Worried about dry hands? Try this easy 3-step routine at home
Hand care is usually a topic reserved for winter – when the climate is taking its toll on delicate hands, reducing them to dry, chapped, cuticle-compromised poorer versions.
With the world currently fighting the coronavirus pandemic, hand care has come to the forefront now more than ever. In order to stop the spread of the virus and keep as many citizens safe, consistently washing and sanitizing our hands has become a top priority in our daily lives.
During this lockdown period, while practicing means like staying at home to help flatten the pandemic curve, small acts of self-care are just as important. Here’s our guide to caring for your hands and spreading a little self –love.
1. START WITH A SCRUB
Prepare your hands to receive all the nourishment they need by performing a hand scrub. This will not only remove any dead skin cells and dryness from the hands but will make skin feel supple and more receptive to other hand products. Any granular salt or sugar textured scrub will do. Try scrubs that have an oil component such as almond, macadamia, grapeseed or jojoba oil as they are highly hydrating.
MAKE YOUR OWN HAND SCRUB AT HOME: Mix together half a cup of sugar (brown sugar has a more granular texture than white), one table spoon of olive oil and 10-15 drops of an essential oil of your choice (or lemon juice). Apply the mixture to hands in gentle circular motions then rinse off with warm water.
2. HANDS NEED MASKS TOO
Soaps and alcohol-based hand sanitizers are notorious for leaving hands feeling quite moisture stripped, so it’s crucial to restore hydration levels whenever you can. The next time your hands are feeling worse for wear, try applying a hand mask.
While there are masks specifically made for hands, if a hand mask wasn’t part of your essentials list, try applying your favourite face mask. Go for clay textures as they tend to be very deep cleansing, detoxifying and leave hands feeling soft.
Apply the mask to the back of the hands and cover each hand with a plastic bag. This will aid in the proper absorption of the necessary properties from the mask, trapping moisture in.
Leave on for the recommended time stated on the mask packaging before rinsing off with warm water.
3. DON'T SKIP THE HAND CREAM
If you have no time for anything else, best you make time to at least moisturise your hands with a hand cream. This will stop your hands from feeling dry, rough and prevent your hands from developing dry cuticles or skin splitting along the edges of the nail.
Contrary to popular belief, hand creams and body creams aren’t created the same. Hand creams tend to be thicker and are designed to add oil into the skin as well as lock in moisture. Body creams tend to be a little lighter and are made to absorb faster than a hand cream. So, go for a hand cream that has a rich texture with ingredients like vitamin E to help intensely moisturise and protect.
TIP: Massage nourishing cuticle oil at the base of your nails as the final step after hand cream. This will prevent cuticles becoming dry and help to promote nail growth.
