Natural Care for Winter Hands

Have you noticed that your hands are drier at this time of year, when the days and nights get colder? Cold air outside and warm dry air inside can dry out and stress your hands leading to rough skin, chapping and even conditions like dermatitis

So here are 10 Tips to treat your hands and turn rough paws into soft smooth hands.

1. Wear gloves wherever possible - protective rubber gloves for when hands go in water, gardening gloves for outside jobs and warm gloves when you are out in the cold for a while.

2. Dry hands thoroughly after washing - water on cold hands can contribute to chapping.

3. If hands feel rough and dry (although not if the skin is broken) use a good hand scrub, or mix some pure sea salt with some sweet almond oil to use as an exfoliant.

4. If skin is broken, raw or sore, massage with Sweet Almond Oil and a little Lavender Essential Oil. (Mix 10 drops in 1 tablespoon (20ml) Sweet Almond Oil). Sweet Almond is a wonderfully emollient oil for the skin and lavender is good for helping skin to heal, helping to prevent infection and soothing any soreness.

5. Use a good hand cream every day. Look for one rich in nourishing vegetable oils and butters to soothe, soften and protect.

6. Keep your hand scrub by the kitchen sink - use after cooking to clean, smooth, soften and counteract food odours on your hands. Or dip a cut lemon half in salt and scrub over hands for a fresh effect.

7. Apply hand cream and put on cotton gloves under your rubber gloves for washing up. The warmth from the water will penetrate and, combined with the nourishing cream, will really soften your skin.

8. For cracked and neglected cuticles, a drop of Jojoba Oil massaged around each nail can be beneficial.

9. For a special treat for your hands make a hand mask using 1
tablespoon of white clay, 1 teaspoon of red clay and 1 tablespoon of natural yoghurt. Smooth over hands and leave for 10 minutes, then rinse off.

10. For an overnight treat for neglected hands, slather on hand cream or sweet almond oil and pop on cotton gloves - leave overnight for super soft hands next morning.

These tips will help pamper your hands and turn those rough paws into lovely soft smooth hands.