Hands are very much essential to us in our everyday life. They are one of the most useful tools and are very delicate. But sometimes overwork, stress and other factors can affect our hands making them dry and coarse. Exposure to sun, water, air and many factors contribute to premature aging of skin making hands age faster than any other part of the body.
Factors that make our hands age and dry faster
So we must take care of them as much as possible to keep our hands looking young and soft. The factors that make our hands age and dry faster are:-
- Weather Conditions– The weather can cause major changes in your skin. Low humidity can cause our hands to become dry and you will feel your hands being coarse.
- Work Influenced– If you’re in the washing industry or the health industry you likely have to work after washing your hands several times and sanitizing them. Treating your hands with chemicals and soaps can strip the skin off of its natural oils making hands dry up faster.
- Sun Exposure– Your hands are most exposed to sunlight and darken faster than any other region of your body. So you need to apply proper sunscreen on your hands as well to protect from the harmful UVA and UVB rays.
- Medical Factors– Some medicals factors like psoriasis can cause your hands to dry up quicker.
Psoriasis is a skin condition caused by auto immune disease. It can cause swelling, pain, redness and scaly skin. Palm psoriasis can affect the hands of a person and cause pus filled bumps. Hand psoriasis is caused by white blood cells and if you’re a healthcare worker or have to wash dishes, it could be a painful task. If you’re suffering from unknown rashes and bumps on your hands you should consult a doctor immediately.
If you don’t want to spend tons of money on specially designed hand creams or go for expensive skin treatment appointments, there is a way for you to get rid of dry hands with just household items.
Tips to get baby soft hands
Here are some tips you can try to get back those baby soft hands.
- Apply Coconut Oil– When your hands lose their natural oil due to soaps or hand washes, you can always use coconut oil and blend it smoothly into your hands. This will get rid of the coarse dry texture and the oil will help your hands to get softer.
- Almond Oil– Like coconut oil, almond oil can also be used for dry hands. Almond oil contains fatty acids that help moisturize skin. If you apply the oil and plan on keeping it overnight, make sure to wear gloves to let your skin absorb the oils.
- Petroleum Jelly– If you have a can of petroleum jelly at home you can use that to get rid of dry calloused hands. Simply apply the jelly overnight on your hands and wear cotton gloves while sleeping. The gloves help prevent the petroleum jelly to stick to any other surface and moisture locks your hands. You will be able to see a visible difference in about a week.
- Aloe Vera– Aloe Vera is a cure for all skin related issues. If you have dry hands, you can apply the aloe gel on your hands and wear a glove to lock the moisture in. For better results you should keep this gel on overnight until your skin absorbs the gel itself. The hydrating and healing qualities of Aloe are what make it a hit among skin care enthusiasts.
- Egg Yolks– Whisk an egg yolk till it turn into a creamy texture apply in evenly on the surface of your hands. Wash it off after 15 minutes with a mild soap to remove the smell. Eggs can help rejuvenate your skin and make it smooth.
- Honey- Take a few drops of honey and rub it evenly on your hands. Wash it off after 10-15 minutes. Raw honey has hydrating and moisturizing properties that can help dry hands.
- Milk– You can use heavy cream milk or malai (the deposited layer on top of milk; when boiled for a long time) to cure dry skin on your hands. Malai mixed with a tablespoon of honey can work wonders as a mask used for dry skin treatment anywhere on your body. It also acts as an exfoliant which can scrub off dead skin when mixed with oatmeal.
- Sugar – Sugar mixed with a tablespoon of coconut oil can make a good exfoliant for dead skin on your hands. This can also be used for callouses and frequent use can result in softer hands.
- Glycerin– Glycerin mixed with rose water and lemon juice can work well for a hand cream replacement. Your skin will slowly absorb the mixture making your hands feel moisturized.
Easy hand scrub recipes for softer hands
If you are looking for some easy to make hand scrub recipes, here is a list of them:-
Epsom salt scrub for hands
Epsom salt does not only reduce inflammation of skin but also exfoliated dead skin off of your hands.
