The less we try to care for our hands, the drier and rougher the skin becomes – especially in the areas that are particularly stressed. You should take action at the latest when the knuckles on your fingers are red or the skin around them is tearing. Because dry hands not only look unkempt, but can also cause pain. In addition, bacteria have an easy time if the backs or palms of your hands have small cracks. It is therefore advisable to follow the most important steps when cleaning and caring for it. You can find out what these are in this article.
Although our hands are subjected to a lot of wear and tear in everyday life, the skin on the back of the hands is extremely thin: it contains only a few sebaceous glands and hardly any fatty tissue. The inner surfaces have many sweat glands, but no sebaceous glands at all. This can cause the skin to dry out (and, unfortunately, age) more quickly – especially if your hands are washed or disinfected with soap several times a day. But external influences such as UV rays, dry heating air, heat and cold also attack the skin’s natural protective film, which is normally supposed to protect our hands from drying out.
Our hands come into contact with millions of germs throughout the day: every time we go to the toilet, while shopping – even when we turn a doorknob or use a computer keyboard. In order to protect ourselves and those around us (not just in times of Corona), it is important that you wash your hands regularly – for at least 20 seconds. This is the only way you can prevent possible pathogens from being transmitted. To prevent your skin from drying out too much, you should heed the following tips:
Which hand cream is right for you depends on two factors: your skin type and the season. For example, if you tend to have dry skin, it needs special care – and should be moisturized regularly. A rich product is ideal here that provides your hands with sufficient moisture. If, on the other hand, you have sensitive and easily irritable skin, you should use a hand cream without fragrances or dyes. For normal skin types, however, it is only important to know that hands generally need more care in winter than in summer.
While nourishing ingredients such as urea or glycerin are intended to make dry hands more supple, ingredients such as shea butter or olive oil have a calming and regenerative effect on the skin. However, according to Ökotest, many products also contain substances that are harmful to health, such as mineral oil-based fats, waxes or synthetic polymers. For this reason, the consumer portal primarily recommends purchasing certified natural cosmetics that are free of dangerous problematic substances such as PEG, paraffins and silicones. You should also pay attention to the following points:
Not only hand creams, but also hand peelings, hand baths and hand masks are suitable for regular care of your hands. Proceed as follows:
Hand ExfoliationRegular exfoliation can help improve blood circulation in your hands. This has a significant impact on your skin: the poorer the blood circulation, the drier and more cracked your hands become. Another positive side effect of hand peelings is that they remove dead skin particles – although they should only irritate the skin slightly. This is possible, for example, with a homemade peeling consisting of olive oil and sugar or salt. Massage your hands with it and then wash off the rest.
Hand bathA soothing bath is also a treat for the hands. There are special hand care products from the drugstore department, but you can also make the hand bath yourself using natural ingredients: Take warm milk and mix it with a little olive oil. Then dip your hands into the mixture and let the bath work on the skin for ten minutes – this will make it soft and supple.
Hand MaskSimilar to a face mask, the job of a hand mask is to moisturize your hands while nourishing them. It can be used both during the day and left overnight – in this case, however, it is recommended to put cotton gloves over your hands so that the cream is only absorbed into your skin and not into your bed linen. Ordinary hand cream is suitable as a hand mask, alternatively you can also use moisturizing gloves for dry hands or ready-made hand masks. Or you can use foods that have a moisturizing effect on the skin, such as: avocado, quark and eggs. Mix the ingredients together and apply cream to your hands. Then leave the mask on for 15 to 30 minutes before rinsing off the residue with lukewarm water.
And one more tip at the end: Regular hand care also includes the fingernails, especially the cuticles. Always apply cream to the base of the nail to prevent it from drying out and cracking. This looks unsightly and, in the worst case, can even ignite. Therefore, nail care should always be included in hand care.
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