I live in dry, desert country. Even in wintertime there’s little moisture in the air. Although they’re usually protected by gloves, my hands dry out in cold fall and winter winds, leaving them painfully cracked. The same thing happens when retrieving decoys from ice-rimed ponds. No matter how you try to avoid it, your hands get repeatedly soaked by freezing water. You end the day with dry, cracked hands.

Gloves In A Bottle is a lotion designed to work like an invisible pair of gloves. It’s supposed to protect against irritants while allowing your skin to retain its own natural moisture.

“Unlike artificial moisturizers, Gloves In A Bottle bonds with the outer layer of skin to turn it into what works like an invisible pair of gloves,” the company claims. “These ‘invisible gloves’ keep irritants at bay while helping retain your skin’s own natural moisture, resulting in skin that is better hydrated than what is achieved by conventional lotions.”

Here’s how it works: According to the company, the outer layer of skin basically consists of dead skin cells that protect the living cells in deeper layers of skin. The outer layer must stay moisturized to protect the deeper layers. To prevent moisture from leaving the protective outer layer, the skin produces natural oils. These oils also help protect against irritants you come in contact with. Washing with soap or exposure to chemicals can remove these natural oils.

When natural oils are stripped from the outer layer, Gloves In A Bottle, Inc., says moisture quickly leaves this layer, leaving the skin dry and itchy. The lower skin layers are left exposed to harsh substances like solvents, gardening chemicals, dirt, grease, etc. The result? More dry, irritated, chapped, cracked skin.

The company points out conventional hand and skin lotions replace natural oils with artificial oils that do little to heal the skin. It claims regular use of lotions can actually cause the skin to produce less natural oils.

These claims sounded good, but I’m a born skeptic. When I rubbed the thick, white lotion into my hands, it quickly became transparent. There was no oily or greasy feel – in fact I quickly forgot I was wearing “liquid gloves” as I went about my chores at home.

One of the claims I hoped to test was that the lotion prevented the absorption of smelly, potentially damaging substances into the skin. With this in mind, I purposely allowed some gasoline to slosh over my hands when I filled the lawn mower. Gasoline-doused hands typically retain an unpleasant stench even after frequent washing. I sometimes spray my hands with deodorant or rub a little toothpaste in to cover the smell.

After mowing the lawn, I was happily surprised when a quick washing with soap completely eliminated the gas scent. Later, I tested this property further by cleaning some just-caught trout while wearing Gloves In A Bottle. Once again, briefly washing my hands rid them of the fishy smell. Wow!

Pete Grimaldi, the company’s marketing director, tells me applying Gloves In A Bottle to your feet can help prevent blisters. That thin, invisible layer of lotion apparently offers some protection against abrasion. My feet have seldom (actually, never) blistered, so I haven’t tested that claim.

After wearing Gloves In A Bottle while testing guns under a blistering desert sun, I can report that this lotion appears very effective in preventing dry, cracked hands. Once you apply the lotion, there’s nothing to remind you it’s on your hands. You quickly forget about it. How do you remove it? The lotion simply wears off in three or four hours, so that’s no problem. Just remember to reapply when you spend the day hunting, shooting or fishing outdoors.

I never expected to become excited about hand lotion, but this stuff works! It’s available in many drug and sporting goods stores at $12.95 for an 8-ounce bottle. For more information, or to order direct, contact Gloves In A Bottle, Inc., Dept. SH, PO Box 615, Montrose CA 91021; phone toll-free: 1-800-600-1881; or visit the web site: www.glovesinabottle.com.