In reply to monsoon:
General advice seems to be to use some kind of hand balm after climbing/before bed because it'll help your skin recover faster, and prevent your skin from getting dried out and cracking from chalk use.
You want your skin to be tough but flexible, not sore or split-prone.
However, some people feel water-based lotions are too softening, which is why waxy balms (like Climb On) and greasy goops (like the time-honoured Elizabeth Arden Eight-Hour Cream, also used on sled dogs' paws on polar expeditions!) are popular.
Many hardcore bouldering blokes have braved the Elizabeth Arden counter in department stores to get their fix ...