Hand Care 101: A Beginners Guide
Your hands are the part on your body that is most often exposed to the sun and environment. They also DO the most and have the MOST contact with other people right? Don’t they merit a little more love?! The expression ‘put your best foot forward’ should really be more like ‘put your best hand forward’. We shake hands with strangers and we hold hands with loved ones but i don’t remember the last time my feet were front and centre! The only time most of our friends ever put product on their hands, is when they have some left over from their face application and instead of washing it down the drain they rub it into their hands. Yes, we get manicures at times but perfect skin requires a consistent routine and effort on our part.
No matter how well you take care of your face, hands often show your age or even AGE you. Why? We ignore hands in our self care routines. Despite the fact that they take the biggest beating and we use them all day, for some reason they take a back seat in the skincare department. Here’s a list of products I highly recommend and use on a regular basis along + tips on how to use them as part of your new hand care routine.
What’s different about skin on your hands vs. face?
Your face has very particular needs because it’s usually more sensitive, delicate skin, has higher oil production, requires removing makeup, and acne routines. Now, that is NOT to say that there aren’t products you can use both on your face and hands, but, as we always say, it’s important to understand your skin, it’s needs, and how your products are affecting change (ingredients, mechanism of action, etc). Skin on your hands tends to be thin and dry and lack oil production. So you don’t need to worry about looking for words like non-comedogenic or oil-free when you’re scanning for products. Start with the following basics and we can get into some more high tech treatments as a next step! But these steps cover the bare minimum you should be doing!
1) Lather Them in Sunscreen
Opt for a moisturizing, long lasting SPF (UVA+UVB) that can stay put even though you might be washing your hands. You can add a face sunscreen to any of your hand creams. We always have our small Dermalogica SPF 50 with us. It also has Grape Seed and Green Tea soothe and which help defend against free radicals that cause premature aging.
2) Add a Few Drops of Your Vitamin C Serum to Your Moisturizer
Easy and effective. Add a drop of vitamin C to your night hand cream. Our favorite is the Glow Maker by Mae Love. A Vitamin C for every price point
3) Get a Super Hydrating Hand Cream
Lather it on at night and apply a thinner coat through the day. We like L’Occitane which has a very high % of good quality shea butter. Similarly, we adore the Aesop Resurrection Aromatique Hand Balm which smells incredible!
