Chapped hands: causes, good habits and effective remedies!
Having chapped hands can be a rather common problem, especially in the cold and winter months or where you frequently adopt unpleasant and recommendable behaviors. Although, in fact, often "adequate attention is not paid, hand care is a" fundamental habit, as much as the one we reserve for our face and body, and it is therefore good to introduce it in our daily beauty rituals: a a pinch of extra attention, the right products and some healthy time for yourself.
What does the skin of chapped hands look like? It is dry, flaky, dehydrated and irritated; often it can also present cuts, redness, small fissures up to real chilblains. We are not faced with a serious problem, but certainly annoying. Below, you can find useful natural remedies to soothe and moisturize dry skin, starting from the use of essential oils, among the most effective antidotes against chapped and irritated hands.
The main causes
We have said that in winter, this type of discomfort can be more widespread, due to the cold and wind, but be careful, even the heat and UV rays of the sun can cause chapped and dry hands, if you do not provide them with the right protection with a repairing and protective hand cream. In fact, atmospheric agents and sudden changes in temperature alter the natural hydrolipidic barrier of the epidermis, making it lose compactness, elasticity and hydration.
Even the use of too aggressive or poor quality detergents and detergents contributes to ruining the appearance of the skin of our hands, especially if it is a frequent habit.
Added to this is excessive cleansing, "non-optimal drying," the use of non-quality cosmetics, smog and pollution.
Let us not forget that an "insufficient hydration of the body, combined with an" incorrect diet and poor in fruit and vegetables, can only worsen the situation, predisposing more easily to the onset of dry and chapped hands.
So here are our tips on correct habits and natural do-it-yourself remedies for perfectly healthy hands.
1. Avoid aggressive detergents and products
As already mentioned, it is best not to wash your hands with aggressive or poor quality detergents. Prefer neutral soaps, which contain moisturizing cream or are added with ingredients with emollient and protective properties, such as coconut oil, sweet almond or aloe vera.
You can also create a 100% green soap yourself at home, taking inspiration, for example, from this simple recipe based on oatmeal, water and a drop of lavender essential oil.
2. Wash and dry your hands with care and the right precautions
Never as in these times, we know how important it is to wash your hands often in a deep and mythic way. Be careful though, because excessive cleansing can cause dryness and redness. Just follow some small precautions not to run into this unpleasant inconvenience:
- do not use boiling water, on the contrary, alternate jets of warm and cold water, to stimulate the microcyrene and prevent the skin from drying out excessively.
- wash your hands gently, without rubbing too much, but passing them gently under the tap. Take a few minutes to do this: better wash them less but effectively.
- dry them carefully, making sure not to go out with wet hands which, in contact with the cold and other atmospheric agents, could crack and become irritated.
- while drying, do not rub them with a dry, rough cloth, but dab them gently using a cotton towel, if possible.
3. Apply a nourishing moisturizer often
Applying several times a day, especially in winter, moisturizing and nourishing creams is an excellent natural remedy, especially for those who already have dry skin.
If possible, choose them with ingredients with soothing and emollient properties, for example castor oil, jojoba, sweet almond oil or cocoa or shea butter.
In the event that the skin of your hands presents cuts and bleeds, it would be good to rely on an antibiotic ointment or use petroleum jelly and cover the area with a plaster to protect it adequately. Proceed with this treatment for a few days until you notice an improvement.
4. Use protective gloves wherever possible and necessary
Try to use woolen gloves on cold days and at very low temperatures, but also wear rubber gloves when washing dishes and coming into contact with detergents or cleaning products.
Especially if it comes to activities that you perform habitually, try to be careful because, as already explained, in the long run the skin of your hands will suffer considerably.
5. Apply sunscreen creams in the warmer months
During the summer months, it is good to apply sunscreen to protect our skin from UV rays.
In fact, we often tend to skip this part of the body, but remember that the effects of a long exposure to the sun without protection will not be long in coming: on the hands in particular, the consequences will be just cracking, redness, dryness, itching and skin that is anything but smooth and uniform.
