Winter can be very harsh on your skin causing it to crack and get chapped. It can be extremely uncomfortable and painful to deal with dry hands. We’re always reminded to moisturize during the winter; however, the focus is usually on our face. We often neglect to keep our hands moisturized, which is just as important. The lack of moisture in the air can leave your hands exceptionally dehydrated. When this occurs, your hands will begin to crack, peel, and become irritated. It can even get to a point where they start to bleed from being so dehydrated. It is essential that you take preventative measures this winter and utilize some of the tips listed below to prevent dry hands during winter for smooth, supple hands.
The best thing you can do to prevent dry hands during the winter is to moisturize them daily. Make sure to apply a thick long-lasting moisturizer onto your hands. If you wash your hands a lot throughout the day, carry your moisturizer with you so that you can reapply when necessary. Applying moisturizer once a day won’t keep your hands moisturized all day, you need to apply the product consistently. Additionally, drinking water alone won’t keep your hands from drying out, there needs to be a direct application of the product onto your hands.
If possible, reducing the amount of times you wash your hands can help with dryness. When you constantly wash your hands, you inadvertently dry them out and strip them of their natural oils that keep your hands moisturized. When you do wash your hands, make sure to use gentle soaps. A good tip is to look in the baby aisle because the ingredients in soaps for babies are specifically designed to be gentle on the skin. Also, make sure to avoid any hand sanitizers that contain alcohol. Alcohol is the fastest way to dry out your hands. There are many hand sanitizers that don’t contain alcohol and use other ingredients that are effective in ridding your hands of germs and bacteria.
Lastly, another way to reduce dry hands during the winter is to use gloves whenever you’re outside. If you live in an area that gets especially cold during the winter, it is important to always wear gloves before stepping out and touching anything that might be frozen or covered with snow. Wearing gloves can also help seal in any moisturizer you’ve applied. Use gloves that are waterproof because having moist or wet gloves is worse for your hands than not wearing gloves at all.
