JOIN OUR WHATSAPP CHANNEL
Here’s how to take care of your hands during Covid-19 explains beauty expert Shahnaz Husain
With the constant use of sanitizers, it's important to take care of your hands. Find out more
In these days of the COVID 19 crisis, you may be washing your hands often and using hand sanitizers liberally. Actually, the hands tend to show neglect and ageing early, because the skin on the back of the hands is thin and has few oil glands. The constant use of soaps and the high alcohol content in hand sanitizers can cause excessive dryness, flaking and peeling of the skin.
So, protect your hands by wearing rubber gloves for your washing chores. Massage a cream after your washing tasks, working it into the skin. 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.
Bath time is appropriate to pamper the hands and supply them with the oils and moisture they need. In fact, applying body lotions and creams soon after bathing, while the skin is still damp, helps to seal in moisture. Before your bath, apply sesame seed (til) oil, or pure almond oil on the hands and massage it into the skin. This helps to soften the skin also removes tan over a period of time. It also protects the hands from the drying effects of soap and chlorinated 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.
If the hands are dry, use a soap-free shower gel for bathing. Or, you can use mild glycerine soap. For extreme dryness, it is better to avoid soap. Oil massage and wiping with a moist towel can help to cleanse the skin adequately.
For dry and dark 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. You can do this three times a week.
For dryness of the hands, add one teaspoon pure glycerine to 50 ml rose water. Apply on the hands and leave on for half an hour. Then, wash it off with plain water. Adding a little lemon juice before application will help to lighten skin colour.
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.
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 sesame seed (til) oil, one teaspoon wheat germ oil. Apply daily and massage it into the skin. Massage around the nails too, in order to soften the cuticles.
For more Fashion & Beauty updates: Follow @pinkvillafashion
