Hand Care

Hand Care: Do Your Hands Make You Look Older?

by: Melanie Jensen

When you hear about wrinkles and skin aging, your first thoughts are about face and neck. But the earliest signs of aging will show on your hands.

Often neglected, hands need to be regularly taken care of. Frequent contacts with water and chemicals, sun, cold weather, gardening — all put your skin under a big stress. While hands do not have many oil glands, they will give away your age earlier than your pampered face. In the meantime, it has been noticed that after making eye contact, the next thing people pay attention to is your hands.

What can you do to keep your hands 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.
# Give your hands a special treatment — herbal or oil bath — once in a while.

Here are a few suggestions for your next hand spa:

Herbal hand bath

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 100-110F and soak your hands in it for about 15-20 minutes. Dry your hands thoroughly and apply a rich moisturizer.

You can make your own nourishing hand cream

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 leave your hands silky and smooth.

For dry skin use this hand treatment 1-2 times a week

1 tbsp glycerin
1 egg yolk
2 tbsp vegetable oil (olive, almond, or another oil of your choice)
lemon juice of 1 lemon
3 1/2 – 4 oz of an herbal infusion (for example: chamomile, calendula, elderflower) or rose water.

Other tips

Mashed potatoes (with milk) will 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 a 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.
Flue and colds often start with cold hands.

About The Author
For more information on hand care by Melanie Jensen visit http://allwomenstalk.com/category/beauty-control/hand-nail-care