I’ve been performing card tricks for a while, but I still don’t have a solution for one particular problem.

In summer when it is hot my hands are very sticky and many sleights are impossible, cards just get stuck to my hands and it keeps annoying me.

In other seasons my hands are too dry and cold. I always get slightly nervous about performing so my hands naturally get just a little bit sticky. However, while practising I find it that I can’t perform many moves. So I have to get nervous, but I wonder, what if someday I don’t?

Very often it is enough to just lick my finger and it will stick to the card, and that is what I do when I feel that my hands get dry.

What do you do? How do you deal with hot summer and overly sticky hands or other seasons where hands tend to be dry and cold?

I merely do less sleight tricks in summer, and in winter I get hopefully nervous enough, as an out I lick my fingers.

Stevious, this is a popular topic at the Magic Café. Here's a link to a good discussion on this very question. Everybody's hands are a bit different so what works for me might not work for you (I'm liking Lee's Papercreme these days, but your mileage may vary). The linked discussion mentions a lot of products that some find helpful.
http://www.themagiccafe.com/forums/viewt......forum=10

For dry hands I suggest sortkwik.

I think a lot of these products are casual fingertip moisteners, they aren't 'magical' in any way (produced for magic tricks). Do they mess the cards in any way? That is highely unlikely, but I've never used any moistener.

How long does moistener last? Do you use it before performing or a few times during your show? There must be a sneaky way of applying those.


What about the opposite - sticky, warm, sweating hands in summer? That's harder to handle if one wants to stick to their reportoire which is full of sleight of hand.

Lotions and cards I've found don't mix. Nothing wrong with a nice clean way to wipe your hands off if it's hot people won't question it. Wipe sweat off your face/hands they feel the heat as well.

Dry hands I have no big deal for any of the work I've been doing. If I need a stick a bit of warm breath helps.

If you apply moistener to your hands, how long does it last?

Dry hands are much easier to handle, all I need is get slightly nervous, but I want to have something more reliable in my pocket as an out. Does anyone use a casual hand cream?

Thx for your replies.

Any allo or shea based hand lotion that is as simple as can be will be the best it will moisturize and not be greasy on the cards.

You can try 'Remoiz'. It is a cream for moisturizing. Apply it just before sleep. And during day time when you are not gonna do magic. Effects will be drastic within 4 to 5 days. Its cream of urea with natural moisturizing factors. I got it from my local chemist on recommendations of dermatologist. Hope that helps.