Hand Creams to soothe dry, sanitised, winter hands.
Is anybody else suffering with dry hands at the moment? This is a really irritating problem most often a cold weather complaint but living through a pandemic having to sanitise with alcohol based products every 5 minutes and frequent hand washing is causing our hands to dry out and feel really uncomfortable.
Some tips I use that definitely help;
When you hands are immersed in water, wear gloves, this will help the water from stripping your skin.
Keep a hand cream with you and moisturise several times a day.
Treat your hands overnight, vaseline is great to apply last thing at night and apply a pair of soft gloves ( or socks) This is tricky but it makes a huge difference.
Hydrocortisone is great for inflamed or red skin although ask a pharmacist for advice, never use on broken skin.
If this condition becomes very uncomfortable, ask your GP’s advice, there are creams and lotions they can prescribe, usually for conditions such as Eczema) that can help. Often these creams contain Urea, sometimes available off the shelf.
My favourites:
Eucerin Cream contains 5% Urea and Lactate, this is a lovely one and leaves the skin feeling so smooth. ( Fragrance free) You can buy this in Superdrug or Boots and of course Amazon.
Dermalogica Multivitamin Hand and Nail Treatment comes in a handbag size, its non greasy and great for the hands and nails as it contains botanical and vitamins ( Fragrance free).
Kiehl’s Ultimate Strength Hand Salve is amazing, its thick but non greasy and feels so soothing. It dries in quickly and leaves the hands feeling really soft.
How well your hands can withstand winter’s harsh conditions has a lot to do with the strength of our skin barrier,
The skin barrier is a mix of proteins, lipids, and oils. It protects your skin, and how good a job it does is mostly about your genes.
If you have a weak barrier, you’re more prone to symptoms of sensitive skin such as inflammation, itching and eczema. To treat parched, scaly hands, you need to replace the moisture that your skin is missing. Drinking water, won’t do that. A moisturiser applied regularly will prevent water from evaporating and give your skin a healthy appearance.
Prevention is better than cure so start moisturising before there is a problem.