equipment with you. Scammers have burned people on this forum. Urgency, secrecy, excuses, selling for friend, newish members, FUD, are RED FLAGS. A video conference call is not adequate assurance. Face to face interactions are required. Please report suspicions to the forum admins. Stay Safe - anyone can get scammed.

Other Nitrile glove alternatives for allergy/sensitive skin?

Xyphota

Xyphota

Ultra Member
I've started wearing disposable nitrile gloves more and more in the last year or two, and it seems that if my hands sweat in the gloves, I'll get itchy rashes on the backsides of my hands. From the research I've done, it looks like gloves with a 'colloidal oatmeal' layer have helped people with similar sensitivities, but the gloves I've seen with these coatings appear to be much thinner than the gloves I'd reach for so I'm worried the durability might not be up to snuff. If people have any recommendations, I'd like to hear them!

My current go-to despite the rashes are the orange, 8 mil, textured grease monkey gloves. I like coloured gloves instead of black so it's easier to see what's dirty, and the 8mil seems to be the thickest I can go without muting any sensation at the finger tips.
 
I'm sorry, I can't really help.

I hardly ever wear gloves of any kind. I might turn a zip lock bag inside out and put my hand in there to get rid of a raccoon carcass is about it. (There is another epidemic of raccoon distemper going on here again so they are dying everywhere and need to disposed of.)

During Covid, the bride bought some disposable gloves, but even the XXL ones don't fit me well. So I ended up doing nothing of the sort.

A really dumb question..... Why do you need gloves anyway? Just get dirty! I've found the best solution for grease and oil is Yellow SunLight Liquid DishSoap. It's better than pumice or Orange or or or. It's also WAAAAY better than that duck soap (Dawn).

I'm not suggesting you should never wear gloves. I handle pesticides all the time around the farm and heavy pesticide gloves are part of the deal. They make sense for that. But handling chemicals is usually a short duration activity. My chemical gloves also have a cotton lining.

But I'm living proof that grease and oil are not gunna shorten your life span and I don't worry about them.

I suppose some might even argue that gloves of any kind are dangerous around machines. I don't have an opinion on that.

My 2 cents for what it's worth.
 
I used to never wear gloves as well, but removing gloves is way faster than washing hands, so they work better for me. Washing my hands in the house means I need to remove my shoes and brush myself down so I don't carry chips through the house. And besides, your partner might be more receptive to expressions of love if your hands are clean and soft ;).
 
1678158265740.jpeg

I prefer those style, they’re cheap and still let you have some dexterity. They breathe but if it’s hot they do get soaked. They aren’t great at living in oil soaked environments, but for $2 a pair I never much cared

For working with lots of wash tank or other chemicals for long periods, the full rubber gloves are my go to, but my hands sweat so much it’s uncomfortable after awhile. So they stay dry from the chemicals but there’s no breathability

My 0.5 cents worth
 
Xyphota said:
And besides, your partner might be more receptive to expressions of love if your hands are clean and soft ;).
Click to expand...

They gotta be clean - hence the sunlight dish soap.

On the flip side she loves em rough.

Then again, might be another one of those size things..... ;)

I keep a pair or two of gorilla gloves in the tractor cab to avoid getting grease and dirt on the steering wheel, but I always forget to put them on and end up using a shop rag to get as much off as possible.

Maybe if I kept them in my pocket instead of the cab, I'd be more likely to put them on.

A pair like @Chicken lights recommends would be better I think.

Xyphota said:
Washing my hands in the house means I need to remove my shoes and brush myself down so I don't carry chips through the house.
Click to expand...

I don't see how gloves help with this. Ya gotta get rid of the chips whether you wear gloves or not.

If you mean washing between jobs, then I guess gloves make some sense for the nasty jobs. But they are not usually long duration tasks so you can use something like @Chicken lights recommends and just take em off right away.

I've had a bit of time to think about your original question.

If you are using gloves to avoid having to wash up, I think its a lost cause. If you need them to avoid the worst grease, then use em for that, but pitch them afterward.

Those surgical gloves are not meant to be worn continuously. Even doctors and nurses use new ones for each patient and just put them on for short periods.

You can use lined slip ons for most short duration nasty jobs.

They do sell different kinds of Peel off gloves though. There are chloroprene, latex, nitrile, powdered, powder-free, chlorinated, non-chlorinated etc etc. Try em all.

Also try putting them on only when you need them. Keep a box handy and use the physician mindset - touching new patient means new gloves. They are pennies each.

Fundamentally, if they keep oil and grease out, they also keep sweat in. I don't think you can have one without the other. The ones that do breathe a bit depend on a loose fit so you lose feel.

Have you tried shop rags?
 
@Degen thanks for the suggestion, I'll look into that.

I am comfortable with nitrile gloves around rotating equipment. I have gloves similar to what @Chicken lights suggested for handling large sharp objects, but I wouldn't wear those around rotating equipment.

@Susquatch I think you missed the part where I have sensitive skin :p. I am going to stick with gloves if I can make it work, but I can tell you are very passionate about this topic haha!
 
Xyphota said:
@Susquatch I think you missed the part where I have sensitive skin :p. I am going to stick with gloves if I can make it work, but I can tell you are very passionate about this topic haha!
Click to expand...

Actually no I didn't.

But your first post clearly made it sound like your sensitivities were to the gloves themselves - not the work environment.

That's why I took the time to list so many alternatives.

