‘Hand’ full of tips

Your face might get noticed first but your hands get the maximum exposure. Besides harsh sun and chaffing winds they are in direct contact with drying elements like detergents, hot water etc. The result: Your hands look years older than the rest of your body.

Why do hands age so fast?

The fragile structure of your hands makes the skin vulnerable to aging, but you can slow the process. The skin on the backs of your hands has a few oil glands so it shrivels and chaps easily upon exposure, especially around the joints.

Thinning bones and shrinking fat cells cause skin to sag.

Top hand irritants:

If your hands are itchy and rashes seem to erupt inexplicably, then consider the following culprits-

Orange peels:contain oils that can inflame skin, if you are sensitive, have someone else peel off the fruit.

Onion and garlic:

contain a chemical that can be irritating to touch. Avid cooks who are constantly in touch with them are vulnerable.

Shellfish: as crab and lobster can cause a condition called contact “Urticaria”, which results in hives.

Nickel: in coins, doorknobs, pens and foods such as lettuce causes cracking of the skin or blisters in 5% of the female population.

Carbonless copy paper: used in credit card receipts and many office forms contain tiny capsules that release skin irritating solutions. Constant friction can cause rashes.

Hand care Tips:

1. For lovely hands always use gloves for washing clothes and utensils.
2. Soak hands in a bowl of warm water to which 1 tsp of corn starch has been added for 5 minutes daily after finishing the house-hold chores.
3. Massage hands once a week with olive oil and a little table salt added to it.
4. Remove ingrained dirt from hands with a 10 minute massage of sugar and butter.
5. Glycerin, rose water and lemon juice rubbed on the hands every night during winter months keeps them soft and prevents ugly cracks.
6. For chapped hands in winters, wash with lukewarm water (before going to bed), apply milk-cream and put on a pair of gloves. Wash hands the next morning.
7. To remove stains from hands, rub with a slice of lemon or a raw potato.
8. For nicotine stains, apply lemon juice and leave for 10 minutes before washing.
9. Keep bones strong with calcium supplements.
10. Also moderate exercise will pump blood and its nutrients back into hands and feet.
11. Oral vitamin C also helps.