5 Tips for an Effective Hand Care Routine
We’re dedicated to making sure your hands feel strong and healthy! Despite being one of the most used parts of our bodies, hands are one of the most overlooked when it comes to skincare. A proper hand care routine is essential if we want our hands to look as good as the rest of our body. Use our tips to find the best way to care for your hands.
Factors in Determining Your Hand Care Routine
The most common hand care factor to consider is exposure to harsh ingredients and chemicals. These include harsh soaps, hand sanitizers, and other disinfectants, especially if you find yourself cleaning your home or washing your hands more than usual. These chemicals can also include common household cleaners like dishwashing liquid and detergent as well as topical or oral medication that can have side effects on your skin.
Weather and the environment are additional factors. Sun, wind, and humidity all play a role in skin dryness and hand care. Even small temperature changes, like going outside from an air conditioned house to a sunny sidewalk, can affect your skin.
Lifestyle choices and your daily activities make up the third factor. Lifestyle choices include the food you eat as well as personal habits like sleep, alcohol use, smoke intake, weight loss or gain, and stress level.
The Only Hand Care Routine You Need
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With that out of the way, let’s get down to the business of caring for your hand in the best possible way, using expert advice for Jergens® Skincare R&D Team.
Handwashing: Wash and Dry Your Hands the Right Way
Handwashing is one of the most important parts of your skincare routine. Depending on your daily routine, your hands may be exposed to chalk, dirt, and grease, all of which can cause irritated or dry skin on your hands. The first thing to know: use a mild soap or moisturizing hand wash when it comes to your hands to avoid drying your skin out.
For water, use cold or lukewarm, not hot. Hot water dries out your skin more quickly without being any more effective than lukewarm water. Similarly, stay away from prolonged heat. Instead of using a hand dryer to dry your hands, shake your hands dry and gently pat them down with a soft towel.
With Covid-19, you may find that you’re using hand sanitizer more often than before. Alcohol-based sanitizers dry out your skin, so it’s important to moisturize your hands after application. When using hand sanitizer, it’s best to wait until your hands are completely dry before moisturizing, as the alcohol-based gel can repel the moisturizer. If you frequently use hand sanitizer, try a hand sanitizing cream to protect yourself from germs and dry hands.
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Moisturizing: How to Improve the Look and Feel of Your Hands
Your hands tend to be one of the most exposed areas of your skin, so the skin on your hands tend to shed skin cells faster and more often. Regular moisturizing allows the skin to retain its natural supple texture.
The best times to use moisturizers are after a bath, exfoliating, dishwashing, and before going to bed. For those with extra dry hands, it’s best to moisturize each time you wash your hands. Keep a wet skin moisturizer near your sink for easy and fast-absorbing hand moisturization.
To moisturize your hands overnight, slather lotion or an ultra-hydrating hand cream on your hands and wear cotton gloves overnight to retain the moisture for several hours.
Exfoliation: Gentle Hand Exfoliation to Remove Dull, Dry Skin
Exfoliation is the process of sloughing away dead skin cells to expose the fresh skin cells underneath. Use the exfoliation method best suited for your skin type. Scrubbing is more effective for oily skin, while chemical exfoliators are recommended for dry or sensitive skin.
It’s best to exfoliate your hands twice a week, as more frequent exfoliation can irritate the skin and abrade perfectly healthy skin cells prematurely. If you have sensitive skin or open cuts on your hands, avoid exfoliation as it can lead to irritation.
Sunscreen: Protect Your Hands from Premature Aging
An often neglected part of an ideal hand care routine is sunscreen. Sunscreen is a key step in protecting your skin from sunburn and premature aging. When applying sunscreen to your hands, apply moisturizer first and then apply sunscreen. If you’re spending all day outside, be sure to reapply sunscreen about every 90 minutes and after you wash your hands.
Exposure: Keep Your Hands Protected
To prevent prolonged contact with cleaning supplies, use gloves when doing the dishes, the laundry, or other household chores. In the winter, keep your hands covered to prevent your skin from drying out. Low humidity and cold temperature often means less moisture in the air, which can lead to dry and cracked hands.
- Ditch those cuticle cutters. Cuticles are like the root of the nail. Cutting them off can result in tougher or jagged outgrowth. Instead, use cuticle oil or hand cream to keep them in check, and push them back occasionally.
- Use a deeply nourishing body butter. Our body butters contain a powerful combination of Shea, Coconut, and Mango butters to nourish your skin and provide long-lasting moisture.
- Humidify. Sometimes it’s not enough to moisturize. During the winter, or if you live in a dry climate, you may want to get a humidifier. Humidifiers add moisture to the air by producing water vapor or steam, so it’s known to help hydrate your skin.
- Use a hand balm if needed. Yes, they exist! Hand balms meant to treat damaged or extra dry areas of the skin and can be applied after moisturizing.
