The hands begin to show neglect and ageing earlier than most other parts of the body, because the skin on the back of the hands is thin and has few oil glands. The constant use of soaps and detergents can play havoc. The high alcohol content in hand sanitisers also cause dryness, flaking and peeling of the skin.
In these days of Covid-19, you may be washing your hands often. Massage a cream on the hands, working it into the skin. This takes only a few minutes of your time. Massage the cream on the nails and the skin around the nails too. Massage the hands also at night with a good nourishing cream. Apply the cream on the back of the hand. This is the area that is prone to early wrinkling. Work down each finger, starting from the tip. Use tiny circular movements on the joints of the fingers. Massage the back of the hand, using strokes moving from the fingers towards the wrist.
You can also try some home remedies to protect the skin on the hands.
Take 2 tablespoons sunflower oil, 2 tablespoons lemon juice and 3 tablespoon coarse sugar. Mix together till it becomes a paste. Apply and rub into hands. Wash off after 15 minutes. Do this three times a week.
To soften the skin and lighten skin colour of hands, you can also take some sugar in your palm and add lemon juice. Rub this on the back of the hands and wash off. Add one teaspoon pure glycerine to 50 ml rose water. Keep in an airtight bottle on the fridge. Apply on the hands and leave on for half an hour. Then, wash it off with plain water.
A traditional home pre-bath treatment is to mix besan (gram flour) with a little milk or curd and a pinch or haldi (turmeric) into a paste. Apply the paste on the hands. After 20 minutes, dampen with water and rub the paste gently on the skin and wash it off while bathing. You will not need to apply soap, as this cleanses very well.
Put a cupful of warm milk in a bowl. Soak your hands in it for five minutes to strengthen nails and soften the skin.
Take fresh orange peels, pierce them with a fork. Rub the peels on the hands to brighten the skin.
For very dry hands and nails, mix together one tablespoon almond oil, one tablespoon til (sesame seed) oil, one teaspoon wheatgerm oil. Apply daily and massage it into the skin. Massage around the nails too, in order to soften the cuticles.
