Easy Home Hand Treatment

Your hands do much more than you may think every day. They fearlessly dive into water, pat children's foreheads, immerse themselves in hamburger meat and tap on a keyboard mercilessly-or at least mine do. I love the weeks I am able to treat myself, and my hard working hands, to a professional manicure but that's not every week. Who has time or the extra cash required to sit in a nail salon to frequently? I use home hand treatments to slough away skin pieces around my nails and to smooth my hand skin. My hands love me for it!

Treat yourself or someone you love with some home hand care and protect tough working skin. You'll likely find many of the needed components right in your home. If not, you can find everything you need at a local department store or pharmacy. This easy treatment works on your feet too! Here's a tip though. Open all the products before getting started. It's tough opening them once your hands are covered in lubricant.

Step one: protect

Cover your hands with petroleum jelly. It sounds gross but you'll need it. After rinsing and drying clean hands with cool water, pat the hands dry with a soft towel. Scoop a dime-sized amount of petroleum jelly into the palm of your hands. Rub the petroleum jelly into the warm skin of your hand, on the top and bottom of the hands. Work the product into the nail beds, too. So what does this do? It protects your skin for the next step-the exfoliation. You'll remove excess skin, not healthy clean skin.

Step two: exfoliate

Mmm.. this is my favorite part of my home hand treatment. Squirt a pea-sized amount of body scrub into the palm of your hand. Rub the scrub over the top and bottom of the hand, working it into the nail area too. If you don't have a scrub hanging out in the shower make one. Mix ½ cup of granulated sugar with 1 to 2 drops of your favorite essential oil. Wa-la! Sugar scrub!

Step three: cleanse

You'll be tempted to rinse off the petroleum jelly and the scrub but resist for a few seconds. You'll need to squeeze a dab of antibacterial soap in to your hands then rub it. Turn the water on cool or warm and continue to rub your hands while immersing them in the water. Rinse away all the goop on the hands and nails.

Step four: moisturize

Next, turn off the water and pat your skin dry with a soft towel. Follow up the hand treatment with your favorite moisturizer. Your hands will feel deliciously rested and soft.

More from this Contributor:

Banish winter beauty blues with stylish tips

11 ways to prevent dry skin

Dumb beauty advice you should ignore