4 Tips for Dry Hands

While keeping your hands clean is a priority at the moment (the best line of defence against germs is washing your hands with soap and water, rubbing hands for at least 30 seconds before rinsing), don't forget to follow up with a thick, rich moisturiser.

Dry skin happens on your hands for basically the same reasons it happens elsewhere on your body.  The outer protective layer of your skin, the stratum corneum, helps seal hydration into the skin. The skin barrier is a mix of proteins, lipids, and oils, and protects your skin from the outside world. 

Soaps, hand washes, hot water and harsh, stripping ingredients like alcohol can damage this barrier. This allows moisture to evaporate from your skin, leading to feelings of dryness. 

 

How to protect your hands:

Here are some easy, expert-approved ways to keep your hands clean and free from excessive, painful dryness and itchy skin.

1. Use gentle hand soaps.

Hand washes with antibacterial ingredients as well as alcohol-based hand sanitizers can be especially harsh and drying on your skin. Look for conditioning or "nourishing" soaps that are pH-balanced such as Full Of Grace Mānuka Honey And Chamomile Soap Bar  and Hydration Hero Mānuka Honey And Olive Oil Soap Bar  to clean skin while preserving its barrier.

 

2. Wash hands with cool water.

Hot water may feel good, but it dries out and irritates skin. This is because your skin's protective lipid layer is kind of like butter; it stays put under cool water but it can melt away under hot water. Once it melts away, the moisture in your skin rapidly escapes until the lipid layer replenishes itself.  So if your hands are prone to dryness, avoid cleansing with hot water. Wash them with lukewarm or cool water instead.

 

 3. Put hand cream on slightly damp hands.

After washing, dry your hands, but not fully. When they’re still a little bit damp, that’s the perfect time to use your hand cream like Healthy Hands Nourishing Hand Cream, because you’ll be helping to seal that water into the skin.

 

4. Consider a specialty prebiotic moisturiser.

Prebiotics work by feeding the probiotics (the good bacteria) living on our skin.  They’re like a peacemaker, bringing balance to the skin’s microbiota and helping your skin to rebuild your its natural defences. Prebiotics help prevent  dryness, protect against external threats, and control inflammation.

We've developed Skin Boost Restoring Prebiotic Moisturiser to help counteract damage done to skin’s microbiome by using sanitiser or harsh cleansing agents. It works to strengthen and restore skin’s microbiome (good bacteria) for healthier-looking skin, while treating and nourishing even the driest of skin, offering complete hydration.