Have you ever shaken hands with someone and wondered how tender and soft their hands feel? A simple handshake, wave or even gentle touch can leave you with everlasting impressions. You can tell a lot about a person by the way they keep their hands. A part often ignored but constantly in use it is time to nourish them the care they deserve.

What is Hand Care and why is it Important?

Rough hands have become an increasing concern to many. Especially now, given our current situation with COVID-19, constant washing and sanitising of hands and exposing them to high alcohol contents can lead to excessive dryness. The best way to treat any concern is by looking after it! A little care now can go a long way. So why not introduce our hands to some much needed TLC and hand care! 

What exactly is Hand Care? How do you go about it?

Hand care is a set of routines that not only aims at making our hands baby soft but also maintaining hygiene and giving it more than just that excess face cream we quickly rub off into them! Here are some reasons that makes hand care so important to be a part of your daily skincare regimen

1. Prevents peeling of skin

Harmful rays causing sunburns, underlying medical conditions, daily habits such as over washing and dry weather can damage the skin’s barrier. This leads to inflammation or redness that makes the skin on the hands crack and peel. To prevent this one must opt for a hand cream in their routine.  

2. Delayed signs of ageing

 As we age our hands are one of the first few areas that show noticeable signs of ageing along with our eyes and neck as the skin loses fat and elasticity. Protecting the hands with sunscreen is a great way to prevent age spots and wrinkles. 

3. Maintains hygiene and strength immunity

Keeping your hands clean with the right cleaning wash and scrub will prevent the spread of germs, bacteria and dirt lying on the surface of your hands especially before eating, thus strengthening your immunity. 

4. Release stress

Hand Reflexology is a great way to relieve stress by massaging the right pressure points on your hands. It is these small moments of self care that can really help calm anxiety and relax you in a stressful situation. 

5. Increase Flexibility

An occasional hand massage and spa will help to increase flexibility of the hand, wrist and fingers and is beneficial for those suffering from Arthritis, hand pain due to constant typing and other discomforts caused by stiffness. 

How can a Simple Hand Massage Rejuvenate your Body?

 

Our hands are powerful tools to release tension through our body. Simply massaging the right pressure points can reduce headaches, improve sleep patterns, reveille body pain and just uplift our mood. Weather you choose to go to the spa or pamper yourself at home, understanding the different pressure points will help you achieve the desired results: 

Pressure Point	Area it targets
Tip of your fingers	Headaches
Pinky and Ring fingers	Ear pain
Index and Middle fingers	Eye pain
Area below the Pinky fingers	Arm and Shoulder pain
Circular area under the center of the palm	Stomach pain

Follow are the steps given below to give yourself a great hand massage: 

1. Relax yourself by loosening your shoulders and arms. Shake off any stress by loosely shaking your arms and fingers. Wake up each finger by pressing the tip and shaking them gently. Rest one hand against the table to easily massage the other. 

2. Apply an oil or cream of your choice to allow easy movement. We recommend Ozone Signature Guduchi Taila with its powerful quick absorbing Ayurvedic formulation for the skin to provide intense nourishment & replenishment of nutrients.

3.Start off by massaging the base of the finger and moving your way upward in anti-clockwise circular motions.

4. Then  drag your thump upward from your wrist to the end of your palm. Pinch your hand by scooping your thumb and fingers.

5. Rub both hands together and massage the residual oil sitting on the surface of your skin into your hands in a motion that resembles washing your hands.

6. Interlace your fingers together then stretch them outwards to finish off. Gently tap the gresy remains using a dry towel.

How to give yourself the perfect Hand spa?

Spa days are the best days! Just like we treat our bodies with much love, taking time out for a hand spa can relax your nerves and give you beautifully soft hands. Read our quick and easy guide to give your hands the care it deserves. 

1. Soak your hands

Fill a tub with warm water and dip them in for 3 to 4 minutes. Studies have shown that warm water helps to expand blood vessels and hence loosen any stiffness, pain or tension in the joints and muscles. Heat Therapy is the oldest and cheapest form of pain relief. 

2. Exfoliate

It helps to remove the dead layer of skin cells stuck on the surface of the skin. Getting rid of dirt and debris will help the lotion or oil applied to get readily absorbed into the skin. The Ozone Signature Body Scrub is a moisturising peeling softener with natural cellulose that exfoliates dead skin cells and provides moisture to keep the skin clean, clear and smooth.

