Photo: from open sources
How to protect your hands from wind, cold and dryness
In winter, your hands dry out, and your skin flakes and cracks. This is due to dry air in heated rooms and cold air outside. Cosmetologist and dermatovenerologist Anna Kravchuk told how to protect your hands from wind, cold and dryness.
Rule #1: Don’t wash your hands with hot water
Scientists from Rutgers University have found that microbes are equally sensitive to both cold and hot water. It is not the temperature of the water that matters, but the observance of hand washing rules:
- apply soap evenly over the entire surface of your hands up to your hands;
- wash the back and front of your hands under running water;
- pay attention to the area between the fingers, fingertips and thumbs;
- hand washing time – at least 20 seconds;
- The water temperature is comfortable for the skin, that is, it does not burn or freeze your hands.
Rule #2: use natural soap
Natural soap, like scented soap, contains alkali. The normal acid-base balance of hand soap is between 7 and 11 pH. But natural soap does not contain aggressive surfactants (surfactants) that wash away the lipid protective layer from the stratum corneum of the skin. It recovers, however, if you wash your hands often, it recovers slowly.
Natural soap contains base and essential oils, herbal infusions, cocoa, honey, beeswax, clay, and glycerin.
Rule #3: Apply moisturizer to your skin after washing your hands.
The moisturizing cream is quickly absorbed, saturates the skin with moisturizing components and eliminates dryness (tightness). Therefore, in its composition, look for water, hyaluronic or lactic acid, glycerin, allantoin, urea, amino acids, and plant extracts. There are either no oils in the moisturizer, or they are present in minimal quantities.
Rule #4: use nourishing cream
The nourishing cream contains base oils and their derivatives, essential oils, lanolin, squalene, cholesterol, fatty acids, glycerin. Moisturizing ingredients, such as glycerin, must be added to the nourishing cream. It is embedded in the lipid-oil composition to attract water molecules.
Nourishing cream softens rough and chapped skin, restores the lipid barrier and eliminates irritation.
In winter, you need to use a moisturizer during the day and apply a nourishing cream in the evening and at night. If the skin is very dry and flaky, you can use oils, but continue the course until the symptoms of dryness and irritation disappear. Because oils nourish and soften the skin, but do not moisturize.
Rule #4: Exfoliate
Exfoliation is the exfoliation of dead skin flakes. To get rid of scales, use peelings with fruit acids, sugar or mineral scrubs. For the skin of your hands and body at home, a mixture of coffee cake and honey is suitable. Or a mixture of coffee grounds and liquid soap.
Exfoliation of keratinized scales improves blood microcirculation, increases skin permeability, and accelerates regeneration processes. The skin is renewed and becomes smooth as silk.
Rule #5: Use hand masks
These can be disposable fabric mask-gloves soaked in beneficial ingredients. Or gel and cream ones that come with gloves.
Reusable cosmetic gloves made of cotton improve the absorption of thick cream or moisturizing hand mask. They are recommended to be worn on your hands for at least 30 minutes. Can be worn at night after applying nourishing cream or base oil.
There are also gel moisturizing SPA gloves for disposable and reusable use. They perform the same tasks as other masks – moisturize, nourish, restore.
Hand masks, like face masks, are part of additional care. To get results, I advise you to use it in courses – 2-3 times a week. Reusable SPA gloves are designed for 20-30 procedures or more.
Rule #6: Love paraffin therapy
To carry out the procedure you will need a paraffin therapy kit. It has everything you need, from hand scrub to moisturizer. You can also purchase a paraffin melter, cosmetic paraffin and hand cream, which will save you wastage.
- The first stage of paraffin therapy is to make a scrub to remove dead skin scales.
- Second, apply cosmetic oil or nourishing cream to dry skin.
- Third – carefully dip your hand into warm paraffin, then wait 3-5 seconds, during which time the paraffin on your hand will cool and form a glove. Re-dip your hand 2 more times. In total, you should immerse each hand in paraffin 3 times.
- The fourth stage – put disposable paraffin therapy gloves or plastic bags on your hands. On top – a mitten.
- Fifth – after 20-25 minutes, remove the mittens along with a cast of your hand. This happens easily and painlessly, thanks to the preliminary application of oils or nourishing cream.
- Sixth, apply moisturizer to your skin.
What are the benefits of paraffin therapy:
- moisturizes and softens the skin;
- cleanses pores;
- restores lipid balance;
- accelerates the healing of wounds and small cracks;
- improves blood microcirculation;
- warms the skin and joints – indicated for polyarthritis.
Paraffin therapy can be performed once a week.
It is not recommended to do hot paraffin therapy for infectious skin diseases, diabetes, diseases of the cardiovascular system, in the presence of abrasions, cuts, or allergies.
