Dry hands are a constant fixture for me during the winter, but now that we are living through a pandemic that requires hand washing regularly throughout the day, my hands have become even more parched and chapped.
While dry weather, hand washing and genetic factors can seriously dry things out, there are a few things that can help prevent and remedy dry, chapped hands that are easy to do.
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What Causes Dry, Cracked Hands?
The main reason for dry hands? Not enough moisture and sometimes, genetics. During the winter months, there is less humidity in the air as the outside temperature drops. Indoor humidity levels drop as well due to indoor heating. Constant hand washing also contributes to dry hands, as soaps remove most of the much-needed oils from our hands, and harsh soaps and cleansers that over-strip skin tend to make this situation worse.
How well your hands can withstand dry conditions is also impacted by the strength of your skin’s barrier function. Our skin barrier is made up of a combination of proteins, lipids and oils and everyone’s skin barrier is different based on our genes. Weaker skin barriers make your skin prone to sensitivity issues, such as itching, redness, inflammation, dryness and eczema.
If you suffer from chronically dry hands or skin, you need to give your skin barrier some extra TLC to help it stay hydrated and soothed. The culmination of all these factors can leave hands so dry and dehydrated that they crack, peel and sometimes even bleed – a problem I get myself along the back of my knuckles in the winter.
Below are my 7 tips for preventing and remedying dry hands:
1. Avoid Harsh Cleansers
Cleansers are designed to remove dirt and oil from whatever they’re washing, but not all cleansers are created equal. Many cleansers are made with sulfates that can remove too much oil from the skin and leave it feeling tight and dry. Some cleansers include antibacterial agents that can be just as harsh.
Whenever possible, try to avoid cleansers that leave your skin feeling tight and dry after use and opt for cleansers that are sulfate-free or made with natural oils or creamier formulas that will gently clean your hands without stripping them bare of their essential oils.
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2. Avoid Hot Or Cold Water + Always Pat Dry
Water that’s too hot or too cold will just strip more moisture from your hands and can further irritate already angry, flaked skin. Always wash your hands (and the rest of your skin for that matter!) with lukewarm water to avoid moisture loss and irritation. When drying your skin, always pat dry, never rub!
3. Moisturize Your Dry Hands 24/7
Probably the least surprising tip – to hydrate dry hands and replace the moisture that they are missing, you will need to constantly keep your hands moisturized.
The best way to prevent dry hands is to apply moisturizer to your hands before they start getting dry and continue to moisturize them to preserve the moisture from evaporating.
Be sure to moisturize your hands when they are slightly damp to help lock in that moisture; keep moisturizer on you at all times and apply some right after you wash and pat your hands dry to trap that hydration in immediately. Re-apply your moisturizer regularly throughout the day and keep a moisturizer on hand wherever you go. For extremely cracked, flakey bits, dab a bit of Vaseline on top to soothe and protect these more sensitive areas.
RELATED READING: 7 Ways To Manage Dry Skin
4. Pick The Right Moisturizer
-Olive oil
-Mineral oil
-Shea butter
-Cocoa butter
-Petrolatum
-Paraffin
-Beeswax
-Squalane
-Dimethicone
-Allantoin
Humectants draw moisture and water molecules from the air and enhance water absorption in the outer layer of skin to increase skin hydration. Common humectants found in skin care products for dry skin include:
-Urea
-Glycerin
-Tremella extract
-Sorbitol
-Sodium lactate
-Aloe vera
-Honey
-Seaweed
-Collagen
-Elastin
RELATED READING: Soothing Hand Care With J.R. Watkins Shea Butter Hand Creams
5. Add Some Oil
If you’ve found a good occlusive moisturizer, it probably already includes some great oils to soothe and nourish dry skin. But for extra nourishment, I like to add a couple drops of a heavy facial or body oil on top of my already moisturized hands. I like The Body Shop’s Intensely Revitalizing Facial Oil; it’s too heavy for use on the face, in my opinion, but great for the hands and body.
Throw on some cotton gloves from tip #6 and you’re good for the night!
RELATED READING: Why The Purito From Green Cleansing Oil Is A Fall/Winter Skin Care Must Have
6. Wear Gloves (Even Overnight)
When going out into harsh, cold weather, grab your most fashionable pair of gloves or mittens to keep your hands protected from wind and cold. Are you the dishwasher of the house, like me? Try wearing dish gloves to keep your hands out of the water and keep your much needed natural oils in tact. For a great nourishing, overnight treatment for dry hands, you can also:
-slather on a heavy moisturizer, body oil and/or some good old Vaseline all over your hands and then;
-lock in all that moisturizing goodness overnight by putting on a pair of plain cotton gloves (I use these ones from The Body Shop) and wake up to softer hands!
7. Use A Humidifier For Dry Hands
A humidifier will add moisture into the air, which will help to keep your hands more hydrated. Try using a humidifier at night to restore dry hands and consider a mini humidifier that you can bring with you to work (if your work environment allows, of course). I love this mini humidifier from Amazon myself and leave it on my desk during the day.
And those are my 7 remedies for dry hands! Hope they help!
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