Where did those scrub brushes come from? Not the ones in your hands- the ones that are your hands. The ones that are so red, dry, cracked and painful you wouldn’t wish them on your worst enemy.  How did your poor hands get into this mess? To start, there could be many reasons such as the low humidity of autumn and winter dries and irritates your skin. Also, as you age, your body just naturally produces less of the oil that keeps smooth and supple.  Then there are some bad habits such as neglecting to moisturize your hands resulting in dry, chapped hands. It is time to get your hands clapping with joy again with these simple tips.

Don’t go near the water:  The basic plan for dealing with chapped hands is to avoid water at all costs.  Consider water to be just like acid on your hands, because it is the worst influence for chapped hands that we know of. Repeated washing removes the skin’s natural oil layer, which allows moisture within the skin to evaporate and that’s extremely drying.

Go palm up: When you must wash your hands often, ( as us ladies like to do) try to do just the palms. You can wash the palms much more often than the backs of the hands, which have thinner skin and dry out easily.

Use the lotion potion: Instead of using soap, clean your hands with an oil-free skin cleanser. Rub it on the skin, work it into a lather, then wipe it off with a tissue. This is a wonderful way to wash skin without any irritation whatsoever.

Try the bath oil treatment: Taking the no-soap concept one step further we recommend washing your hands with bath oil. They may feel really clean like they might with soap, but they won’t get dried out either.  Another fantastic oil to use for chapped hands is Bio-oil. It helps supplement the skin’s natural oils stripped away by factors such as extreme weather and other drying out hazards your hands have endured.

Get Topical: Use some type of topical emollient every time you wash your hands and at bedtime. Its strength would depend on the severity of your chapping. Lotions are the least moisturising, followed by creams and then ointments.  When using any lotion or cream  apply a double-layer application technique. This simply means putting on a very thin layer and let it soak in for a few minutes. Then apply another thin layer. Two thin ones work much better than one heavy one.

Put your hands in oatmeal: To remove the top layer of dead skin cells from chapped hands, we recommend a weekly sloughing treatment.  Process 1 cup of uncooked, rolled oats in a blender until you have a very fine powder. Place it in a large bowl, then rub your hands in the powder, gently removing dry skin. Rinse with cool water, pat dry, and lavish on hand cream. Wait 2 minutes and apply more cream.

Stay clear from Shampoo: Believe it or not, even shampoo can make your hands feel worse. Either let someone else shampoo your hair or wear plastic gloves.

Use sun sense: The sun is unfortunately a factor which dries and ages hands just as surely as it does the rest of your body. Therefore using a moisturising sunscreen on your hands is a must! Not only will this moisture and keep them looking younger, it will also prevent further chapping. Just stay away from gels and alcohol-based sunscreens because alcohol is drying. Also products containing the active ingredient PABA (p-aminobenzoic acid) can be irritating if you have sensitive skin.

Hire a cook: The juices of raw meat and vegetables- like potatoes, onions, tomatoes, even carrots- are sometimes very toxic to skin, especially if it’s already irritated. So you can either get your man to cook up a storm in the kitchen or the less exciting option- wear tissue-thin plastic gloves when handling food.  You particularly don’t want to squeeze acidic fruits like oranges, lemons or grapefruit with your bare hands. Ouch!

We often forget to take good care of our hands. Read our article on “All Hands On Deck” and learn how to look after your hands further