Happy And Healthy Hands

How many times have you washed your hands today? Do you find it a bit crazy that it takes a world health pandemic to start paying closer attention to the health of our hands? Why weren’t we washing our hands and taking care of them with this much love and attention before?

Our hands are exposed to the elements of nature more so than any other part of our body. Wind, rain, sun, water and because of this exposure our hands are on track to age much faster than the skin we have everywhere else.

Now don’t get us wrong, washing your hands frequently is one of the best ways to prevent the spread of germs, bacteria and viruses and this is crucial for us to be doing, not just now but every single day.

But with the frequency of washing our hands, surely this is paying a toll on the health of our skin? Have you noticed that your hands are feeling extra dry, irritated and perhaps even a little bit dehydrated? Not only are we washing away those nasties that we certainly don’t want, we are also washing away those natural, protective oils in our skin and this causes our skin to dry out and show those signs of ageing!

Now keeping in mind, as we mentioned, that the skin on our hands ages much faster than the rest of our body, we really want to look after them and treat them with a lot more love. After all, we use our hands for almost everything that we do in our day to day lives. So let’s take a look at what we can do now and every day to give them the love and care that they deserve.

If we are stripping away those natural oils that our hands rely on to stay happy and heathy then we need to start by putting the good stuff back in. Hand creams, hand sanitisers and hand treatments are all going to be what you want now and you are going to want to pay close attention to those ingredients on the labels.

CHOOSING A HAND WASH

We really need to pay close attention to the hand wash that we are upping the usage on and making sure that we are using hand washes that contain moisturising ingredients such as aloe vera, shea butter, coconut oil and vitamin e. Another ingredient to be on the lookout for in a hand wash especially, is glycerin. This skin loving ingredient, is a humectant, which means it moisturises the skin by drawing water and moisture from the air into our skin.

CHOOSING A HAND SANITISER

With hand sanitisers literally walking off the shelves and into our daily routine, it’s safe to say that this will be a product that us mere mortals will come to rely on. But, not all hand sanitisers are created equal so here’s our advice on what to look for when making your next purchase.

Alcohol should be the first ingredient on the list, look for isopropyl alcohol, ethanol or ethyl alcohol on the label. Formulations with 60% – 95% alcohol content are the ones that are going to be most beneficial in killing off bacteria and viruses.

CHOOSING A HAND CREAM

Once again, moisturising ingredients are key here and one of our ultimate ingredient heroes to be on the lookout for are antioxidants which work to protect our skin by reducing and counteracting free radical production. The result = reduction of pigmentation and those naughty fine lines and wrinkles.

CONCLUSION

There are no shortcuts when it comes to the ultimate in hand hygiene and protection. We all must play our part now more than ever in keeping germs, bacteria and viruses at bay and ensuring that we are helping and caring for our skin at the same time. As we get older, your hands will thank you!