As strange as might sound, our hands are usually the first body part to show signs of aging. The thin, fragile skin on our hands is subjected to harsh soaps and cleaners and almost constant sun exposure, making them very susceptible to the same dryness, age spots, and wrinkles that most of us are concerned with preventing on our faces.
Related: Your Cuticles Need Help, And This Is The Easiest Way To Fix Them
But luckily for us, keeping your hands looking soft and youthful isn’t rocket science. And you can do it affordably in your own home by making a few easy adjustments to your daily routine and overall lifestyle. So without further ado, here are 9 easy things you can do to achieve or maintain more youthful looking hands.
9 Easy And All-Natural Tips For Youthful Looking Hands
1. Wear Protective Gloves
Keeping your hands covered when handling dirt, mud, or cleaning agents is the easiest way to keep your hands soft and moisturized. And those with latex allergies can rest easy, because there are many different kinds of protective gloves that are widely available today, including vinyl, nitrile, and neoprene. Find them in the cleaning aisle of any grocery store or supermarket.
2. Wash With Gentle, Moisturizing Hand Soap
Some soaps are too harsh and can leave your skin feeling tight and dry. Look for a hand soap that has a moisturizing agent, like the coconut oil in my Foaming Antibacterial Hand Soap.
3. No Picking Or Biting
Biting your nails or picking at dry cuticles is a surefire way to make your hands look they’re in rough shape. Keeping your cuticles and nails soft and moisturized will help you avoid the temptation, so keep a brush-on applicator of my DIY Cuticle Oil on hand (pun intended) so you can apply it whenever you’re tempted to pick or bite.
4. Exfoliate Often
Exfoliating your hands will help remove dirt, germs, and dead skin while improving circulation. It’s super simple to make your own hand scrub that will leave your hands feeling clean, moisturized, and incredibly soft. Get all the details at Make Your Own Gardener’s Hand Scrub.
5. Wear Sunscreen
You should wear sunscreen all over, including on your hands. Sun damage is one of the biggest contributors to premature aging and can leave the skin on your hands looking spotted and wrinkled. Select a sunscreen with SPF 30 or higher for the most protection against the sun’s damaging rays, and make sure you’re applying enough of it.
6. Try A Fade Treatment For Age Spots
You can minimize existing age spots on your hands with natural remedies too. Try my preferred DIY treatment for age spots, which uses oats for moisture and exfoliation along with lemon juice and turmeric for their lightening properties.
7. Moisturize Often
Moisturizing regularly is key for maintaining soft, smooth hands that will stay that way for years to come. This luxurious homemade body butter makes a great option for those whose hands are already fairly smooth, but if they need serious help, try this store-bought lotion that works miracles on seriously dry skin.
8. Use Geranium Oil
Thanks to its antibacterial and anti-inflammatory effects, geranium oil is can help improve a variety of skin conditions. Add 5 drops of geranium oil to 1 teaspoon of rosehip oil, then massage it over your hands once or twice a day. (You can also apply it before bed and pull on a pair of cotton gloves so you don’t have to worry about touching things with oily hands.) Learn more about geranium oil at the link below.
Read More: This Is The Ultimate Oil For Your Skin And Hair (And More!)
9. Eat A Balanced Diet
Eating a balanced diet with plenty of vitamins, antioxidants, and fatty acids will help nourishes your skin and promote healthy nail growth. If your diet is low in certain proteins and vitamins, your nails can become brittle and peel or flake easily. If you have dietary restrictions that make it hard to get enough vitamins and antioxidants through your diet, supplementing with a multivitamin can help keep your hands and nails in good shape.
How do you care for your hands?
