Is it normal for my palms to split open like this after a week of heavy demo?

Those deep splits at the base of the fingers are usally called fissures and they won't heal if you keep letting dirt and concrete dust get inside the wound. To get the grime out of those creases, stop using regular soap. Grab a tub of Gojo or any heavy-duty orange pumice cleaner and a stiff-bristled nylon brush. Scrub until you reach the actual skin, then soak your hands in warm water to soften up those leathery callouses before trying to apply any treatment. For the cracks that are already bleeding, the old-school fix is **super glue**. Clean the area thoroughly with alcohol, pinch the crack shut, and drop a tiny bit of CA glue right on the split. It will sting like hell for a second, but it seals the nerve endings and keeps the dirt out so the skin can actually knit back together while you're swinging that hammer. It's much more effective than a bandage which will just slide off once you start sweating. Standard lotion won't do a thing once your hands have reached that alligator skin stage. You need a lanolin-based salve or somethig like **O'Keeffe's Working Hands**. The trick is to go heavy on the ointment right before you go to sleep. If they are really bad, slather your hands in Bag Balm and wear a pair of cheap cotton gloves to bed. It is a bit uncomfortable, but it forces the moisture into those thick callouses so they don't just shatter the next time you make a fist. Check your gloves, too. If you are using cheap leather ones that have gotten wet and dried out, they are basically acting like sandpaper against your skin. Switch to a pair of goatskin gloves or something with more flexibility. And if you are doing demo all day, swap to a fresh, dry pair at lunch. Keeping your hands dry inside the glove is half the battle when it comes to preventing those deep cracks from forming in the first place.

If you are doing demo all day, those regular leather gloves just don't cut it once the sweat and grit mix. You need to pick up a pair of Ironclad Heavy Utility gloves. They have double-stitched reinforcements in the palm but the material acutally breathes, so you won't get that 'swamp hand' that turns your skin into leather. Also, if you want a salve that actually penetrates those callouses better than the grocery store stuff, get a tin of Badger Balm For Hardworking Hands. It uses olive oil and beeswax wich stays on thru the sweat better than O'Keeffe's.

Man, a 40lb hammer is a monster. I'd check the handle material too—if you're swinging wood, sand it down and hit it with some linseed oil. Fact is, those thick callouses aren't your friend if they get too dry; they just lose their flex and snap. I keep a pumice stone in the shower and actually sand the 'peaks' of my callouses down so they stay flat and don't catch on my gloves. Keeps 'em from tearing away from the soft skin underneath when you're gripping tight. Good luck with the wall, that's backbreaking work.

While the previous suggestions regarding pH neutralization and lanolin-based emollients are certainly valid, you must also consider the vibrational energy transfer inherent in swinging a forty-pound sledgehammer, as the sheer impact often causes microscopic dermal shearing that exacerbates those fissures. I have found that augmenting your grip with a high-tack athletic tape over the most prone areas before donning your gloves significantly reduces the friction-induced heat that contributes to that leathery, inelastic texture. Furthermore, ensure you are utilizing a urea-based cream with at least a twenty percent concentration, as it acts as a keratolytic to chemically soften the hyperkeratosis of those callouses more effectively than simple moisturizers can alone.

Update: Turns out that wall was definitly high in lime like you guys suggested. I grabbed some Gojo and a stiff brush, and man, the amount of grey grit that came out was insane. I also picked up some O’Keeffe’s, but shold I be sanding the callouses down before applying it, or just let the cream try to soak thru the thick spots?