Hands suffer in the winter. By December, hands that are supple, smooth, and soft in September may have turned chapped and rough.

The biggest perpetrator? Lack of moisture.

The outside air’s humidity plummets in the winter. Because of the heating system inside, the environment is even dryer. You risk removing whatever natural oils are still present in your skin if you repeatedly wash your hands to ward off the flu or a cold.

Your hands could get so dry as a result that they crack and peel.

Therefore, prevention is critical to improving skin results and minimizing the emergence or aggravation of additional skin conditions. Continue reading to find out how to keep your hands hydrated and healthy during the chilly winter months.

But before we give you tips and tricks, let’s answer a few burning questions.

What Are The Signs And Symptoms Of Dry Hands?

Itching, dryness, and more obvious fine lines
Skin that is prone to mild to severe flaking
Skin that is prone to mild to severe flaking
Little fissures or lines
Deep cracks that could bleed

Why Is Caring For Our Hands So Important?

As with other types of skincare, taking care of your hands will help you protect your skin cells, maintain healthy skin, and prevent irritation and dry skin. Hand care is a crucial step in sealing in that necessary moisture that keeps our hands smooth, supple, healthy, and clean. Dry skin and poor skin care can lead to premature ageing in terms of skin conditions. No matter how we use our hands—whether to touch something, hug someone, or wash something—we are exposing them to external irritants, so it only makes sense to treat them with the same level of care as other body parts.

What Helps Dry Cracked Skin In Winter?

After all the information we’ve provided you, you must be asking how to care for cracked hands in winter, right? We’ll give you quick details. Here are winter tips for cracked hands.

Use a gentle cleanser

Use a light soap, warm rather than hot water, pat your hands dry, and use a moisturiser to protect your hands while you’re preserving your health by often washing your hands.

Use hand sanitising gel or wipes in place of some soap and water washes if your hands are extremely dry or if you wash them 12 or more times each day.

Alcohol-based sanitizers certainly dry up the skin, but for those who wash their hands frequently, such as doctors, mothers, or dog walkers, they are actually a little bit kinder to the skin than soap and water.

Don’t overwash your hands

When you wash your hands too frequently, you remove the beneficial bacteria and healthy oils that help your body fight off illnesses. Pain and redness are indicators that you’re overwashing, as well as flaky, itchy skin. As a general guideline, wash your hands thoroughly after using the restroom, after handling food, and after blowing your nose.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advises washing your hands for 20 seconds, or roughly two renditions of “Happy Birthday,” to eradicate germs as effectively as possible. Afterward, completely dry your hands to get rid of any remaining germs.

Moisturise as much as possible

After washing your hands, immediately apply a cream or ointment to them. By doing this, you’ll keep your skin soft and seal in the moisture from the water. Use a cream or ointment without fragrance in place of a lotion. This is due to the fact that creams and ointments seal in moisture and protect the skin more effectively than a lighter lotion, while perfumes can irritate sensitive, chapped skin.

Wear gloves

Gloves come in a wide variety and might help to protect your hands. Wear warm gloves if you’re heading outside to protect your skin from the dry air. Wear rubber gloves when washing dishes to prevent skin abrasion from hot water.

Moisturise before bed

Always wash your hands with warm water and a light soap before going to bed. After using a gentle towel to dry off, apply hand cream. Use a thick hand cream that is less oily. When you wake up the following morning, you won’t be able to help but fall in love with your hands because this will keep them moisturised throughout the night.

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