What to do with dry and chapped hands

Painful, dry, and chapped hands are a typical winter ailment. With the bleak autumn weather approaching, this can cause or worsen dry hands. Frequent washing and disinfecting during the coronavirus pandemic also puts a strain on the skin on our hands. This can lead to extremely dry skin and even hand eczema. Dry skin is unpleasant, looks unsightly, and leaves an unpleasant, tight feeling. You no longer have to suffer with this because there's something you can do to address dry and chapped (coronavirus) hands. What are dry hands, what causes them, and what helps? Read on!

Dry hands can be recognized by wrinkled, chapped skin and tight feeling. This gets worse with frequent washing, dry air, and after showering or bathing. Other symptoms are:

• Rough and painful skin
• Cracks, cracks or fissures
• Red spots
• Flakes or peeling
• Itching
• Dry fingertips

How do dry hands occur?

Dry hands occur because the skin surface of your hands has to endure too much. Our hands have a different skin structure than the rest of our body. The inside of the hand consists mainly of greasy and connecting tissue, such as collagen and elastin. The skin on the outside of your hand is thin and sensitive, has virtually no greasy tissue and few sebaceous glands. Dry hands can be caused or aggravated by external and internal influences. Often it is a combination of these.

External causes of dry hands: 

• Weather conditions; such as sun, temperature fluctuations and inclement weather.
• Dry air, for example from heating or air conditioning.
• Improper skincare, such as soaps that dry out your skin or creams with harsh, drying ingredients
• Wash and disinfectant often
• Manual labor; when your skin rubs against something
• Chemicals, such as in cleaning products

Most often, these causes lead to dry fingertips and the back of your hand in particular.

Internal causes of dry hands:

• An unhealthy diet
• Too little fluid intake
• Stress
• Skin aging
• Skin conditions such as eczema or psoriasis

Which care helps with dry hands?

Well-cared-for hands are an important calling card. And where would we be without our hands? We use them so often that proper care is indispensable. Caring for your hands starts with a mild and natural soap. You really don't need aggressive, synthetic products to clean your hands. This is because they strip away some of the natural oils from the skin on your hands. And with them, the good bacteria and the protective layer. Additionally, hydration and protection with a natural body butter for dry hands is very important. Without a protective layer, you are more susceptible to (Covid-19) infections.

Natural soaps

Ointment against painful dry hands

Propolis ointment is known for its antibacterial and healing properties, and it can indeed be useful in treating dry and painful hands. Propolis strengthens the barrier function and reduces itching, skin irritation, and inflammation.

Ideal as a dry hands cream: natural body butter

Dry hands need a nourishing and protective rich cream. A natural body butter is very suitable for this. It does not feel as sticky and greasy on your hands as, for example, olive oil. Natural Hemp Body Butter is a perfect blend of skin-nourishing substances such as omega-3, -6, and -9 fatty acids and vitamins C and E which, together with organic shea butter, soften, repair, and protect your hands. Easy to carry in your handbag. For extremely dry hands, you can apply the intensely nourishing shea butter in the evening , put on thin cotton gloves, and sleep with them on. The next morning, your hands will be soft and supple again!

Do you also suffer from dry facial skin? This requires a different treatment. Read more here about what to do about dry facial skin.

Scrub against flakes for dry hands

Do you still suffer from dry hands and flaky skin despite good care ? Scrub your hands with a mild and natural body scrub. The scrub removes dead skin cells and loose skin from your hands. When you do this regularly, the production of new cells is stimulated. Flow's natural body scrubs remove dead skin cells, such as loose skin and flakes, without damaging the skin on your hands. They contain hydrating and nourishing organic shea butter and organic coconut oil. Combined with authentic aromatherapy and gemstones, which balance the body's energies. If you have very sensitive skin, it is best not to scrub too often.

Six tips for (extremely) dry hands

Usually, extremely dry skin is relatively easy to remedy with proper care and the tips below. However, if your hands do become drier and the dryness persists, please contact your GP or a dermatologist. You may be allergic to certain substances or suffer from an underlying skin condition, such as eczema or atopic dermatitis. Our natural Hemp body butter has been specially developed for the needs of dry and atopic skin and is even suitable as a hand cream for eczema.

Wash your hands with natural soap

Use a natural soap when washing your hands to prevent skin irritation as much as possible. Use lukewarm water instead of warm or hot water.

2. Lubricate, lubricate and lubricate again

Dry skin needs to be nourished and protected. With a natural and effective oily cream you give your hands the care they need. To prevent corona contamination, it is important that we wash our hands often. Reapply them immediately after every wash.

3. Wear gloves

Protect your hands with gloves. If you go outside in cold weather, but also, for example, rubber gloves when using cleaning products.

4. Dry well

Avoid hot air dryers found in public restrooms. These can dry out your hands considerably. It is also better to pat your hands dry instead of rubbing.

Drink plenty of water

Hydrate your skin not only from the outside but also from the inside by drinking a lot. And then of course no alcoholic drinks or coffee because this dries out more.

6. Humid environment

Ensure good humidity in your house, for example by opening the windows opposite each other every day or putting a bowl of water on the heater. This helps against dry air.

During this coronavirus pandemic, disinfectant is widely used to prevent infection via the hands. In most cases, these products contain alcohol. This dries out the skin on your hands even more and damages your natural skin barrier. This is especially unavoidable if you work in healthcare. Therefore, read these tips specifically for healthcare professionals on what to do about dry hands or hand eczema.