Ultimate Guide to Climbing Skin Care

Skin condition is as important as wearing good climbing shoes, or maybe even more important. However this can be overlooked or underappreciated. What's more, skin care tactics are nuanced and extensive. In this episode Josh Hadley and Tom Randall talk about elite level skin care, tactics and a hot tip from Adam Ondra that might be ground-breaking.

Links to Skin Care items mentioned in the video;

(Apart from our own webshop, we don't make money off these suggested links, we simply believe in these products and hope some of your will find this useful in your own climbing).

Download the Crimpd App:

[pv]

Thanks for the video! You mentioned chalk with drying agents in it: usually this is silica (like in Metolius Super Chalk) and should be avoided. When inhaled it is seriously bad for your lungs. Especially if you're climbing inside at the gym do everyone a favor and get chalk without drying agents!

[BigShelley]

I'm surprised iontophoresis isn't more talked about in the climbing community.

It's a bit of an investment (although some people do DIY the setup), but it's basically a machine that sends a weak electrical current through water that you place your hands in and it stops your skin from sweating. After a few more frequent treatments to reach the desired effect, I now use it for 20 minutes every 2ish weeks and my hands don't really sweat at all anymore. (I also use it for my feet and underarms, so that made the investment more worthwhile).

If your primary issue is sweating, iontophoresis can be an absolute game-changer and I highly recommend looking into it. If you also have issues with thin and peeling skin, iontophoresis doesn't do much to help with that (other than the improvement you might see just from not having damp hands all the time). Iontophoresis has made a huge difference for me, but I'm still looking for ways to improve my skin's durability. Everything I've tried so far has had very little effect and it doesn't how much I climb or how often, it just never improves.

Staša Gejo is one of my favorite climbers because you can clearly see she struggles with her skin as well. It gives me some hope. lol.

[PeakDistrictBouldering]

Useful video. Poor skin is right up there as one of my favourite excuses, along with: heavy legs; old age; shoulder injuries....
More seriously, I've found in cold winter connies I can 'over chalk' my hands. Rinsing the chalk off with a bit of water, reapplying some Rhino Spit, then chalking up again on clean skin made a lot of difference to me last season. Glad to see Ondra approves 🙂

[KaiMundsinger]

If you can't get hold of antihydral (which doesn't seem to do anything for me) or rhinoskin products or you're a cheap dirtbag you can get methenamine from camping stores. The white brittle bricks for solid fuel burners are usually methenamine (esbit for example) and cost next to nothing. Dissolve some in rubbing alcohol and apply it like rhino tip juice with a little brush. I have really sweaty soft skin and applying my diy tip juice twice daily is so far the only thing that actually thickens skin ok my fingertips.

[lolapplesauce]

One thing I love doing at the gym is washing my hands for 30 seconds in cold water, total game changer for hand dryness and skin temperature and its totally free!

[Langlykek]

Nurses trick for those that have to apply hand sanitizer all day everyday leading to dry/cracked skin: Put on your moisturizer and then put on a glove to cover your hand all night. Helps stop you from rubbing whatever cream off you are using and keep moisture locked in.

[BiggFanDDD]

I'm quite a sweaty person but I've never really found problems with my skin being too wet.. but what I can certainly say is that for anyone with eczema, avoid drying agents as much as possible.. the itch will be irresistible. Something like liquid chalk with powder chalk should be fine even on the hottest days out

[jhy]

I live in an extremely dry climate where the humidity is typically under 20% and so my skin is always dry and fragile. My best advice if you live in a dry climate is to buy a diamond callus file, keep your calluses down and "slug" your hands at night. Slugging is where you coat your hands with an occlusive moisturizer like Aquaphor (my favourite) or Vaseline. I do this at night and wear cotton gloves. You can put another moisturizer underneath the occlusive to enhance the effect. This is the only thing that helps keep my hands from falling apart in the winter!

[panubrodkin]

As mentioned, the active incredient in many drying agents is methamine. Alternative names for it are hexamine, urotropin and hexamethylenetetramine. Widely available camping stove fuel tablets are of the same stuff. And indeed it works ! Take few drops water and use the fuel pellet to rub the desided spots of hands. This can be used just before climb to prevent sweating and thus moist hands.

[toddgreen]

One suggestion for splits is to use a cuticle trimmer rather than nail clipper. IMO, they are much sharper and precise. But yes, this is a game changer!! Your mind says "don't cut away precious skin", but the reality is that the dead skin around the split seems to hang on forever, but if you cut it away, it heals in days. As far as tape rolling, in my experimentation, it is the width of the strips and how tightly you wrap it that matters the most. I wrap so tightly that my fingertip turns purple, but the tape stretches as soon as you do your first pitch. I like that the overlaps when you go from knuckle to tip form ridges that bite/catch on crimps. (I use Johnson & Johnson Coach/Zonas tape, YMMV on thicker/different tape.) I also have *super* dry skin if that matters. I've tried Rhino Spit, but honestly it didn't seem to make that much of a difference on grip, but I'll give it a second go and see about how it helps with elasticity and damage. The best thing I found was called "Sticky Skin", but of course they stopped making it right after I discovered it.

[teemunnee]

I have had by far and away the sweatiest hands off all my friends, you have no idea how helpful this is. Thanks so much. I'll be checking out some of those higher intensity products for sure.

[henryjb]

Just a side note on the “Ondra trick” - I used to skateboard an awful lot and this reminded me every time my fingers/thumbs would come in to contact with the grip tape I’d develop lil calluses and hard spots - was wondering whether low grit careful sanding of the fingers may be beneficial for some.

[ebachini]

I’ve been using Antihydral for about 7 years now and the biggest issue I found with it was after applying it at night I’d wake up the follow morning with little to none still on my fingers. Then about 3 years ago a friend gave me a pair of cotton gloves to wear at night. I believe they’re easy to get hold of and affordable too and means you’re not wasting your time and money.

[matthewsevers]

I get splits on my middle fingers at the first crease (end of first pad), and I’ve found that neosporin and bandaid while I sleep, then remove in morning works very well to promote healing.

[roystem]

Good video!

I also suffer from very sweaty hands! Was really limiting my ability to climb harder.
Now I've been using Antihydral for over a year. It works like nothing else.
Here is how I use it. I sand my palms and fingers under the shower with a pedicure file. Then once I'm done showering and before bed I wash my hands with a regular soap bar to remove the oils from the skin and immediately apply the Antihydral. I've found this promotes absorption and efficacy of the active ingredients. I rub a light coating over the palms and fingers and let that dry and apply a thicker portion on the finger tips. And leave it trough the night. In the morning I wash my hands again and apply a hydrating skin cream. This puts the moisture back in the skin but the sweating will have been reduced significantly.

With this method I only have to apply it once per week and I don't risk tearing the folds of the skin when climbing. After each session I wash my hands with soap, sand the skin lightly and apply cream again to promote healing. This keeps the skin healthy and grippy but stops the sweating.

[lomi]

finally someone's gonna talk about it ! Thank you very much guys !

[Makahan]

There is also a antihydral Spray which is super good to apply shortly before climbing. Also I have less problems with dosing the spray compared to the cream

[inMuro]

i do not climb but i row - same issues. really helpful vid

[fredericp]

I use Drysol on my hands before bed. Works for about 3-4 weeks. Works wonders in winter, less in summer because of the humidity where my hands get clammy faster.

[ivanlongoria]

Can you show us how your tap your skin flaps? I have the same problem. I use just a simple method, but if you do anything special please share. Great video, thank you!