- Always wear gloves
Wear gloves – both warm gloves before going out and rubber gloves before cleaning your flat. This is probably the easiest, but also the most important way to keep your hands dry, cracked, and otherwise uncomfortable. We can’t do our flat cleaning without chemicals, which are excellent at removing dirt and dust but are disastrous for our skin. Household chemicals destroy the epidermis layer of the skin, thus stripping it of its natural protective barrier. If you don’t use gloves, the results are regrettable – dry and rough hands, redness, irritation, and allergic reactions.
2. Apply the nourishing cream regularly
In winter, you should always use a nourishing cream rather than a moisturizer. The fact is that the ingredients in moisturizing creams form microcrystals, which negatively affect the skin, creating small cracks and damage that is invisible to the eye. In addition, such creams can dehydrate the skin – this unpleasant process is influenced by the humidity level, both outdoors and indoors. If, for instance, the humidity level in the room is below 60% the applied cream will not be able to saturate the skin with moisture, on the contrary, it will make it even drier. To keep your hands looking silky smooth all winter long, apply nourishing cream in every situation: wash your hands – apply cream, do the cleaning – apply cream, plan to go out – apply the cream. Thanks to such a habit, your hands will always be well-groomed and pleasant to the touch. Our expert answers what winter cream should contain.
3. Use moisturizing soap
Many people don’t believe there’s a difference between regular, moisturizing, and antibacterial soaps. But there really is a difference: antibacterial soaps have a special ingredient, triclosan, but like regular soaps, they are very drying on the hands. In winter, it is better to switch to a moisturizing soap, which has a creamy texture and contains various oils and extracts aimed at nourishing and restoring the skin, as well as vitamin E.
4. Do not wash your hands with hot water and dry them thoroughly with a towel
The first thing we do when we come in from the cold is to run to the bathroom to dip our hands into hot water to warm ourselves up. The heat will quickly spread over your body, but your hands will be badly affected by these temperature fluctuations. The sudden change in temperature will lead to slower blood circulation, constriction of blood vessels, and impaired nourishment of the skin, cuticles, and nails. It is always better to wash your hands with warm water and then dry them with a towel. Any water that may remain on the surface of the hands will quickly evaporate along with the inner moisture, leaving the skin completely dry and dehydrated.
5. Remember the Vaseline
Cosmetic manufacturers have spoilt us with a wide and varied selection. But decades ago, people didn’t know what ‘hand lotion’ and ‘nourishing hand mask with aloe extract’ were, back then there was only one product for all occasions: Vaseline. And if you don’t have that nourishing hand cream on hand, you can use petroleum jelly on rare occasions.
6. Use a scrub
Exfoliating the skin is a very important part of all hand care. The fine particles not only get rid of impurities and dead skin cells but also promote better blood circulation. After such a treatment, the nourishing cream penetrates deeper into the inner layers of the skin and is more effective.
7. Humidify the air in your home
Hand skin is different from facial skin – the former has significantly less moisture and sebum, which makes it more difficult for it to cope with external influences on its own. During the heating season, the radiators are on full blast, thus making the air in the flat dry. This leaves your skin dehydrated, flaky, and tight, and it can start to show the first signs of aging. You do not need to buy a special humidifier, you can simply put a container of water near a source of heat. And adding a few drops of your favorite oil to the water will fill your room with pleasant fragrances.
8. Pamper your hands
Extra care is never superfluous. Various oil baths and homemade natural hand masks can have an excellent effect if you know which ingredients to use.