Hand care is just as essential as face care and protection. The skin of the hands must be constantly moisturized, nourished and protected with suitable cosmetic products to balance the function of the skin barrier, thus preventing signs of premature aging, skin blemishes, chapping and redness.
Hand skin rejuvenation
Without hand protection, the skin becomes more vulnerable over time if exposed to daily sun exposure, housework, and the use of antiseptic soaps and detergents. Some habits in our daily life can help keep the skin of our hands healthy and beautiful.
Tips to keep your hands smooth and soft:
- avoid washing your hands too often with harsh soaps;
- each time after washing the hands are well dried;
- exfoliate your hands once a week to remove impurities;
- apply a nourishing cream often;
- drink water;
- eat a rich and varied diet of fruits and vegetables;
- wear gloves when it’s cold outside.
Hydration is very important for good hand health and appearance. When the skin is hydrated, it is much better able to cope with the rigors of everyday life (pollution, sun, etc.). Especially after summer or winter, the skin needs more moisture and strengthens its defenses.
Additional information! Unlike the skin of the face, the skin of the hands has fewer sebaceous glands, therefore it is especially prone to dryness and irritation. The lack of sufficient moisture in the skin leads to its dysfunction. For this reason, it is necessary to properly protect and take care of it daily by applying hand protection.
Hand care
Proper handwashing
The condition worsens with frequent hand contact with soap and water. Frequent use of soap can dehydrate your hands. Soap absorbs the skin’s natural moisture and causes flaking. Too aggressive for the skin can break its protective barrier. The washing process removes structural components, such as lipids, which are essential for maintaining healthy skin. As a result, the skin becomes dry, rough and dehydrated. Choose soaps with moisturizing ingredients such as aloe, olive oil, and jojoba oil.
Pay attention! When washing hands, always make sure that the water is lukewarm, as hot water can cause even more dryness of the skin, as it breaks down the natural protective film and causes strong dryness and irritation.
Frequent moisturizing of hands with cream
Moisturizing is essential for keeping hands healthy and looking young, especially during the colder months. A good hand cream is essential. Apply a rich nourishing cream twice a day, morning and evening. If the skin of the hands is very dry, do the same after each wash. To keep this in mind, keep hand cream in the bathroom next to the soap.
When the hands are very dry, you can use special hand gloves soaked in a nourishing cream for several hours, or apply a fat cream at night and wear thin cotton gloves. Your skin will be velvety the next morning. Moisturizing needs not only hands, but also nails.
Careful with hand sanitizer
Antiseptics irritate the skin. Some hand sanitizers contain ingredients that kill bacteria and are too harsh on the skin. Frequent use of hand sanitizer can damage the skin. To prevent this, mild disinfectants are used with ingredients that do not dry out the skin, such as essential oils and aloe vera. Limit the use of antibacterial lotions,
Hand exfoliation
Exfoliation should be done once a week with a special hand scrub. Dead cells are removed, the skin becomes smoother and softer and better absorbs moisturizing ingredients. You can make your own light scrub by mixing sugar or coarse salt with olive oil. If your hands are especially dry, avoid harsh exfoliators.
Opt for gentle exfoliators such as milkoia, salicylic or glycolic acids.
Sun and cold protection
Temperature change every time is a little shock to our skin. In this case, in addition to temperature, the level of humidity also plays an important role. All of these factors affect the top layer of the skin, causing it to often feel tired and dehydrated.
Use sunscreen
It is important to wear sunscreen all year round, UV rays and environmental pollution are extremely harmful to the skin because they cause free radicals and accelerate the aging process of the skin, causing wrinkles, hyperpigmentation, etc. Apply SPF on your hands every day so same as on the face.
In the summer, don’t forget to apply sunscreen with a high protection index to your hands to protect them from the sun’s rays. At low temperatures in winter, gloves must always be worn so that the hands are not left open and unprotected from the cold.
Dry hands are caused by daily exposure to the sun without protection, causing brown spots. Hyperpigmentation makes the hands more tired, indicative of age. Apply sunscreen to the back of your hands.
Wear gloves
Our hands suffer daily from many factors. Contact with detergents, cold and dry air can lead to dehydration, peeling of the skin of the hands, so always wear appropriate gloves. Leather or knitted gloves are ideal for cold days of the year, latex gloves are essential for all household chores, and gardening gloves are essential for caring for vegetation.
This is an easy way to prevent not only dryness, but also premature signs of aging, and to fully enjoy the moisturizing and healing properties of the cream.
When doing housework, we always wear plastic gloves. Especially if our hands often come into contact with water and various detergents.
More information! To further improve the health of your hands, apply a moisturizer to them before putting on gloves. This traps moisturizing and soothing ingredients and prevents the product from rubbing off.
Stylish manicure
Beautiful hands always complement well-groomed nails. If the nails are weak, break easily, a special strengthening varnish is applied. Nourishing oil is applied to the cuticle, and nude shades are preferred, which adorns the hands.
Hand exercise
To keep your hands beautiful, it is good to do physical exercises for a few minutes every day. Exercises stimulate blood circulation, disperse lymph accumulations and stimulate reflex zones.
Natural Hand Care
Hand masks
A great way to keep moisture in your hands is with hand masks. Before going to bed, apply a thick moisturizer or ointment to your hands, put on gloves, and leave the product overnight. Apply cream with intense moisturizing and soothing ingredients such as glycerin and ceramides.
For moisturizing and nourishing the skin of the hands, a mask with extra virgin olive oil is ideal. In a short time, it has a softening and soothing effect. Slightly heat the olive oil and then apply it on the hands, massaging for 15-20 minutes a day.
In addition to extra virgin olive oil, there are other natural products that are very effective for dry hands.
The most useful and easiest to use
- Argan oil is a powerful antioxidant, nourishing, rich in vitamin E, carotenoids and Omega 6 and 9, beneficial for the skin. It can be used by mixing not only with good oil (sweet almond or jojoba), but also with honey.
- The combination of shea and honey also promotes skin regeneration. Sheet oil is a natural product that can be used before bed. It has emollient, antioxidant and nourishing properties.
- Calendula due to its anti-inflammatory and healing action, calendula, combined with aloe, is an effective soothing agent for delicate and sensitive skin. Protective cream can be prepared in a water bath by mixing a few drops of calendula oil with aloe vera gel.
- Raw potatoes are mixed with olive or sunflower oil and applied to the hands. Ten minutes fromwashed with warm water.
- Lemon is mixed with almond oil and applied to the hands. Rinse your hands after an hour, and do not expose them to the sun for some time.
Healthy natural products for cold-damaged hands
- Avocados are used, and soon the hands will become softer.
- Chamomile. You can make compresses from flowers and hot water, and keep your hands for at least ten minutes.
- Mix honey with vegetable oil and apply on hands.
- Rice starch is dissolved in warm water (spoon per bowl), then the hands are lowered and left for fifteen minutes. After dry.
The beauty of the skin is closely related to our nutrition, and therefore, to protect and nourish, we need foods rich in vitamins E, A, C and trace elements, including selenium and flavonoids. High flavonoid content in foods such as blueberries, beets, black grapes, black currants, raspberries, apricots, peppers and broccoli. Cabbage is also recommended, as it contains not only antioxidants, but also selenium and vitamin C.