kettlebell calluses and how to treat them

[FBeyer]

I'm getting calluses from kettlebell training and I've already torn off the skin on both hands (so I'm stuck with presses and getups until my hands heal).
So tip number one is naturally to improve form when doing the ballistics, I get that, what I need to know is the easiest way to take care of my hands after training/one per week.
Some people recommend razors, files, stones, and all sorts of ointment as a combined treatment, which honestly looks like total overkill to me. I'm ridiculously sensitive to any kind of complicating additions to my existence at the moment, so any 3 step treatment that can be done in 1 step is 100% preferable to me.

I'm looking to find a simple way to treat my hands so I won't build up too much thick skin while training. Do any of you have good experience with a single hot soak and a one-size-fits-most treatment?

You know like:

dude bro dude just soak your hands in cray-cray hot water and rub then with a pumice stone

kind of advice?

edit:
Bonus for materialistic surplus shit-you-don't-need entertainment:
http://www.ronjones.org/Coach&Train/Bod ... ndCare.htm
Step 1) Buy a simple home gym comprised of a kettlebell
Step 2) Buy approximately 18 hand-care accessories to compliment your minimalistic home gym.

[Ego]

I use the file on my leathermans tool to keep callouses goldilocks, enough to provide protection but not so thick that they split at the edges. Resist the temptation to pick at them and cause a break in the surface. I find that those small tears grow into problems. A couple of times I've had to superglue the tears.

[jacob]

Why do you want to minimize thick skin on your hands?

After training, I heat a needle in a flame and puncture the callus at the base to drain it. That is all. They do eventually break anyway but in my experience, it's not as bad as if you never drained it. After a while you get better form, thicker skin, and no more calluses.

[Ego]

@jacob, those are blisters. Callouses form in the aftermath of blisters between layers of epidermis. Sometimes if a callous gets too thick the layers of epidermis beneath will experience friction between the callous and the lower level epidermis, causing a blister. There are five layers of skin on the hand. The lower the blister the less epidermis there is between it and the dermis (where the nerves reside) so it is more painful.

[henrik]

Gloves?

[enigmaT120]

Gloves?

That's what I use.

[FBeyer]

Gloves?

Only if they match your purse.
-M. Rippetoe

[FBeyer]

Why do you want to minimize thick skin on your hands?...

'cause, opposed to barbell lifting, thick calluses easily catch during high-rep training and tear half inch strips of skin off of my hands, as is currently the case.

It's not about removal, but about keeping a sensible level of calluses that keep protecting your fingers, without catching the first time you do an improper snatch drop.

[jacob]

Catching should become a non-problem soon enough. It happens when you're squeezing at the wrong times. Another thing to implement for high-reps is the finger roll. When the KB is "airborne", roll the fingers from pinkie to index (the movement is like drumming them on a table). This squeezes out acid from the forearm. It also prevents skin from getting pinched. And it gets you extra reps.

[brighteye]

My Crossfit coach suggests cutting/shaving the extra skin from the hands with a razor. I personally prefer a pumice, but a file should work equally well.
The bf uses tape (on his toes) to prevent blisters when playing football. Works very good.

[slog]

Despite my best efforts to use a good hook grip I build up calluses too. Then the presence of the calluses lead to some pinching and eventual blisters. I use a pumice stone to take the calluses down. I was told/read to do this after showering or soaking them in hot water and moisturizing my hands before bed but I've done fine just doing it dry and not moisturizing. If my hands start getting in bad shape because I went on too long of a break followed by over-training or just decided not to do anything about my calluses I perform all the swing exercises with socks on my hands. I think I got that trick from the book Simple and Sinister. The ends are cut off exposing the fingers and a hole is cut in the side for the thumb. The bell ends up sliding over the sock so the skin at the knuckle doesn't become more agitated. The sock decreases friction to a point that my grip is noticeably weaker (this may just mean I'm bad at gripping the bell) so I will usually go a bell size down on single handed swings.

[FBeyer]

Despite my best efforts to use a good hook grip I build up calluses too. Then the presence of the calluses lead to some pinching and eventual blisters. I use a pumice stone to take the calluses down. I was told/read to do this after showering or soaking them in hot water and moisturizing my hands before bed...

I decided on the simplest solution: Buy a pumice stone and grate off excess calluses while showering. As opposed to Jacob I actually shower in hot water, so soaking my hands in hot water is not a separate operation