3 Dry Hand Remedies

Do you have dry hands and are you unsure how to remedy them? Unsure what's causing the dryness in the first place? At this time of year there are plenty of reasons you might be suffering with a case of scrubbing brush hands.

Reasons for dry hands include:

Cold weather: Cold, crisp morning walks are a delightful way to start your day. But cold, dry air draws moisture away from the skin.
Time indoors and central heating: It's not quite outdoor activity season yet. So we are spending more time indoors, using central heating. This results in dry, moisture-less indoor air too.
Extra hand washing to stop the spread of bugs: One of the top ways to cut the chance of catching a cold or flu is to wash your hands. If you are being vigilant and your hand washing has increased, you're likely experiencing hand dryness. Exposure to chemical hand sanitizers and soap can take its toll on our hands by stripping away the protective barrier's natural oils. Plus, if you're not drying your hands properly, the water on your hands will evaporate and leave your hands drier than before.

My 3 top tips:

Here I outline 3 top tips on what you can do to remedy those rough dry hands.

1. Protect

Protect your hands when you go outside by wearing a pair of soft, non-irritating gloves. Find gloves made with natural fibres so your skin is not further irritated. Dry skin does not like scratchy synthetics. Protect your hands while doing the dishes too. Wearing rubber gloves is one option. Insisting your child or spouse do it instead is another!

2. Humidify indoor air

Aromatherapy diffusers act as gentle air humidifiers, while infusing your space with essential oils. Choosing essential oils that have a cleansing affect at this time of year is a great idea. Lavender, tea tree and basil are all good options. If you don't have a diffuser, place a bowl of water beside your radiators. This will help to humidify the room and keep the air moister.

3. Add moisture

Adding moisture to your hands is key in keeping them smooth and nourished. Hand washing is a necessary hygiene practice to stop bugs spreading, but excessive washing is shown to impact your skin health negatively. Damaged skin is easier for pathogens to infect. Furthermore, washing damaged skin with either plain or antiseptic soap is less effective in reducing the number of bacteria on hands than washing normal skin; and numbers of organisms shed from damaged skin are often higher than from healthy skin. This doesn't mean you should stop washing your hands; it just means you need to look after them after each wash.

Top Tip: Using hot water isn't necessary to kill germs and has more of a drying effect on the hands. Using lukewarm to cold water will help your hands keep moisture in.

Here are my favourite ways of adding moisture to your precious paws

Moisturising hand wash

When buying hand wash, choose ingredients like shea, coconut butter and wax. They will help limit the drying effects soapy water has.

Nourishing creams

Apply a cream throughout the day but especially if your hands have been in water. This will help to replenish lost moisture through washing.

Echinacea Cream is an excellent skin soother. It is especially helpful for troubled skin. If your hands have taken a battering this winter and have cracks and small cuts already, this is the one for you.
Comfrey Cream is a rich formula that has wonderful hydrating effects. Perfect if your hands are very dry and sensitive.
Bioforce Cream is thick and gooey, containing plants that help heal damaged skin, especially where skin has become chapped and sore.

All these creams are in handy sized tubes that you can carry with you throughout the day.

Overnight hand spa

Step 1 – right before bed, prep yourself an oat hand bath. It requires little effort but is very soothing for dry, irritated skin. Place a handful of oats into a muslin cloth or pair of old tights. Put this into a big bowl or basin. Pour hot water on and leave to cool so that you can put your hands inside. The water should turn gloopy as the oats infuse into the water. Sit back, relax and enjoy.
Step 2 – when you are ready, dry your hands and apply a rich, oily cream. A Vogel Bioforce cream is perfect for this, as it contains a blend of beneficial herbs and oil in a natural base. Full of the crème de la crème of natural moisturisers it is very helpful in relieving chapped and cracked skin. It prevents damage caused by dryness and relieves itching due to dry skin too, and gives the effect of a luxurious "hand mask", a face mask for your hands.
Step 3 - with your hands covered in cream, pop a pair of soft socks on your hands to lock in the moisture overnight. Ideally, wear a pair of white bamboo gloves and pretend you're a hand model.
Step 4 – wake up and enjoy your softer hands. Repeat as often as you can.