Hand Care 101:Keeping Your Hands Soft and Supple
Hands are the workhorses of our bodies. They help us accomplish everyday tasks like typing, cooking, cleaning, and so much more. Unfortunately, they are also one of the most overlooked parts of our body when it comes to skincare.
Taking care of the skin on your hands is just as important as taking care of the skin on your face or any other part of your body. In this blog post, we'll go over everything you need to know about hand care, including why it's important to take care of your hands, what happens when your hands get too dry, and things that can impact your hands.
Read on and educate yourself on all things hand care.
Why It’s Important to Take Care of Your Hands
The skin on our hands is generally thinner and more delicate than the skin on other parts of our body. It also has fewer oil glands, making it more susceptible to dryness and cracking. Using harsh soaps, washing your hands frequently, and exposure to cold weather can all contribute to dry and rough hands. Neglecting your hands can lead to painful cracks, bleeding, and even infection. Depending on your line of work, you may not have a choice over how frequently you need to wash your hands-those in healthcare, education, construction, and food service will know that frequency well. But it doesn’t mean you have to live with the consequence of dry, rough, and cracked hands. You have options and we’ll get to them!
One of the main reasons to take care of your hands is to keep them looking young and healthy. Our hands are often the first part of our body to show signs of aging. By keeping your hands moisturized and protected from the sun, you can minimize the appearance of wrinkles and age spots. Many of us keep the sunscreen use to heavily exposed areas like the face, chest, back, and arms during those hot summer months. We should, however, be using sunscreen year round and especially on our hands. They’re likely to see more sunlight year round (along with the face) than other areas of our skin do.
What Happens if Your Hands Get Too Dry
Knowing that your hands may get more dry than other parts of the body is one thing. Knowing what to do about it is another. When your hands get too dry, they can become red, itchy, and flaky. The skin may also crack, which can be painful and make it difficult to perform everyday tasks. In severe cases, the skin on your hands may even bleed or become infected as a result of these open patches on the hands.
By properly drying your hands after hand washing and using one of our high-quality cremes or lotions, you can get rid of dryness. Our lotions are great for those with any level of dryness. This lotion can be kept for convenience in the bathroom or by any sinks to remind you to use it after you wash. The cremes are formulated for more intensive moisturizing and are great for use at the end of the day when you’re looking for a deep repair to the day's deeds.
Things That Can Impact Your Hands
There are many things that can impact the health of your hands. Some of the most common factors include:
Harsh soaps and cleaning products
Frequent hand washing
Cold weather
Sun exposure
Age
Medical conditions like eczema and psoriasis
To keep your hands healthy, it's important to avoid harsh soaps and cleaning products that can strip your skin of its natural oils. Instead, opt for gentle, moisturizing products that will nourish your skin, like our hand and body washes here. When cleaning, opt for a pair of gloves to protect your hands from any cleaning products.
Bonus: you’ll protect your hands from germs when you choose to clean with gloves on too!
You should also try to limit your exposure to cold weather and wear gloves when you're outside in the cold. Protecting your hands from the sun and heat is also important. UV rays can cause age spots and wrinkles on your hands, just like they can on your face. Remember to put your SPF on your hands as well. At least SPF 30 should do the trick.
Since we’re a natural skincare company, we would be remiss if we didn’t mention natural sunscreen options even if we don’t offer any ourselves. Many countries have banned ingredients that we still use prevalently here in the USA. These ingredients have been banned not only because they can be toxic to humans, but they also pose toxic threats to nature and wildlife. Playing it safe with a natural mineral sunscreen is a good choice (although they can be thicker and more challenging to rub in thoroughly) but ingredients you should steer clear of are:
Oxybenzone
Avobenzone
Octinoxate
Those are just to name a few. Check out this resource for a more comprehensive guide of what to look for in sunscreens.
Taking care of your hands is an important part of any skincare routine-bottom line. By keeping them moisturized with a high-quality, natural product, protected from the sun, and avoiding harsh chemicals, you can keep your hands looking young and healthy. Don't forget to treat your hands with the same care and attention as you do for the rest of your body. With a little bit of TLC, your hands will be soft, smooth, and supple for years to come.
To pick up your hand care supplies in the form of lotions and cremes, click here.
