On a daily basis, the palms of our hands and the soles of our feet are the exposed to a billion things. Dry hands are an indication that the outer layer of skin has become dehydrated. This can occur when the natural oils get washed away from the palms due to harsh chemicals in sanitizers and soaps. Making your hands wet for long durations can also lead to drying. Here are 6 home remedies you can follow to prevent excessive drying of hands.
1. Keep Your Hands Off Harsh Chemicals
Almost all of the detergents, handwashes, and soaps have synthetic fragrances, preservatives, and sulfates that dry the skin on the hands. Always go for products that are sulfate-free and have moisturizers added to them so that they don’t strip away the natural oils from your hands.
2. Moisturize With Coconut Oil Daily
A light oil like coconut oil is not only nourishing to the skin but get’s absorbed easily into the skin. Coconut oil application will benefit the nails too by making them smooth and strong. The fatty acids, caprylic and lauric, in it has anti-inflammatory, effects and even protects against sun-exposure related skin damage.1
3. Protect Your Hands With Gloves
Limit the exposure of your hands to strong chemicals or environmental changes by donning gloves. You do chores like dishwashing and gardening with gloves on to prevent dehydration of the skin. Even when you go out in the freezing cold or scorching heat, it’s best to keep your hands protected with a good pair of gloves.
Applying some coconut oil or olive oil on your hands and keeping them covered overnight with cotton gloves will leave your hands feeling rejuvenated next day.2
4. Scrub Them Once A Week
If your hands are quite roughened up due to dryness, you should follow a weekly exfoliation ritual. Just the way we use a scrub to get rid of the dead cells and grime from the face, the same can be applied to the hands too. Use a pumice stone after bathing to the back of your hands. Make a sugar scrub using 2 tablespoons of sugar in equal amounts of olive oil and scrub your palms with it twice a week.3
5. Install A Humidifier In Your Bedroom
For people living in places with extreme summer and winter climates, installing a humidifier is a welcome change for your health. Not only does it regulate the moisture levels in the air you breathe, it also avoids your skin from getting dried up. Keeping one in your bedroom paves way for more exposure to moist air that has been temperature-controlled.
6. Improve Your Health And Hydration
Eating foods rich in vitamins and minerals that your skin loves is the ideal way to boost its health from within. You should drink at least 3 liters of water daily to meet your body’s hydration needs. When it comes to your diet, make sure that you consume foods like seafood, nuts, seeds, avocados, leafy greens, legumes, yogurt, carrots, and eggs regularly. These foods will provide omega-3 Fatty Acids, zinc and vitamins A, D, E and K which your skin loves. Lower your intake of salt and sugar as they can increase the dryness of your skin.4
Keep the above tips in mind and make a conscious effort to follow them. You will notice that in addition to the skin of your hands, your overall health also gets a boost!
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