Healthy Hands in Minutes

It's not surprising that because of how much we use our hands, they are one of the first parts of our bodies to start looking aged. Maintaining well groomed and healthy looking hands can be difficult as we race around from one daily routine to another, and a trip to the manicurist may not always fit our budget and our schedules. Thankfully, it takes just a few simple tricks that can be done at home in minutes to keep our hands looking their best and most youthful.

Nothing makes your hands look more aged and unkempt then dry skin and rough cuticles. From working in the garden, to washing dishes and cleaning the house, or even just handwashing, these are all things that leech the natural oils from our hands. When the moisture balance of our hands is disturbed like this, the skin can become ashen and calloused, cuticles become rough and torn, and our nails can become brittle and split easily.

It is key to make sure that you use a thick hand cream after washing your hands in order to replace any moisture that was lost. Using lukewarm water, rather then hot when washing your hands, will also aid in the retention of your skin's moisture. Hot water tends to irritate the top layer of your skin resulting in a higher then average loss of moisture. If your hands are particularly dried out, a wonderful way to quench them is to slather Vaseline on them right before you go to bed and wear thin, cotton gloves over your hands so that the Vaseline can penetrate your skin while you sleep. In the morning, your skin will be baby-smooth. Repeating this treatment nightly will guarantee that your hands will remain supple, smooth and youthful looking without any great effort or expensive salon treatments.

To concentrate on damaged, dried out cuticles, try soaking your fingertips in a cup of olive oil or whole milk a few times a week. You will want to avoid cutting your cuticles, as this will make them more prone to splitting and infections. It's best to use an orange stick to gently push back your cuticles once you have soaked them in the olive oil or milk. Olive oil is also a perfect treatment for brittle nails, as the oil will soften and moisturize them leaving them stronger and more supple. Using a clear, nail strengthening polish daily is another excellent way to protect your nails from drying out as well as ensure that they won't break easily.

Prevention is another key factor in maintaining healthy, youthful looking hands. Rather then clean the house or wash dishes with bare hands, therefore exposing them to drying agents and chemicals, try using rubber gloves to keep your hands protected. When gardening, use gardening gloves in order to keep your nails and cuticles clean and intact. Last, but not least, make sure to hydrate your body from within. Drinking six to eight glasses of water a day is optimal to keep your body hydrated. When you become dehydrated, your skin, including the skin on your hands will become visibly dried out too. Giving your body the water it needs will keep your skin healthy and looking great.

While our daily lives may lead to a lot of stress on our hands which in turn leads to them looking dried out and aged, it takes only a few minutes at the end of the day to pamper our hands and make sure that they look their best. Your hands work hard, and a little bit of pampering at home will go a long way to keep them healthy looking and young for years to come.