Do you ever look down at your hands and think, Ick? Or at other people's hands with envy? I do. It's a recent thing, and one I'm hoping has to do with the frigid temperatures and constant hand-washing thanks to one of the worst flu/cold/Norovirus/everything's-making-us-sick seasons in a long time. My hands are looking rough these days, guys. And it's bumming me out. Nobody wants old lady hands.
But I've discovered there's help. Kind of. The past week or so I've been treating my paws with a little extra care — and it's actually made a difference. I now don't have the knee-jerk reaction to sit on my hands when in public. That's a good thing. Here are 6 ways to treat "old-looking" or super dry hands. (I know it's not glamorous, but come on, ladies, we need to discuss it.)
1. Steam. I know this is super weird, but it works. I discovered this trick recently when I was steaming my daughter's food — I was freezing, so I stood over the pot of boiling water, warming my hands like you would at a fire. When I walked away from the water, I put on a coat of lotion, and my hands looked … awesome. And they felt soft, too. Can't always bust out a pot of boiling water, but when you have time, I highly recommend it.
2. Invest in a good lotion. I was recently introduced to Jurlique Purely-Age Defying Hand Treatment, and let me tell you: Obsessed. I notice a huge difference when I use this, as opposed to a cheaper brand. Totally worth it.
3. Glove treatment. Try putting a super-thick salve or plain old Vaseline on hands, and then follow up with a pair of gloves. If you can sleep like this, power to you. You'll have incredibly soft hands in the morning. But sitting through an episode of The Bachelor like this will do wonders, also.
4. Invest in a good soap. If you're like me, you wash your hands 100 times a day in the winter. And soap is drying, man! When you're at work, or out at a restaurant, you don't have much say in what you get to cleanse with, but when you're at home, try to use something that isn't so harsh, like Uncle Earl's Hand Healing Soap.
5. Exfoliate. Put a little exfoliator on your hands when scrubbing your face. No need to rub like crazy, but just let it set for a minute or so. Follow with moisturizer.
6. Microdermabrasion. If you want to bring out the big guns, you can get microdermabrasion — yes, on your hands. I personally have never had this done, but I have had micro on my face and it's amazing, so I'm fairly positive it will have the same effect. Treat yo'self.
Are your hands super dry this winter?
*Images ©iStock.com/petrograd99; *©iStock.com/shmel
