For the last year or so, we have all been inundated with the message of social distance, face coverings and constant hand washing. All of that hand washing, however beneficial, also had a downside. By the end of the day, hands become dry and can even go so far as to become chapped and show signs of aging, far beyond your years. Soap acts to remove the natural oils that our skin produces, which functions to protect the skin from drying out.
The solution here isn’t to eliminate hand washing altogether. Instead, try soaking your hands in some warm water; but skip the soap! Instead, add some Himalayan salt or some apple cider vinegar, and soak your hands for no more than 10 minutes.
The benefits of this soak will soften skin, and enhance the effectiveness of hand lotions and other skin products. Additionally, regularly soaking hands suffering from eczema flare ups can be a useful way to manage the discomfort of the condition. Hard working hands deserve a little attention and extra care. Use hand soaks to relieve arthritic pains, and restore flexibility in stiff joints.
There are so many reasons to regularly soak our often tired and abused hands. Outside of the pre-manicure hand soak, how often do we truly dedicate a special little soak to our hands? In the case of a manicure, a soak serves to soften up nails for the trimming and shaping process. There is no reason to miss out on all the benefits of taking special care of our hands in a warm relaxing hand soak.
A very simple hand soak recipe is as follows:
2 cups warm water
1 cup apple cider vinegar (when diluted, it shouldn’t sting any painful cracks)
3 Tbs. olive oil
Feel free to add essential oils, or Epsom salts to this simple mixture. Start implementing hand soaks once a week, or even every other week, and you will bear witness as your hands become softer, smoother, and healthier. Don't forget to moisturize and lotion after your soak to seal in all the goodness. Cheers to happy and healthy hands!
Comments