Protect Your Hands

Relieve Dry Hand Skin

In the last year, constant handwashing and sanitizing has wreaked havoc on our hands. Keep reading for products and tips to protect and moisturize your hands.

Wash with Lukewarm Water

You may think hot water is better for killing germs and sanitizing, but you should always wash your hands with lukewarm water and hand soap for at least 20 seconds. Try singing or humming “Happy Birthday” twice to get the timing right. Lukewarm water and moisturizing soap will help kill germs without completely drying out—or even burning—the sensitive skin on your hands. Immediately after washing, apply a fragrance-free, hand-specific moisturizer like Eucerin Hand Cream or AVEENO Intense Relief Hand Cream on your hands and around your nails and cuticles. Fragrance-free moisturizers can be less irritating to the skin and lotions that come out of a tube—rather than a pump—are generally more effective.

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Sanitize & Moisturize

Since the Center for Disease Control (CDC) recommends using a hand sanitizer that’s at least 60% alcohol, you should always keep your favorite sanitizer and hand lotion in your bag or car so you can moisturize on-the-go. You can even make your own hand sanitizer with two parts isopropyl alcohol (91–99 percent alcohol) and one part aloe vera gel, just be sure to mix and store in a clean, airtight container. With hand sanitizer, you should wait until your skin is completely dry and the sanitizer is dissolved before you apply your hand lotion. Just like after you wash your hands, be sure to moisturize around your cuticle and nail beds with a product like Gold Bond Hand Cream so your hands stay moisturized and the skin around your nails doesn’t crack.

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Protect Your Hands

The more you can do to protect your hands before they get too dry, the better! Wearing gloves when doing the dishes or other household tasks can help mitigate the damage done by constant washing and sanitizing by keeping them from getting wet in between washings. If your hands need an intense dry skin cure, pick up a hand mask or slather your hands in your favorite hand lotion and wrap them in plastic wrap or cotton gloves overnight. The heat from the wrap or gloves will help seal in the moisture and give your hands the deep healing they need.

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