I spent quite a bit of time reading your first post in order to understand your situation and provide meaningful input. Ya, I love to joke around but I also like to help.

To be honest, your first post made it sound like the work environment didn't bother you UNTIL you started wearing gloves. That's why I suggested just dumping the gloves.

That said, I also assumed your sensitivities to gloves might mean other sensitivities too. Hence my discussion about only wearing the gloves when you needed to. Treat them like they were intended to be used. Disposable short term use. Dump them between the tasks your skin can't handle. Take the time to learn what exactly bothers your skin and what doesn't.

It's unlikely that cutting oil, gear oil, and spindle oil bothers you. But if they do, try various other alternatives - especially synthetics.

But yes, my bride will testify that I am passionate.... about many things..... not just how "handy" I am..... LOL!
 
I can see how that was miscommunicated! I appreciate your enthusiasm and for suggesting alternatives LOL.

I think I'm going to order some of these 'colloidal oatmeal' gloves off amazon and I'll let everyone know how they turn out.
 
Xyphota said:
@Degen thanks for the suggestion, I'll look into that.

I am comfortable with nitrile gloves around rotating equipment. I have gloves similar to what @Chicken lights suggested for handling large sharp objects, but I wouldn't wear those around rotating equipment.

@Susquatch I think you missed the part where I have sensitive skin :p. I am going to stick with gloves if I can make it work, but I can tell you are very passionate about this topic haha!
Click to expand...
I just saw a Nitrile/Vinyl mix glove with no powders for people that are sensitive ;).

BTW the powders are to make it easy to put on and absorb the sweat that comes from the hands.
 
Grease Monkey 5 mil (red box) powder-free are my go-to now. Tough during the job, much tougher than the common blue nitrile. If you haven't tried them, get your hands on some and maybe you won't react to them. Amazon and Princess Auto carry them.
 
Try cotton glove liners, it might require bumping up a size for nitrile gloves. We use them as warmers in really cold weather. they do help control sweat in warmer weather too. They're cheap and if it doesn't work you're not out much.
 
Hey there! I totally understand the struggle of trying to find gloves that don't irritate your skin. I've had similar issues with nitrile gloves in the past, so I feel your pain. One thing that has worked for me is using finger cots instead of gloves. They're great for protecting your fingertips while still allowing your hands to breathe. I found some good options at https://harmonycr.com/finger-cots/ that might work for you.I know it might sound like an ad, but I promise I'm just a newbie trying to help out. Finger cots are a great alternative to gloves if you have sensitive skin or allergies. Plus, they're small and easy to pack, which is a big plus.
 
amanyad565 said:
Hey there! I totally understand the struggle of trying to find gloves that don't irritate your skin. I've had similar issues with nitrile gloves in the past, so I feel your pain. One thing that has worked for me is using finger cots instead of gloves. They're great for protecting your fingertips while still allowing your hands to breathe.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the suggestion! My rashes occur almost exclusively on the backs of my hands, so those wouldn't be for me. I did try these colloidal oatmeal gloves yesterday and I don't have any rashes yet despite getting a little sweaty, but I'll them a few more tries before coming to any conclusions.
 
Xyphota said:
I've started wearing disposable nitrile gloves more and more in the last year or two, and it seems that if my hands sweat in the gloves, I'll get itchy rashes on the backsides of my hands. From the research I've done, it looks like gloves with a 'colloidal oatmeal' layer have helped people with similar sensitivities, but the gloves I've seen with these coatings appear to be much thinner than the gloves I'd reach for so I'm worried the durability might not be up to snuff. If people have any recommendations, I'd like to hear them!

My current go-to despite the rashes are the orange, 8 mil, textured grease monkey gloves. I like coloured gloves instead of black so it's easier to see what's dirty, and the 8mil seems to be the thickest I can go without muting any sensation at the finger tips.
Click to expand...

I wear nitrile gloves a lot. Not when using the lathe or mill, but pretty much everything else with any type of fluid, because autoimmune disorders make contact type dermatitis reactions more common and severe. Plus many fluids are carcinogenic... like oily grimy residues on machinery and parts. Parts washing, swiping machinery down with cleaners, painting, any fiberglass or two parts urethanes etc..

Making kimchi, sausages, all sorts of cooking and gutting so I dont have to keep washing my hands.

OH now the reason I replied, sweat is often a cause for contact dermatitis. Not saying that may be aggravating your issue but if it is colloidal oatmeal may very well help. Buy Aveeno colloidal oatmeal bath packets at the drug store. powder whatevery gloves you want with it. One packet will treat many pairs of gloves. Or if you need more like I do you can buy bulk

Colloidal Oatmeal Raw Material

www.newdirectionsaromatics.ca www.newdirectionsaromatics.ca
 
Quick update on gloves: I bought these ones off amazon mid-march and have been using them exclusively so far. No rashes as of yet, and with how warm it is getting I am sweating much more than I did in the winter.


They are not as durable as the grease monkey ones which is to be expected, but they are not too bad. At 250 gloves in a box, they are about the same price per glove as the grease monkey ones I like after the exchange rate and shipping. I think I will try @TorontoBuilder 's suggestion of just adding colloidal oatmeal powder to some regular gloves after I run out of these ones, but I will happily buy these again to avoid rashes.

My sister who is a Tattoo artist has much worse rashes then me, and we clued in that she likely also has a nitrile glove allergy as she wears them 30-40 hours per week. I just gave her ~100 gloves to try for the next few weeks and see if her rashes improve as well.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top