If you do not like to spread the cream on your hands because you seem to perceive an unpleasant greasy sensation, use this little trick: take a knob of cream and pour it directly from the tube onto the back of your hand, then place the latter on the other back and do gentle circular movements, extending over the entire surface, even on the fingers. In this way the palm will be extended and you will not have the impression of having the annoying oil effect on the hands.
6. Make a compress of essential oils or vegetable butter
We now come to the natural remedies for chapped and dry hands.
One of the most effective and simple is a pack of an essential oil, of your choice, to be applied several times a week.
The best oils to choose from are undoubtedly the following, as they are rich in soothing and emollient properties: olive, coconut, sweet almond, castor, jojoba and lavender oils.
How to proceed:
First of all, make sure you have washed your hands well and dried them thoroughly and gently. Now you can spread the oil you have chosen on both hands, also making a delicate relaxing message as well as emollient power. We recommend that you do it in the evening, before going to sleep, and then wear protective cotton gloves. to keep all night, so as not to grease the sheets and make the ingredient act better on your skin. In the morning your hands will immediately appear softer and more hydrated.
If you do not like such a prolonged treatment, at least make sure you keep the pack for at least 20-30 minutes; repeat it several times a week for a faster and more effective result.
If you really don't like the consistency of oils, you can eventually replace them with vegetable butters: excellent, for example, cocoa or shea butter, super nourishing and with antioxidant properties.
7. Relaxing baths and hand baths
Other effective do-it-yourself methods involve relaxing baths and hand baths, exploiting the power of decoctions made with ingredients with a sweet and soothing power.
Just use hot water and then add the natural products you prefer. You can choose, for example, from the following:
Chamomile decoction
You will need hot water in which you will insert simple sachets of chamomile, or you can also use the fresh flowers of the plant: in this case, boil them for a few minutes, filter the infusion obtained, let it cool, pour it into a basin and immerse the hands inside for about 10-15 minutes. Then proceed with drying, dabbing with a delicate cloth, and finally apply a vegetable oil or butter to hydrate them.
Decoction of calendula
You can do the same procedure just described, but using calendula flowers, with anti-inflammatory and detoxifying properties.
Warm water and essential oil
A simple but highly effective hand bath is represented by lukewarm water and drops of lavender essential oil. You can eventually replace it with one of the oils we mentioned above, but this is particularly suitable where there are cuts and piaghette.
8. Hand masks: 6 recipes for dry and chapped skin
Egg yolk
This is the simplest recipe among all those you will see: the simple egg yolk spread on your hands, without adding other ingredients, and left on for 15 minutes.
Avocado pulp
Squeeze the pulp of this fruit with its moisturizing and emollient properties with the use of a fork, then add some water or a few drops of olive oil and keep it on for about 15 minutes.
Honey + sweet almond essential oil
The recipe for this mask includes 2 teaspoons of honey and 3 drops of sweet almond oil. Simply apply the mixture on your hands with a gentle massage, keep it in place for a quarter of an hour, twenty minutes, and rinse everything. If you prefer, you can leave it on for the whole night, using protective cotton gloves to avoid to dirty.
Aloe vera gel
This recipe is a little more elaborate but with impeccable efficacy.
Blend the pulp of an aloe vera leaf, then add 2 drops of calendula oil, with its anti-inflammatory power, 3 teaspoons of chamomile infusion, 1 of honey and 2 of shea butter. Spread the soft mixture obtained on your hands and wait at least 20 minutes.
Potato starch
If your hands are particularly sore, potatoes can be for you and are a real cure-all against dryness and cracking. Grate one and add 2 tablespoons of olive or sunflower oil. You just have to apply the mixture and wait at least a quarter of an hour.
Essential oil of lemon and sweet almonds
If you suffer from chilblains, you can use this lemon-based recipe, super food with detoxifying power, always a certainty in terms of skincare and beauty treatments. Add 4 drops of lemon essential oil, 4 tablespoons of sweet almond oil, which soften the mixture and sweeten the intensity of the king of detox. Then sprinkle everything on your hands and wait about ten minutes. This is a miracle recipe even for weak and damaged nails.
