Some of us experience rough hands and feet mostly during winters as our skin tends to lose out the Ph balance and loss of moisture in the skin makes it dry, rough, scaly, and at times, itchy with burning tendencies. Every day, your hands and feet are exposed to sunlight, pollution, and wear and tear, just like the skin on your face and neck. Dry or rough hands and feet are not uncommon, but they can be uncomfortable and irritating. Rough hands and feet can be caused by a few different factors. Let’s know the facts of it.
Common Causes of Dry Hands
Dry, rough hands are usually caused by damage to the outer protective layer of the skin. This damage is caused by exposure to severe weather, damage from the sun (UV rays), environmental pollutants, excessive hand washing, and exposure to chemicals and also if washing vessels too often in the kitchen with dishwashers.
Workplace conditions can also cause dry hands. Some people use their hands a lot, like factory or construction workers, and others are exposed to chemicals or harsh irritants in their workplace.
Medical conditions like eczema and psoriasis can also cause dry hands, cracking, and skin peeling.
Common Causes of Dry Feet
The biggest cause of rough feet is a lack of moisture. Your feet have fewer oil glands than anywhere else on the body, so it is very common to have dry, rough, or cracked skin.
Irritation is also another cause, as wearing poorly fitting shoes or standing for too long can cause friction and put pressure on certain areas of the foot. From this, your feet can become dry or cracked.
Soaps and body washes that contain chemicals or irritants can also take away moisture from the skin. If you don’t wash excess soap away, it can cause dry or rough feet. Dry, rough hands need to be hydrated! When it comes to natural remedies for soft hands, it doesn’t get much better than oils like almond oil.
This oil is full of vitamins, minerals, and fatty acids that are great for your skin. All you have to do is gently massage this beneficial oil into your hands. To combat dry, rough hands, turn this into a habit (at least once a day!).
Apply Coconut Oil
Coconut oil is another fantastic natural moisturizer that can get you on track for soft hands! In addition to quickly absorbing into your skin and being super-hydrating, it also has antibacterial properties.
Apply coconut oil just as you would apply a regular lotion — just remember that your hands will be oily for a few minutes as it soaks into your skin.
Sleep with a moisturizer
If applying oil to your hands and feet during the day is bothersome or inconvenient for you, simply make it a part of your nighttime routine! Using oil or moisturizer before you go to bed is a great way to provide your hands with deep moisturization over several hours. The best way to sleep with almond or coconut oil (or any other moisturizer of your choice) on your hands is to put gloves on after applying the oil. If you don’t have a pair of gloves that you want to get oily, you can always use a pair of socks. Then simply hop into bed and let the moisturizing magic happen overnight!
Use a healing ointment or Petroleum jelly Vaseline
Using lotion might seem like a no-brainer if you want soft hands. Unfortunately, lots of lotions and moisturizers on the market are full of chemicals and artificial fragrances that are far from good for your skin. But that doesn’t mean you have to write lotion off altogether. The right one can do wonders for your hands!
Exfoliate with sugar and olive Oil
Part of getting the soft hands you want is doing what we have just talked about — moisturize, moisturize, moisturize! But the other part is exfoliation.
Exfoliating removes the top layer of dead skin cells so that the fresh skin underneath can shine. Bonus: it’s easy and quick! All you need to do is mix equal parts of olive oil and sugar (we recommend one tablespoon of each) and gently rub the mixture into your skin. The olive oil will hydrate your skin while the sugar will provide physical exfoliation. Just don’t damage your skin by rubbing it too vigorously!
And remember: contrary to moisturizing, which should be done at least once a day, you should only exfoliate your skin two or three times a week at most.
Switch on to Aloe Vera
You can prepare your own aloe vera gel by grinding aloe vera leaves and extracting the gel and juice from it. But aloe vera goes far beyond cracked skin relief! It’s healing, hydrating, and reduces inflammation, meaning you can include aloe vera in your soft-hand regimen. As opposed to a lotion that you leave on your hands, aloe vera works like a mask. Simply massage a bit into your hands, let it sit for a few minutes, then rinse it off and go about your day.
Treat your hands to a Mask
In addition to treating your hands to a few minutes of aloe vera, whipping up your own hand mask can be just the thing to soothe and soften your skin. You can make a hand mask with ingredients you’ve got on hand in your kitchen, like potatoes, honey, avocado, eggs, oats, or yogurt. There are plenty of recipes online, but to give you an idea of how quick and easy it can be, one natural mask only involves boiling a potato, mashing it with a splash of olive oil, and spreading it onto your hands once it cools off a bit.
Leave the potato mask on for around 15 minutes before taking it off and rinsing your hands.
Wear Sunscreen
Lather up with sunscreen before going for an outdoor adventure and wear facial sunscreen on a daily basis. You know the ropes. But have you ever thought about putting sunscreen on your hands?
Your hands are just as susceptible to sun damage as any other part of your body! So, next time you apply sunscreen, don’t forget your hard-working hands.