Hand Care

We often forget to take care of our hands. Through we use our hands to do all the work in and outside the house we seem to pay very little attention to taking care of them. Our hands come in contact with water, chemicals, is subject to heat and cold, we work with our hands in the garden etc. all this puts stress on the skin of our hands. The first signs of aging are visible on our hands. Here are a few ways in which you can take care of the skin of your hand.

* Moisturize your hands as many times as you can in a day. Dry skin looks wrinkled and can easily be damaged.
* Wear gloves while washing dishes, dealing with chemicals and while gardening.
* Protect the skin on your hands from the sun.
* Ensure that your hands are dry. If you have water on your hands it will evaporate drying your skin.
* Take special care of your hands once a week. Give your hands a herbal oil massage once a week.

Here are a few hand treatment ideas:

* Herbal Hand Bath: Boil one quarter of water and add one tablespoon of herbs (use one or all of these: chamomile, nettle, sage, coltsfoot, calendula). Let this mixture cool and soak your hands in it for 15-20 minutes. Dry your hands thoroughly and apply nourishing moisturizer.
* Homemade Nourishing Hand Cream: Mix one teaspoon of honey with 3 tablespoons of unsalted butter. Add one tablespoon of strong herbal mixture. This will make a very rich cream, that will take a while to absorb, but will make your hands soft and smooth.
* For dry skin: Mix one tablespoon glycerin, one egg yolk, two tablespoons of vegetable oil, juice of one lemon, 3 to 4 ounces of herbal infusion or rose water. Apply this once or twice a week.
* Mashed potatoes with milk make a great hand mask.
* After cooking with eggs, before you throw the eggshells away, scrape out the remaining egg white and massage it into your hands.
* Rub a piece of lemon on your hands to give your skin a more even tone.
* After washing dishes with detergents wash your hands with sour milk or with a vinegar and water solution (1 tablespoon of vinegar per 2quaters of water). This will restore the pH balance of the skin.
* Keep your hands warm as colds often start as a result of cold hands.