Ingredients-
- 1 cup of Epsom salt
- 1 cup of olive oil
Procedure-
- Add Epsom salt and olive oil in a bowl and mix until the salt is somewhat dissolved.
- Rub it on to your hands and massage for 2-5 minutes.
- Rinse with lukewarm water.
Vitamin E and Brown Sugar scrub
Vitamin E is rich in anti-oxidants which help repair damaged skin. Brown sugar not only acts as a great exfoliant but it also has anti-bacterial properties. Glycolic acid present in brown sugar keeps your skin looking healthier and more radiant.
Ingredients-
- 2 tablespoon of fine brown sugar
- 2 Vitamin E capsules
Procedure-
- Mix all the ingredients until it turns into a paste.
- Apply it on to your hands and massage for 5 minutes.
- Rinse with lukewarm water.
Essential Oil Hand Scrub
Essential oils like Eucalyptus oil and Lemon grass oil are excellent for skin repair and healing.
Ingredients-
- 1 cup of sugar
- Half cup of coconut oil
- 2 capsules of Vitamin E
- 20 to 25 Drops of Lemon Grass Essential oils as required.
- 20 Drops of Eucalyptus Essential oil
Procedure-
- Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl until the sugar somewhat dissolves.
- Store in the mixture in an air tight container for everyday use.
Grapeseed Oil scrub
Grapeseed oil is extremely light on skin and your skin absorbs it immediately when applied. It makes your hands feeling soft and smooth all day.
Ingredients-
- 4 cups of sugar
- Half cup of grapeseed oil
- 1 Tablespoon of jojoba oil
- 1 vitamin E capsule
- 10 drops lavender essential oil
- 10 drops lemon essential oil
Procedure-
- Pour the sugar in a mixing bowl.
- Add the rest of the ingredients and make sure they mix well.
- Let the sugar soak up the oils thoroughly.
- Store in tight lid bottle and use whenever needed.
If you aren’t fond of scrubs and prefer hand creams instead. Here are some “Make at home: hand cream” recipes for you:-
Shea Butter Hand Cream
Ingredients-
- 1/4th cup of shea butter
- 1/8th cup of almond oil
- 1 tablespoon of beeswax
- 10 drops of Lavender essential oil
- 10 drops of Sandalwood essential oil
Procedure-
- Melt the beeswax, shea butter and almond oil using a double boiler technique.(If you are unaware of what a double boiler is, Heat a bowl filled with water and place a smaller bowl in it. Then toss the ingredients in the smaller bowl. This technique keeps the beeswax and shea butter from catching on fire)
- Stir the mixture well.
- Cool the mix down for about 10 minutes.
- Pour the essential oils one by one and stir gently.
- Store it in a container and use as per needed.
Honey Hand Balm
Ingredients-
- 1/4th cup of coconut oil
- 1/4th cup of almond oil
- 1/4th cup of olive oil
- 6 tablespoons of beeswax beads
- 1 and half tablespoon of shea butter
- 1 and half tablespoons of raw honey
- Essential oils like Rose and Jasmine
Procedure-
- Combine the beeswax, shea butter, coconut, almond, olive oils in a double boiler and stir the mixture well till everything dissolves completely.
- Let the mix cool down for about 15 minutes and then slowly pour the honey and 15 drops of your favorite essential oil and mix well.
- Store the balm in tight lid glass jar and use as needed.
- Use the balm frequently for better results.
Consult your skin doctor if you have allergies from any of the ingredients listed in the recipes above. If you develop allergies from any of these ingredients, get medical help immediately.
If you’re a working individual, chances are you have to wash your hands more frequently and if you’re in the medical field or cooking fields, it is inevitable to wash hands with harsh chemicals. Make sure to get enough rest, enough nutritional food and take care of your skin and do your part to make sure your hands remain healthy and young looking. A little care from you can go a long way and your hands may feel like softer and nicer as it were before. Sometimes natural care might not be the best way to cure an ailment and you might have to use chemically medicated creams to solve severe problems like Psoriasis. If the problem seems severe, you might want to consult a doctor and get expert opinion on how to take better care of your skin. If you are happy from the inside it is reflective on your skin outside, so try to get rest and be stress free for a better and healthy body.
