Your hands: Look after them in the way they deserve
Our hands are indispensable and we count on them for almost everything we do, from picking up the phone to putting our make up on or pressing the button for the lift. However, practicality and the importance they have in our day to day life aside, they also reveal our age and lifestyle. This is why it is so important to look after them and give them the attention they deserve in order to keep them soft and smooth, especially from the age of 20, which is when they start to dry out and lose elasticity.
How do I go about this?
On a physiological level, the palm is thick and hard wearing, while the dorsum of the hand is thinner, more fragile and will show signs of aging first. Both areas, as with the rest of our body, are exposed to external aggressions that trigger deterioration. Frequent contact with chemicals such as detergents, continuous unprotected exposure to the sun and sudden temperature changes are all factors that affect the skin and nails of the hands and can cause premature aging.
The following routines will help you to protect your hands from these external factors:
- Hand washing. Wash your hands frequently, but avoid using hot water as it damages the skin. Use tepid or cold water and alcohol free antibacterial soap to avoid irritation. Afterwards, dry them carefully with a towel.
- Removing dead cells and regenerating the skin on your hands is very important in keeping them soft and avoiding roughness and an aged appearance. Try and exfoliate them weekly or every 10 days.
- This should be one of the essential routines in your day to day life and will help you to keep your hands well nourished and avoid them drying out and looking unloved. Choose a cream that hydrates and repairs and gently apply it across the entire surface of the hands and between the fingers so that every area is well covered. Ideally, this would be done twice daily: once in the morning and then again at night before going to bed.
- Your nails are also part of your hands and deserve special care too. As such, it is recommended that you give them a manicure every once in a while so that they stay strong and healthy.
Some tricks and advice
The aforementioned routines can be accompanied with practical advice to help you enhance the appearance of your hands and keep them looking beautiful for longer.
- Sun cream. As well as our bodies and faces, our hands also need an intensive sun cream before leaving the house, even if it isn't a particularly sunny day. Apply a sun cream with SPF daily to avoid your hands aging prematurely or getting wrinkles and also to protect against the appearance of blemishes, which are very common when exposed to the sun.
- Essential oils. If your hands are very dehydrated you will need to take some extra steps to combat the dryness. Various essential oils, such as coconut, argan and jojoba, are highly hydrating can be mixed with a little shea butter and applied to your hands for an intense dose of nutrition.
- These help to protect your hands and ensure that they don't come into contact with skin-irritating cleaning products. It’s a good idea to use them every time you do household chores such as washing the dishes.
- Vitamins C and E. Diet is another aspect that must be taken into account when it comes to protecting your hands. Various vitamins, such as C and E, help to keep skin healthy and hidrated. Vitamin C, found in foods like red pepper, broccoli, kiwi and orange, helps to maintain the collagen in the skin and to avoid loss of elasticity and cracking. Vitamin E, found in sunflower seeds, almonds and peanuts, amongst other foods, is an ally against aging skin.
If you take this guide into account and donate a little bit of time to your hands every day, they will thank you for it and will reflect the care you have invested, looking soft and rejuvenated.
