Winter is in full force, and it's taking it's toll on our skin!

Do your hands feel like sandpaper? Do they crack and bleed? This is a painful winter-time problem for many people, and I'm going to give you a few tips to rescue and revive the skin on your hands.

Step 1 to healthy hands:

-Protect!

Wear Gloves EVERYTIME you go out...

Why?

In the cold weather, body heat is drawn toward the trunk of the body, leaving the hands and feet "out in the cold". Our feet have socks and boots to protect them, but more often than not, our bare hands are exposed to the harsh elements. Wearing gloves will offer protection and warmth to your hands.

Step 2 to healthy Hands:

-Exfoliate!

Using a mixture of either salt or sugar and oil, slough away dead dry skin and hydrate healthy skin after each time you wash your hands.

Why?

The conditions inside and outside in the winter are drier than any other time of the year, therefore skin tends to be drier as well. Because of germs and the cold weather, we tend to wash our hands more frequently and with hotter water than usual. Combined, these cause those red, irritated, dry, cracked hands. When skin becomes irritated, it forms a protective layer of dead callused skin (much like the bottom of your feet in the summer). While this does protect, it also prevents moisture from penetrating into the skin, which means the problem will never get better unless you remove that callused layer. The first step is to remove the dead dry skin and push softening, healing and hydrating oils into irritated skin below.

Step 3 to healthy hands:

-Moisturize!

Apply moisturizer to damp hands after each time you wash hands.

Why?

It is important to stop the problem before it starts. Prevention is  more effective than any treatment. Applying Moisturizer to damp skin will lock in the moisture, and you MUST use it every time you wash your hands. It's not enough to apply it once or twice a day. Keep a bottle by each of your sinks, and in your purse, and at work. If your hands get wet, they get moisturized....

Step 4 to healthy hands:

-Deep Condition!

Just like your hair, your skin needs to be deep conditioned. Before bed, apply a thick moisturizer or emollient lotion liberally to hands (apply once and rub into to skin, then apply another thicker layer that does not get rubbed in), and then apply gloves. Sleep like this very night, if necessary. I recommend using cocoa butter, shea butter, or petroleum jelly, as these will penetrate skin well. For very damaged (cracked or raw) skin, try Aquaphor (made by Eucerine) or Neosporin. Both are medicated healing ointments, and can be found in any pharmacy.

If you follow these 4 basic steps, I promise you will have smooth, soft, healthy hands with in a few days. 

Send your beauty questions to [email protected] and I'll answer them in my next blog.

Thanks for reading and don't forget to stop by tomorrow for another dose of the beauty blog.

-Bethany