 

 

3. Massage

Just as mentioned earlier in this article, there are a number of benefits associated with massaging the right pressure points on your hand. To do so you could also incorporate a Kansa Wand for added benefits. It is made with copper, tin, zinc and other healing metals. We recommend the Shankara Kansa Wand to massage away your stress.

 To know more about the Kansa Wand, click here. 

4. Hand Cream

A hand cream will help early signs of ageing and keep cracked hands at bay. The Aminu Firming Hand & Neck Cream will repair damaged skin, heal our hands and encourage self care early one even before you notice the first signs of ageing.

 

 

5. Moisturise

The skin on our hands has fewer sebaceous glands that produce lower levels of natural oils. They are exposed to environmental stressors and are prone to thinning. Keeping them moisturised and well hydrated with the Juicy Chemistry Kokum, Myrrh & Hazelnut Hand and Foot Cream will instantly give life to dull-looking and dry hands.

 

6. Use chemical free nail polish (Optional Step)

Compromising on your nail paints will only degrade the quality of your natural nail overtime. Moreover, the chemical contents can be consumed by you inadvertently and cause other health related problems.  Switching to non- toxic polishes will not only last longer, but also give you a gloss finish without compromising on quality. Check out the House of Makeup Matte Nail Poilish range for a wide variety of nail paints to choose from. 

What steps should your daily hand care routine consist of?

Check out the perfect recipe to flawless hands for those needing a quick and effective solution in your daily hand care routine. 

1. Wash your hands with a gentle hand wash

 Maintaining hygiene is the most basic step in any skin or hair care routine and especially important when it comes to hands. Skip those harsh soaps and switch to a refreshing, soothing, and ultra-hydrating everyday hand cleanser such as the Ozone Signature Hand Cleanser that effectively cleanses leaving hands conditioned and soft.

2. Use a Hand Lotion

The biggest difference between a hand lotion and cream is the lotion is less dense and light weight with higher water contents making it perfect for everyday use opposed to its thicker counterpart. The Nature Trail Lavender Love Hand and Body Lotion with its has a non greasy formulation that gets absorbed into skin quickly.

 

 

3. Hand Cream on the go

Carry a small hand cream tub and apply it regularly throughout the day, specially after you sanitise or wash your hands. We recommend Disguise Cosmetics Moringa & Prickly Pear Hand Cream.

What are some common mistakes we make that can lead to rough and dry hands? 

1. Don't forget Sunscreen

Protecting your hands from the harmful UV rays of the sun is the first step to prevent premature ageing. It is easy to leave out your hands, therefore we recommend  Paul Penders Herbal Sun Prosperity with botanical emollients and a rich lightweight formula that will not make your hands feel sticky.

2. Avoid Artificial Heating

Artificial heating is the way to go on a cold wintery day, but have you ever wondered how it may be damaging to the skin! It dries out the hair, sucking away any trace of humidity. This can make the hands excessively dehydrated and itchy. 

3. Avoid Hot baths

Similarly, hot baths too can dry out your hands. Try to shower at room temperature or cold water and avoid bathing more than once a day. 

4. Keep away from Chlorine

Too much swimming in Chlorinated water can dry out your hands and skin. It is a natural irritant that leaves the pores open and strips away the natural oils. If you do swim regularly, remember to shower before and after getting into the pool as leaving the contaminations on for a prolonged period of time may cause irritation. 

5. Using harsh soaps, shampoos and detergents

Using chemically formulated harsh soaps can damage the lipid barriers of the skin making it more susceptible to environmental stressors. Try to incorporate gentler products such as the Bare Necessities RoseMary Spa Bar. The Herbalist.

 

 

 

6. Avoid harsh sanitisers

Sanitisers are recommended to contain high levels of alcohol to kill germs and bacteria. Considering our current situation, using a sanitiser has become an unavoidable factor and hence choosing the right one for the skin is absolutely essential. Try the Influence pack of 2 Hand Sanitiser Gel.

To learn more about sanitisers and their formulation, click on the link here. 

7. Washing dishes

Exposure to water and using harsh washing liquids and soaps while doing the dishes can dry out the skin. Remember to wear washing gloves to protect your hands and follow up by using a hand cream or lotion to bring back the moisture. 

Conclusion 

While nothing beats a spa day, most of us are stretching ourselves thin between our work, social life and the 101 things going on all at once. It is only normal to be overwhelmed with an intensive spa treatment to follow every day. However, following a basic hand care routine, avoiding some of the common mistakes we make and occasionally papering them can take us a long way in achieving tender, soft hands.  

- Howrah Lookhmanji