How to Treat Dry Hands

Dry skin on your hands can be caused by various factors — frequent handwashing, cold weather, dry climate, and harsh conditions at your workplace. 5-Minute Crafts would like to tell you about some home remedies you can try to help keep your hands healthy and well-hydrated.

❗ If you experience swelling, skin discoloration, extreme redness, or other unusual changes with your hands, go to see your doctor.

1. Apply moisturizer frequently.

✅ Apply moisturizer about 5-6 times a day to keep your hands hydrated.

✅ Use hand creams or ointments instead of lotions because they don’t evaporate very quickly.

✅ Choose creams that have emollient ingredients (like lanolin, jojoba oil, isopropyl palmitate, propylene glycol linoleate, squalene, glycerol stearate) or humectants (like hyaluronic acid, glycerin, sorbitol, propylene glycerol, urea, lactic acid).

✅ Rub the cream over your cuticles and nails as well to prevent them from drying out.

✅ Always keep pocket-sized tubes of your creams within reach — like in your purse, in your gym bag, or at your work desk.

2. Wash your hands properly.

✅ Apply enough mild fragrance-free soap to remove dirt, but don’t use too much of it. The soap shouldn’t create a thick lather on your skin, otherwise, it will wash away natural oils from your hands.

✅ Wash your hands with lukewarm water that is not excessively hot or cold.

✅ Always pat your hands dry with a towel after washing and apply moisturizer right away.

⛔ Avoid hot air dryers as they can dry out your skin even more.

3. Wear gloves.

✅ Always wear rubber gloves when washing dishes and cleaning to prevent stripping your skin of its natural oils.

✅ For dry work like gardening, use cloth gloves.

✅ Wear gloves or mittens outdoors on cold days.

4. Exfoliate your hands.

✅ Use a scrub, pumice stone, or homemade solution (mix some olive oil with 1-2 tablespoons of sugar) to remove dead skin cells from your hands.

5. Try an oatmeal bath.

✅ Add some raw or cooked oats to your regular bath to rejuvenate your skin.

✅ You can also use oats mixed with some olive oil in a small basin. Just dip your hands into this bath and keep them there for a little while.

6. Apply Vaseline overnight.

✅ Slather your hand with a petroleum-based product like Vaseline before going to bed, then cover your hands with a pair of soft gloves, and keep them on for the entire night.

✅ Instead of Vaseline, you can also choose moisturizers that contain ingredients like dimethicone, cocoa or shea butter, or beeswax.

7. Protect your hands from the sun.

✅ Cover your hands with a quality sunblock to prevent the sun from drying them out.