When we hear about wrinkles and skin aging, most of us think or our faces and necks. However, the earliest signs of aging are revealed in our hands.
Often neglected, hands need to regular care. Frequent contact with water and chemicals, sun, cold weather, and gardening all add stress and age to the skin of your hands. While hands do not have many oil glands, they nonetheless reveal your age earlier than your pampered face.
What can you do to keep your hands youthful and beautiful?
Moisturize! Several times a day. Dry skin is easily injured and looks wrinkled.
Protect your hands – wear gloves when gardening, washing dishes, or dealing with chemicals.
Use sun protection.
Keep your hands dry. Any water left on your hands will evaporate and dry out the skin.
Every so often give your hands a special treatment, such as an herbal or oil bath.
Following are suggestions for your next hand spa:
Herbal Hand Bath Recipe
Bring 1 qt of water to boil and pour over 1 tbsp of herbs (you can use all of these or just one: chamomile, nettle, sage, coltsfoot, calendula). Let the infusion cool to 100 -110 degrees F and soak your hands in it for about 15-20 minutes. Dry your hands thoroughly and apply a rich moisturizer.
Nourishing Hand Cream Recipe
Thoroughly mix 1 teaspoon of honey and 3 tbsp of unsalted butter. Add 1 tbsp of strong herbal infusion. This will make a very rich cream. It will take a while to absorb, but be patient – it will leave your hands silky and smooth.
Dry Skin Treatment
For dry skin use the following hand treatment once or twice a week:
1 tbsp Glycerin
1 egg yolk
2 tbsp vegetable oil (olive, almond, or another oil of your hoice)
Lemon juice of 1 lemon
3 1/2 – 4 oz of an herbal infusion (for example: chamomile, calendula, elderflower) or rose water.
Other Hand Care Tips:
Mashed potatoes (with milk) make a great hand mask.
When cooking with eggs, don’t throw the eggshells away. Scrape out the remaining egg white and spread it over your hands.
Rubbing your skin with a piece of lemon will give the skin a more even tone.
After washing dishes or dealing with other alkali detergents, rinse your hands with sour milk or with vinegar-in-water solution (1 tbsp. vinegar per 2qt of water). This will help to restore pH balance of the skin.
Keep your hands warm. Not only for the sake of better skin, but for your overall health. Flu and colds often start with cold hands.
By Melanie Jensen
