Your hands carry out almost every daily chore and face the wrath of all your workload. That is why it's essential not to neglect them. Did you know that dry skin can build on overworked hands and cause itching, flaking, redness, and irritation?
While you can't stop your hands from aging, you can instantly pamper them in a few simple ways to keep them looking soft, smooth, and healthy. Scroll down to learn more.
Why Is It Important To Take Care Of Your Hands?
Your hands are more vulnerable and prone to aging because the skin on them is relatively thin. In addition, your hands are exposed to all sorts of germs, dirt, harsh substances, and sunlight. Moreover, they aren't protected by clothing or makeup.
While you may give plenty of importance to your facial skincare, hands are often an afterthought when it comes to skin care. But it shouldn't be. Your hands deserve a bit skincare routine too.
How To Take Care Of Your Hands?
1. Clean Hands
Contaminated hands can spread infectious diseases. The current global COVID-19 pandemic is its best example. Even viral infections like salmonella and influenza can enter your body if you don’t wash your hands properly.
Looking at the present situation, you should ideally wash your hands after every hour with an antibacterial soap.
Experts suggest rubbing your hands well for at least 20 seconds. Include the back of your hands and wrists while washing. If you wear rings, remove them while cleaning your hands.
2. Use Hand Cream
Hand creams are better than lotions in many aspects. They are more long-lasting and thicker in nature.
If you have extremely dry skin, you should use an oil-based hand cream. Ingredients such as glycerin, alpha-hydroxy acids, and urea are beneficial as they work as humectants to attract the moisture from the air to your skin.
When the top layer of your skin dries off due to a lack of water, it causes cracks on the surface and leaves spaces between the skin cells. Emollients work as softening agents that fill the empty spaces between your skin cells and make your skin smoother.
3. Protect Your Cuticles
Your cuticles protect your nails and the skin surrounding them from all kinds of infections. If you trim your cuticles, it gets easier for bacteria and germs to get inside, which may lead to an infection. The next time you go to a salon for a manicure, avoid trimming your cuticles.
If you still want to trim your cuticles, you first need to soften them. To do this, soak your fingers in warm water or take a warm shower. Next, use a cuticle remover to push your cuticles back. Follow with a moisturizer.
Sometimes, trimming the cuticle can lead to an infection known as Paronychia .
Its symptoms include redness and tenderness of the skin around the nail, pus-filled blisters, and nail detachment. While mild paronychia can be treated at home, chronic paronychia requires proper medical attention.
4. Massage Regularly
Massaging your hands can not only improve their appearance but also provides a host of significant health benefits. According to a study, a hand massage can offer the following benefits:
- Pain relief
- Reduced feelings of stress and anxiety
- Increased grip strength
- Instant mood lift
- Improved sleep quality
5. Exfoliate Your Hands
Use a mild scrub to exfoliate your hands at least once a week. Exfoliation can get rid of dead skin cells from your hands while making them soft and smooth.
If you don't want to use a store-bought scrub, you can make one at home using wholesome ingredients like sugar, olive oil, and lime juice. Don't forget to be gentle and always follow with a moisturizer after scrubbing your hands.
6. Treat Cracks
Dry and cracked hands are a frequent complaint during the cold weather. Keratolysis Exfoliativa is a common skin condition in which there is focal peeling of the palms and less often the soles.
You may also experience air-filled blisters, redness, itchiness, and bleeding in the hands. It is crucial to keep your hands adequately moisturized at all times. Hand creams, petroleum jelly, jojoba oil, shea butter, and olive oil are a few effective emollients that can heal cracked skin on the hands.
7. Trim Your Nails
Trimming your nails has to be included in your hand care regime to maintain personal hygiene. If you keep long nails, dirt can get stuck inside them. Germs and bacteria get attracted to dirt. This may lead to a bacterial infection. Apart from bacterial infection, dirt from your nails can cause food poisoning too.
8. Manicure
A regular manicure can help keep your hands clean and nails tidy. In addition to shaping your nails and treating your cuticles, manicures can also enhance nail growth.
A hand massage during a manicure is also a relaxing way to de-stress as it helps improve blood circulation and stimulates blood flow while keeping your hands smooth and soft and reducing the appearance of wrinkles .
9. Proper Diet
A nutritious diet can help improve and maintain your fingernails and the skin on your hands. You should include foods rich in proteins, essential fatty acids, vitamin B, and vitamin E for healthy skin and strong nails. Also, a balanced diet will help you achieve soft and supple skin.
Wrapping Up
Taking care of your hands does not need to be complicated. The important thing to remember is incorporating regular hand skincare in your daily routine to help your hands feeling and looking good. Build a routine that works for you and stick with it. Choosing the right skincare products is also essential in order to achieve youthful-looking hands.
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