Preventing dry, itchy hands

• Easy on the soap. While regular hand-washing protects against germs and seasonal viruses, constantly sudsing up can wreak havoc on your delicate skin. Plain water can also cause dryness, which is magnified by heavily-scented or deodorizing soaps.
  Solution: Replace your normal hand soap with a gentler, hydrating version like L’Occitane Shea Milk Soap.
  Also, make sure your hands aren’t swimming in soap: use about a dime-sized amount when washing with liquid soap.
• Shield the hands. When chilly, windy temperatures strike, gloves are a necessity to protect your hands from cracking and drying out. But winter weather isn’t the only foe to supple hands.
  Solution: When outside, wear leather, cotton or wool gloves to fend off winter chills and protect the skin from harsh weather.
  Also, wear rubber gloves when washing the dishes and cleaning. Cleaning agents, especially those containing bleach and other harsh chemicals, quickly strip the skin of its natural moisture.
  For outdoor chores, don on heavy-duty leather gloves when gardening, stacking wood or shoveling snow.

Picking your cream

With so many hand creams on the market, it’s important to find one that suits your individual needs. Here are some options.

• Everyday creams. Search for formulas that contain ingredients that bind moisture to the skin and hydrate, such as L’Occitane Shea Butter Hand Cream or Bliss High Intensity Hand Cream. For extra sensitive skin, try ATOPALM MLE Cream, which will restore and maintain the skin barrier as well as lock in moisture. It's even beneficial for conditions like rosacea and eczema.
• Anti-aging creams. If your hands are marked with age spots, consider StriVectin HC Hand Cream. In addition to replenishing lost moisture and softening the skin, this hand cream reduces the appearance of age spots, discoloration and sun damage.
• High-intensity creams. For medical professionals, childcare providers or anyone else whose day is spent washing his or her hands over and over, keep a protectant treatment handy. With vitamin E, sunscreen and emollients, Barielle Professional Protective Hand Cream binds moisture to the skin and keeps hands soft, even after several washes.

Applying your cream

For best results, use these simple techniques to apply your hand cream.

• Always apply cream immediately after washing your hands to prevent moisture loss.
• For maximum absorption, apply cream while the skin is still damp. Damp skin absorbs moisture more effectively than dry skin.
• Massage cream into the cuticles, too.

Pampering your hands

Whether you have an entire evening or just several minutes between errands, you can still pamper your hands with luxurious treatments.

One minute

• Add oil. Prevent dehydration while doing the dishes by massaging a drop of almond oil with L’Occitane Almond Supple Skin Oil (or try olive oil) into the hands and nails before getting started. When washing your hands, add a spoonful of sugar to your liquid hand soap for a sweet exfoliating treat.

Five minutes

• Bathe in milk. Soaking hands in a cup of warm (but not hot) milk will hydrate skin and strengthen nails. Milk is a natural choice for softening the skin, because it contains lactic acid, an alpha hydroxy acid that naturally exfoliates dry skin. Milk also contains calcium to fortify your nails.
• Enjoy a mini-massage. A great time to give hands a quick massage is while applying your hand cream.
  • First, add a drop of calming essential oil to your cream to soothe the senses.
  • Then, apply the cream to the palm of your hand, place one hand on top of the other and massage gently.
  • Switch hands after about a minute.
  • Next, lace fingers together and use the thumb of each hand to massage the opposite palm.
  • Finally, focusing on one finger at a time, start at the top of the finger and knead down to the tip.

10 minutes

• Exfoliate. There are rows of products meant specifically for sloughing away dead skin, but some are better for the hands than others. Part of the StriVectin Specialized Hand Care System, the StriVectin-NE NanoExfoliant treats hands that show signs of environmental damage. Regular use of this exfoliator will increase cell turnover and improve elasticity and hydration.
• Create a scrub. You can also make your own exfoliant using products from your kitchen cupboards. For extra scrubbing power, use an old toothbrush to apply the mixture.
  • Sugar and oil: Mix three tablespoons of sugar with one tablespoon of oil (vegetable, olive or almond). Mix until blended, rub for five to seven minutes and then rinse.
  • Sea salt and lemon: Mix equal parts and scrub; the lemon will also help to lighten discoloration and sun spots.
  • Sugar and lime: Use equal parts sugar, water and lime juice. Mix lightly, rub until it begins to dry and rinse.
  • Cornmeal: Mix with water to make exfoliating paste that also softens the hands.

20 minutes

• Soak in Jell-O. Mix gelatin and hot water, and let it set for approximately five minutes. Then, plunge your hands in and soak them for 15 minutes. Rinse well and pat dry, following with hand cream. Regular gelatin treatments will strengthen nails and may prevent dry, cracked skin.

30 minutes

• Cook up a sweet treat. Wash hands gently and while still damp, apply a mixture of equal parts honey and olive oil. Put hands in a plastic bag, and then put on a pair of cotton gloves while the treatment penetrates.

Overnight

• Cover up. After applying your favorite hand cream, slip hands into cotton gloves and hit the sheets. Better yet, invest in a pair of moisturizing gloves like Bliss Glamour Gloves. These gel-lined gloves create an effective barrier to help seal in moisture. Use at bedtime and wake up with a set of supple hands.

See also:

Happy, Healthy Feet: 3 Steps to Pamper Your Soles At Home