What's with our hands in Winter? Dry skin, cuticles cracking... Not a nice look. If you're like me, the second thing I notice when meeting someone after their face, their smile is, their hands. I'm not obsessed, far from it but in the case of women, I tend to look at their nails, especially if they wear nail polish. I like it when I see colors I wouldn't dare wear myself. So yes I notice hands. Also let's not forget, dry hands do look older and we don't want that.
Here is what I do, my tips...
Start with a gentle, non stripping soap, especially in the kitchen. The ones I like...
Savon de Marseille
I don't use anti-bacterial soaps nor do I go for liquid soaps in Winter. Like most everybody I have used them but most of them where being too harsh after a while. Savon de Marseille has several options, the basic olive oil is quite nice to have and has barely any fragrance to it. You can find it in health food stores as well as some drugstores.
For the bathroom I alternate between the following...
Dove Beauty Bar
Scented or not, gentle and almost creamy. I had stepped away from this for years until I rediscovered it last Summer. Non stripping and so inexpensive. Review here.
Avène Cold Cream bar
I received one as a gift with purchase and fell in love with it. Feels very creamy and is extra gentle on skin.
Keep them moisturized...
For moisture, I keep a bottle of almond oil in the kitchen next to the sink. A few drops on the back of my hands is all it takes to keep them moisturized when I'm at home cooking or doing chores. If my hands get wet they don't get slimy like they would with a hand cream and my food doesn't taste weird. Any oil will do for this. If like me you alternate between evoo and canola oil for cooking and don't want an extra bottle on your counter, they will do nicely. Simply use what you have.
Hand creams I like, Caudalie for daytime. This one penetrates quickly without leaving a greasy feel and the fragrance is not overwhelming. For night, Avène Cold Cream and if on any particular night my hands are extra dry, I layer it over a few drops of argan oil. For cuticles, unrefined shea butter or Dior Crème Abricot are favorites of mine.
And no, it's not necessary to spend a fortune on hand creams. You could go for Nivea, Neutrogena, Vaseline or any other drugstore brand of your choice and simply layer over a few drops of oil as mentioned.
The power of gloves...
Rubber gloves to protect your hands when doing the dishes.
Cotton gloves when you want really help to keep the moisture in at night.
Warm gloves when you go outside. Protecting them from the cold is a must.
Gloves are also to be considered to help prevent the proliferation of germs like cold, flu and any other nasty bugs out there. Wearing them reminds us not to touch our face.
A bit of history...
Apparently this brand was quite popular. I was looking for an old image to feature here and I stumbled on this one by accident. Apparently well know, I had never seen it before. Want to know more about it? Click here.
