How To Take Care Of Your Hands: Daily Hand Care Routine, Hand Cleansing Tips Plus Treatment For Dry Cracked Hands

We all have diligently washed our hands and used hand sanitizer during this time, and will continue to do so long into 2020.  The good news is that this helps reduce the opportunity for transmission of illness.  The bad news: hands are probably left rough, dry, chapped, and even cracked and bleeding. 

Here, we’ll review how to properly wash and sanitize hands, as well as provide you with info on how to restore moisture and softness to your hard working digits! 

Hand Washing:

According to the Center of Disease Control, hand washing is one of the most important things you can do to prevent the spread of illness.

To do this, we recommend you look for a hand wash with Seaweed extracts and botanical ingredients to help soothe and soften skin while deep cleansing.

Remember that proper hand washing should take at least 20-60 seconds.

The steps for proper hand cleaning include:

1. Wet hands with clean, warm running water.
2. Use hand soap and wash your hands thoroughly.
3. Wash all the way to your elbows, and pay to attention to washing in between your fingers and under your fingernails.
4. Rinse your hands thoroughly with water and then dry your hands with paper or cloth towel, or air dryer.

Washing hands with soap and water is the best way to get rid of germs in most situations. If soap and water are not readily available, you can use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol.

 Remember that hand sanitizers do not get rid of all types of germs, may not be as effective when hands are visibly dirty or greasy or might not remove harmful chemicals from hands like pesticides and heavy metals. However, in the absence of soap and warm running water, sanitizers can quickly reduce the number of germs on hands in many situations.

We recommend that you look for an FDA-approved hand sanitizer that is 75-80% alcohol in a hygienic and refillable spray bottle.

How to use hand sanitizer:

1. Apply the solution to the palm of one hand (read the label to learn the correct amount).
2. Rub your hands together.
3. Rub the solution over all the surfaces of your hands and fingers until your hands are dry.

This should take around 20 seconds.

Restore Dry Hands From Over-Washing

Apply a rich, nutritive hand cream after washing that smooths and moisturizes hands with rich Shea Butter and moisture-binding Laminaria Digitata Seaweed extract while it soothes the skin and senses with  Green Tea and Vitamins C and E as well as Lavender and Chamomile.

Problem is, you may end up washing off the hand cream through-out the day.  In this case, even though spring and summer are upon us, use a strategy we normally opt for during the dark, cold, dry days of winter when low humidity and water loss can lead to deep cracks and fissures in the skin can be extremely painful and even lead to infection.

First, when doing chores like washing dishes or disinfecting counter tops, be sure to use rubber gloves to protect hands from harsh cleaning agents and excess water loss.

At night, after you’ve washed your hands for the last time, give yourself an intensive hand treatment. 

Hand Treatment At-Home

• Apply a nutritive, skin serum rich in Seaweed extracts all over the hands and nails.
• Massage a seaweed-based essential oil to the cuticles of the nails and on the finger tips, where skin can be cracked.
• Coat hands with a thick layer of your hand cream, being sure to massage in to the skin thoroughly.  You can even apply a second layer if the first layer gets completely absorbed into moisture-starved skin.
• Have a supply of disposable gloves?  Put on a pair to sleep in. 

Repeat this every night to keep hands soft, supple and hydrated throughout the year.

Want to be a real Marie Kondo and one up your hygiene?  Wipe down all your cosmetic jars and tubes with cleanser, and then spray with the alcohol-based hand sanitizer. This would be especially good for shared resources such as tubes of tooth paste, and hand soap dispensers!

What are your favorite hand treatments? Leave in the comments below!