Our hands carry out most of our chores and during the winter months they take a real battering, so now is the perfect time to give them some extra TLC – after all no-one wants dry, chapped hands.

1. Moisturise, Moisturise, Moisturise

Use a good quality hand moisturiser and apply to hands three or four times a day after washing. Dry winters call for heavier more nourishing moisturiser.

2. Keep Your Hands Clean

There are more than 1,500 bacteria living on each square centimetre of skin on our hands and areas underneath the fingernails and between the fingers often harbour even more. When you wash your hands, ensure that you use lukewarm water with good quality soap.  Avoid normal dish soap because it is harsh on the skin and it also dries the skin easily.

3. Scrub

Scrub your hands at least once a week with a good exfoliating agent to get rid of any dead skin. You can even make one at home. Take a teaspoon each of fine sugar and olive oil and mix it well with the juice of half a lime.

4. Massage

Massage your hands at night for at least five minutes to let the goodness of the moisturiser soak in. For very rough hands, mix your moisturiser with a bit of Vaseline so that they are protected all through the night.  You can even wear gloves to enhance the absorption of the moisturiser.

5. Protect Your Hands

When you are washing dishes, gardening or carrying out any chores that are particularly harsh on your hands or that require contact with chemicals, grease or dirt, try wear rubber gloves to protect your hands.

7. File & Trim

Keep your nails neat.  Always file in one direction rather than a seesaw action. A seesaw action can separate the layers of the nail and if water finds its way between those nail layers, it can lead to nail peeling. Trim your nails regularly to keep them in perfect condition.

8. Protect Your Cuticles

Use a good quality cuticle cream or oil to prevent the cuticles from roughing out or drying. Looking for an alternative you can do at home? Apply a few drops of glycerine to your hands overnight at least twice a week and wash off with lukewarm water in the morning. You will wake up with softer hands.

9. Pamper Your Hands

Aside from regular maintenance at home, try and go for a professional manicure at least once a month.

10. Eat Right

What you eat is very important. Proteins, Vitamin B, Vitamin E supplements should be a part of your diet to get healthy, strong nails and to keep your hands supple and soft.

Try Celltone’s XTRA Hydrating Treatment which has been specifically formulated for dry and very dry skin.  It offers 24-hour hydration barrier function and advanced moisturisation.  For more information go to www.celltone.co.za.