How To Take Care Of Dry Hands ASAP

If you’re constantly washing your hands and using sanitizer around the clock, your hands are probably dry AF. While it’s important to wash your hands as often as possible, it can wreak havoc on your skin. Your skin is your body’s first defense against bacteria, so you need to ensure you keep your hands hydrated. Cracked, dry hands and damaged skin means a weakened skin barrier, which makes it easier for germs to enter.

Fortunately, we’ve got some easy solutions so you can say goodbye to dry hands, for good!

Find a Nourishing Hand Wash

Celeb dermatologist Dr. Colbert recommends avoiding bars of soap as they can seriously dry out your skin. He explains, “Soaps have a special molecule that finds oils and strips them from the skin. We need our natural oils for retaining moisture.” Therefore, trade-in your traditional soaps for a nourishing hand wash instead.

If you already have a liquid handwash, you can try adding in a tablespoon of coconut, olive or grapeseed oil, which will help to lock in moisture while you wash. After you wash your hands, try to follow with a moisturizer almost immediately.

Use Oils

If you don’t have any hand creams use oil instead and massage it into your hands. Our favorite oil to use is extra virgin olive oil, a recommendation we got from Julia Roberts. It’s uber-hydrating and packed with vitamins, antioxidants, and fatty acids that help hydrate while repairing damaged skin. It’s also suitable for all skin types and is anti-microbial. If you don’t have olive oil in your cabinet, you can use coconut oil, or any other oil.

If your hands are super dry, create a DIY hand mask by massaging oil into your hands, then put on a pair of plastic gloves. If you don’t have gloves, you can wrap your hands in clingwrap. Try to leave them covered for up to an hour for super soft, hydrated skin.

Apply a Rich Cream or Balm

As you can probably guess, applying hand cream RN is essential. In fact, we’ve gotten into the routine of applying lotion immediately after we use hand sanitizer. You can also keep hand cream next to your sink for easy access after hand washing.

Look for a hand moisturizer that contains rich, hydrating ingredients like shea butter and oils like apricot and avocado oil, as they’re packed with natural goodness that will help seal in moisture and repair the skin.