In continuing my winter skin care series for the week, I
would like to focus on your hands and feet today. Winter skin care is all about
taking care of your skin by ensuring it is hydrated throughout the winter. In
this series I am focusing more on the process of taking care of your skin and
not so much on the products. I will mention a product here and there, but what
good is the product if you do not have a good process in place to make sure your
skin is getting what it needs when it is cold outside.
When it comes to your hands and your feet, you should always
pay special attention to them. In many ways, the skin on your hands and feet is
somewhat like the skin on your face. Your hands are a little different because
they are exposed to the elements and in use often, so they take quite a beating
on a daily basis in comparison to your feet.
Have you ever seen someone’s hands and they just look old
and tired? (Be honest, we have all seen this before.) Their hands look this way
because they have not taken care of them throughout the years.
Another reason why it is important to moisturize your hands
is because you wash them a lot. Whenever you wash your hands, you wash away the
natural oils your body produces to keep them moisturized. So if you wash your
hands frequently, make sure you use lotion right after to help lock in the
moisture.
I said I would not talk much about products, but when
washing dishes, I recommend using Dawn Hand Renewal with Olay Beauty. This
product helps to ensure your hands do not dry out after the skin dehydrating
process of washing your dishes. Some people like to use a specific dishwashing detergent,
so use gloves to protect your hands if you are not willing to give this product
a try.
However, if you are like me, just throw those dishes in the
dishwasher (I mean, that is what it is there to do). I am not sure who invented
the dishwasher, and sure I could Google it to find out, but I would rather just
believe it was a woman who did not want to dry out her hands or ruin her
manicure.
When working with paper, if your hands are dry, this may be
a reason why you are so prone to getting paper cuts. Whenever I am dealing with
a lot of paperwork or stuffing envelopes, the first thing I do is make sure I put
on some lotion because it helps to prevent getting paper cuts.
If dry skin lotions are not working for you, but your skin
is not bad enough to go see a doctor, use Crisco Shortening. I know this sounds crazy, but
it actually works and Victoria Beckham is rumored to do this herself. Put your
hands and feet in an old pair of gloves or socks after applying Crisco. Do this
for about an hour a couple days a week and you will see a difference in your
skin. Octavia Spencer’s character in “The Help” referenced this process when in
the kitchen talking about fried chicken because it actually works.
When it comes to oil, there are few things on this earth as
oily as Crisco, so this is why it works so well as a means to repair dry skin.
The heat your body naturally generates helps to break down the Crisco and get
it in your pours. Once you remove the gloves or the socks, do not wash off the
remaining Crisco, just wipe it away with a towel.
Another good way to combat dry skin in the winter on your
hands is using a good scrub. I recommend a sugar scrub instead of a salt scrub
because it is less abrasive and less likely to dry out your skin. I talked
about sugar scrubs in my “Fabulous State of Relaxation” blog article and
recommend the Carol’s Daughter Brown Sugar Scrub. If you use a scrub other than
this one, make sure it has a good amount of oils in it so the scrub not only
removes the dead and dry skin, but it also moisturizes your skin once you
finish using it.
When shopping, there are after a lot of lotions to choose
from like Jergen’s Ultra Healing Dry Skin Moisturizer and Aveeno’s Daily MoisturizingLotion which both work well and do not leave your skin feeling greasy
afterwards. These are just a few that come to mind, but when walking down the
lotion aisle of any store, you will see a lot of products made specifically to
address your dry skin needs.
As I said with your face, you may need to switch out your
lotion in the winter as well if you notice it is not keeping your hands and
feet soft and moisturized. The needs of your skin change during this season, so
make sure your lotion is providing your skin the moisture it needs.
Once again, keep in mind that dry skin is a serious issue,
so if you have severe dry skin, please consult a dermatologist so they are able
to prescribe you a medicated product to combat this problem. All the solutions
I have discussed here are to help you if you have dry skin temporarily due to
it being winter.
Taking good care of your skin has many rewards which include
keeping your skin looking youthful. Just like people look at your face, they
look at your hands as well. No one wants to see dry, cracking hands or to touch
them either. This is the truth, so make sure your hands and feet are always
fabulous, even in the winter, by implementing the processes I discussed into
your skin care routine.
Because to be fabulous, you have to know what makes you
fabulous!
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