Our hands are really busy, aren’t they? They type, cook, clean, and generally have to do pretty much everything around the house (and elsewhere), or at least they’re involved in it in some way. And that’s probably why they’re one of the first places that show wear and tear as time goes on (and we don’t just mean years – different times of the year can make a difference as well). The good news is there are things you can do to keep your hands looking their best all year round, so keep reading to find out what some of them are.
Keep Them Moisturised
One thing it’s important to know when you’re thinking about how to make sure your hands look their best is that consistency is crucial if you want healthy, beautiful hands – once you’ve found something that works, keep at it. Something you’ll definitely need to pay attention to is dryness because the skin on the hands has fewer oil glands than other places, so they get dry more quickly – the best thing to do is to keep a rich, nourishing hand cream with you so you can use it when your hands are dry (the best ingredients to look for are things like shea butter, glycerin, and hyaluronic acid, for example).
If you want to take things further, put the cream on before bed and then pop on some cotton gloves, and your hands will look and feel soft and plump by morning.
Take Care Of Your Nails
If you’re taking care of your hands and you really want them to look their best, you can’t just keep the skin looking good – you’ve got to think about your nails as well. If you want strong, flawless nails then builder gel nails are a fantastic investment, and could be exactly what you need to make things look perfect, for example. Unlike with traditional nail extensions, these gel nails are applied straight onto your natural nail, so they offer support and your nails can grow healthily but your hands will look great while it happens.
Whether you choose to have extensions or not, you’ll still need to take care of your nails, and filing them is worthwhile – just make sure you always file in one direction otherwise the nails can split. Plus, try not to use your nails as ‘tools’ for things around the house like opening cans or removing stickers and so on – that can break them very easily.
Seasonal Tips
As we’ve said, every season can cause issues for hands, so it’s wise to do what you can as the months change. In the winter, for example, you’ll need to keep your hands moisturised and avoid hot water (lukewarm is best). In the spring, it’s time to exfoliate and switch from heavier moisturisers to lighter ones.
By the time summer comes, you’ll need to have some cream with SPF included to prevent sun damage, plus you’ll want to make sure you take a bottle of water with you wherever you go – staying hydrated is good for healthy skin. And then autumn – this is the time to invest in a nice serum to prepare your skin for the cold weather to come.
