Our hands are one the most used body parts of our body that we have next to our feet. We do nearly everything with our hands, we eat, cook, put our clothes on, wash them, wash dishes, type on our computer keyboards and many other things throughout our busy days. While we don't all suffer from dry hands, many of us do.
Many people that suffer from dry hands do so because they wash their hands several times a day, or they live in dry climates, although these are not the only reasons.
There are many ways that you can protect the skin of your hands and keep their skin soft and supple. Here are some tips for taking care of dry hands.
1. Drink adequate water. Like most skin care rules this is one of the first things you should remedy if you haven't been doing so already. Skin in order to stay healthy and supple needs a certain amount of water taken internally to be able to maintain a healthy glow. Drink at least 2 liters a day to maintain healthy skin.
2. You can also take one tablespoon of olive oil or flaxseed oil internally each day. While not a proven treatment, some claim that it helps to keep your skin supple and healthy.
3. Another thing that you can do to keep your hands from getting dried out is to wash your hands and then dry them until the skin is still slightly damp. Damp skin absorbs moisturizers better. Apply 100% aloe vera gel to your hands and then cover with white cotton gloves over night.
4. Avoid washing your hands with dish soap, and avoid exposing your hands to other heavy duty household cleansers, especially ones containing bleach products. Instead get those disposable rubber gloves and cover your hands when you have to wash dishes, clean the bathroom, or any other job where you'll be using these harsher cleansers.
5. Use a moisturizing hand soap when you need to wash your hands. Be sure and have either a bar or bottle of the soap at every place that you would normally wash your hands, that way you won't be tempted to use dish soap for example. It costs a little more but it's worth it.
6. If the air in your home is dry, consider getting a humidifier. This will help to keep all your skin not just your hands from drying out. Electric heat and even floor fans can contribute to dry skin.
7. When you do wash your hands only wash them in lukewarm water. Hot water can help to contribute to dry hands and even lead to itchy, scratchy skin if used with drying soaps.
8. Coat your hands with a thin layer of Vaseline petroleum jelly and then pull on cotton socks or cotton gloves and wear overnight. This will add considerable moisture to your skin, and the cotton socks or gloves help your skin to breathe. In the morning pat off excess Vaseline with a cloth or tissue. This treatment also works for rough dry feet!
9. If you don't want to use Vaseline petroleum jelly on your hands, consider taking a needle and pricking Vitamin E capsules then rubbing the Vitamin E into your hands. This will help both to moisturize your hands and to heal any cracks as well.
Our hands are probably are most used body parts so it's important to take good care of them. These fast and inexpensive treatments will help you to keep your hands healthy!
