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Beautiful Hands
Hand care
Hand care
Hands are hard to hide! Because they're almost always on show,
you'll want them to look their best; but because of the work
they do, they'll need special care. The key words in hand care
are protect and moisturise. It's vital to protect your
hands from excessive dryness, and to moisturise them to
counteract its effects, because dryness is the root cause of
rough, red or flaking skin - any of which can spoil the
appearance of your hands.
Protection
Many of the jobs your hands do are in water -often hot water.
Surprising though it sounds, this is very drying for your
hands; and the hotter the water, or the longer your hands are
in it, the more drying it will be. Detergents and most
household cleansers cause dryness, too, so you shouldn't allow
them to come into direct contact with your skin. Gloves are the
best protection. Wear rubber gloves for all wet work and cotton
gloves for dry but dirty jobs like gardening or polishing
silver. Beware of keeping rubber gloves on too long -this will
also cause dryness as it makes your hands perspire. Five
minutes should be the maximum. Alternatively, choose
cotton-lined rubber gloves or wear cotton gloves inside rubber
ones. And always apply hand cream after removing rubber
gloves.
Barrier cream is not a substitute for gloves, but it will stop
dirt and grime from penetrating if applied before undertaking
any dirty work for which you won't be
Moisturising
Hand cream will help to keep your hands soft and smooth and
offset dryness too. Use it every morning and every night, and,
if possible, every time you wet or wash your hands so that
washing your hands is a three-step routine.
1. Wash.
2. Dry thoroughly.
3. Apply cream.
Weather-wise
Your hands are more likely to suffer from dryness in cold or
windy weather. Always protect them by wearing gloves when you
venture out in these conditions and be even more generous with
hand cream. Chapping is also more likely in winter so always
take care to dry your hands thoroughly, especially between your
fingers.
If your hands have been neglected, and it shows, then try one
of these special treatments:
Apply a thick layer of hand cream, then put on a pair of cotton
gloves. Lastly, put rubber gloves on top. Relax for half an
hour, then take off both pairs of gloves by which time most of
the cream will have been absorbed.
Wear cotton gloves over a thick layer of hand cream
overnight.
Give your nails a salon-style paraffin wax treatment. You'll
need help to do this at home. Begin by heating the wax -which
is available in block form at chemists - until it is
comfortably warm, but not too hot. Be sure to test it first on
the inside of your wrist. Apply it to the hands with a large,
soft brush then wrap them in plastic or cooking foil. After 20
minutes, remove the wrapping and peel off the cooled
wax
by -
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