Simple ways to care for your hands everyday

Like your face, your hands function as bridges to the world. You shake hands when you meet or greet someone for the first time and when you seal a deal. Your hands express your affection to those you love. They soothe sad children and those suffering from illness. Maybe you “talk” with yours. In any case, whenever you’re interacting with others, your hands will probably spend some time in the spotlight.

The problem is that your hands are also essential tools. You use them for complex maneuvers and lowly chores. Taking good care of your hands doesn’t have to be a major production. There are things you can do every day to help your hands look and feel good. Develop a good routine and give your hands a helping hand.

Wash with care and gently: Wash your hands frequently. If you make it a practice to wash your hands the right way, their look and feel shouldn’t be a casualty of your healthy habits. When you want to get all the oil or grease off dirty dishes, you use very hot water with a strong soap that will leave them squeaky clean. That’s exactly what you don’t want to do with your hands. You want to remove germs and grime, but you don’t want to strip all the natural oils from your hands. Wash with warm water instead. You should also avoid harsh soaps. Dermatologists recommend nondrying soaps like Dove, Neutrogena, Basis, Purpose and Oil of Olay . Liquid nonsoap cleansers like Cetaphil also work well. Antibacterial soaps aren’t necessary and may even dry skin more. They also can kill good bacteria on the hands and encourage bad bacteria that resist antibiotics

Moisturize: Good moisturizers can help prevent or treat dry skin on your hands. They hold that needed water in the outer layer of skin, making your hands smoother and softer. They also help your outer skin act as a temporary protective shield. Many people like to use some sort of water-based lotion, but that may not be the best choice. Lotions may make your hands feel great at first, but the water will evaporate quickly, drying your skin anew. Creams are thicker and long lasting than moisturizers.

When choosing a moisturizer for daily use, make sure you read the ingredients:

• Humectants such as glycerin, alpha hydroxy acids and urea actually draw moisture from the air around you into your skin. They don’t work if the air is dry.
• Emollients get into the spaces between the cells on the outer layer of skin. They replace oils that have been washed away to make the skin smoother. Emollients may be primarily water- or oil-based.
• Most products will include a preservative — often, several — to keep bacteria from damaging them after you open the container. If your skin is sensitive, some preservatives may irritate it. Trial and error may help you learn which ones work for you.
• Fragrances also may cause irritation or contact allergy. Avoid them or find ones that you can tolerate.

Glove em up: Wear gloves anytime you plan to use harsh cleaning products. There’s no use being careful about the soap you use to wash your hands if you’re also exposing your hands to household cleaners. Keep a couple of pairs of elbow-length rubber gloves around for heavy cleaning. Use an inexpensive pair of cotton gloves as a liner to prevent sweating and itching.In cold weather, wear gloves when you go outside. It’s not just to keep your hands from feeling cold. The gloves will also keep them from drying or chapping in the wintry air.Year-round, whenever you’ll be out in the sun, protect your hands with the invisible shield of sunscreen. The backs of hands, especially, need protection with a sunscreen of at least SPF 15 every day. A moisturizer that includes a sunblock of SPF 15 will also work.

Mini-Cure: 

• Don’t bite your fingernails.
• Use moisturizer on your nails as well as on your skin. For an extra treat at night, warm a favorite essential oil and give your nails a therapeutic soak.
• Don’t cut cuticles, push them back too far or use chemicals on them.
• When cuticles are soft and moist, push them back gently with a soft cloth.
• Buff nails with a soft cloth.
• If nails become discolored, stop using polish for a while.
• The acetone in nail polish remover can damage nails, so use it sparingly.
• Keep your nails clean.
• Prepare your nails and cuticles for grooming by cutting a lemon in half, sticking your fingernails inside and twisting them around to clean them.
• Use a file with a fine texture to shape nails and remove snags.
• File nails to a rounded point to preserve their strength.
• At night before going to bed, give your hands and nails a mini castor oil massage. Not only will your nails grow stronger, your hands will feel like a dream in the morning.

Stay Healthy: The skin and nails on your hands will benefit from a basic, everyday healthful routine. f you want to keep your hands and fingernails healthy, smooth and young-looking, think about what you eat. Research has found that a diet that has plenty of vitamin C but goes easy on the fats and carbohydrates may help skin look younger. Make sure that you stay well hydrated as well. Avoid prolonged exposure to the sun. Stress that isn’t managed well can damage skin and nails.