With the recent increased need to wash and sanitise our hands more regularly, you may be finding your hands are left dry and irritated, this is because you are stripping away your skin’s moisture barrier. This barrier helps protect the skin from harmful microbes and once your hands become irritated, they can easily get worse with every subsequent wash.
Here are a few tips to help keep hands healthy:
#1: Wash with Mild Soaps As long as you are thoroughly washing your hands, natural soaps will work just as well as antibacterial alternatives, and they will be kinder to your skin.
#2: Use Lukewarm Water The hotter the better is not true when it comes to killing bacteria and you may find that scalding hot water will exacerbate any irritation or dryness. As long as you wash for 20 seconds, gently rubbing your hands together, it will kill the bacteria effectively.
#3: Pat Dry, Don’t Rub Friction while drying your hands can worsen any irritation, to avoid making dry hands worse, use a gentle patting motion.
#4: Use Moisturiser while your Hands are Still Damp Using lotions on damp hands allows for a higher absorption rate and helps to lock in moisture, this is because the cream acts as a barrier allowing your skin to soak up the hydration.
#5: Wear Gloves when Cleaning Cleaning products often have harsh, irritating ingredients in them, so if you are washing up or doing the household chores, wear a pair of gloves. You could even moisturise before putting your cleaning gloves on to help further with the he healing process.