Talk to the Hands!

Hands are one of the most delicate parts of the body, and often, the most neglected. We slather our bodies with everything we can find to maintain youthful, supple skin. Then one day we notice our hands and shriek in horror, because they're becoming as wrinkled as raisins.

I used to work with a young woman who moisturized her hands each time she washed them. If there was excess moisturizer on her hands, she would use it on her elbows. She told me that it had become second nature, because she had been doing it since she was a teenager. Her mother taught her that little trick. I have been doing the same for over twenties years.

I remember watching Funny Lady (1975) with Barbara Streisand years ago and wondering why, in one scene, she used lemon halves to rub on her elbows. I now know that it's a great way to exfoliate and lighten dark spots. Lemons pack a vitamin C punch and contain citric acid. I borrowed from Ms. Streisand and started rubbing fresh lemon juice on the tops of my hands. I'd sit like that for about 30 minutes, and then use a little organic cane sugar or sea salt to gently exfoliate. The result--smoother, youthful looking hands!

I recommend doing the lemon routine at the end of the day. You don't want to go out and expose your hands to the sun immediately after using lemon.

The most important thing to remember is that the hands are in constant use, and more often than not, exposed to the elements. Whenever we wash our hands, we should use moisturizer. It needs to become second nature. Wear a good pair of gloves to protect the hands when washing dishes or taking care of other chores. I favor Casabella or Playtex gloves. I usually wash my hands first and apply Vaseline or hand moisturizer before I put on gloves. I discovered my hands were softer, especially after using hot water.

Here's my pick for affordable moisturizers:

Estee Lauder Re-Nutriv Intensive Smoothing Hand Creme
L'Occitane Shea Butter Hand Cream
Olay Quench Rapid Repair Hand Lotion

Hand creams containing SPF:

Neutrogena Age Shield Hand Cream SPF 30
Clarins Age Control Hand Lotion SPF 15