COVID-19: How to keep your palms soft, after washing hands

With the incessant — but necessary — washing and sanitising of our hands these couple of months, here’s how to make sure they don’t get too dry

Wash your hands. We can’t stress that enough in the light of COVID-19. Doctors have recommended that you wash for 20 seconds with soap and water or use sanitisers with 70% alcohol, which is a known drying agent. It’s not just a cosmetic feel-good factor. Trapping moisture in the skin is necessary to prevent cracks, which in turn can attract infection. Here’s how to lock the moisture in, right after you wash.

Basic hand care

Almond oil, olive oil, coconut oil all work, says Chennai-based dermatologist Dr Deepika Lunawat. However, sesame seed oil is not suitable for sensitive skin, says Dr Jaishree Sharad, founder of Mumbai-based Skinfiniti.

She also suggests the use of aloe vera. “Pluck aloe vera leaves and extract the sap out of them to apply on your palms,” she says. This is also the time when we are cooking more than usual. “Before cooking, first apply a few drops of ghee on your palms to prevent damage from acidic vegetables that we cut, like onions, potatoes, and tomatoes,” she says.

In the absence of moisturisers, oiling your palms also works
 

Handy guide

Shahnaz Husain gives us recipes for soft hands

Daily: For very dry hands and nails, mix together one tablespoon almond oil, one tablespoon sesame seed oil, one teaspoon wheatgerm oil. Apply daily and massage it into the skin.

Daily in the evening: Add one teaspoon pure glycerine to 50 ml of rose water. Keep in an airtight bottle in the fridge. Apply on the hands and leave on for half an hour. Then, wash it off with plain water.

Thrice a week: Mix into a paste 2 tablespoons sunflower oil, 2 tablespoons lemon juice and 3 tablespoons coarse sugar. Apply and rub into hands. Wash off after 15 minutes.

Don’t forget the back

  • Shahnaz Husain reminds us that it is the back of the hands that is prone to early wrinkling, and shares her moisturising technique.
  • Apply the cream on the back of the hand. Work down each finger, starting from the tip. Use tiny circular movements on the joints of the fingers. Massage the back of the hand, using strokes moving from the fingers towards the wrist. Massage the cream on the nails and the skin around the nails too.

Palm care routines

Soak hands in water for 15 minutes, and then apply 2-3 drops of coconut, olive, or almond oil. Wrap hands in baking gloves for 15 minutes and wash off with plain water, suggests Chennai-based dermatologist Dr Renita Rajan.

For an overnight routine, she suggests applying a drop of your moisturiser, and wearing a pair of socks over your hands. If you can’t do it all night, try it for an hour. This will increase absorption. Avoid this if you have sweaty palms, as it will increase irritation.

While you are watching a movie, run malai (top of the milk cream) on your palms for 10 minutes, and rinse under water, says Dr Sharad. “Milk cream is a good hydrating agent and rebuilds lost skin cells.”

“If the skin on your palms is scaling due to excessive dryness, or has developed cuts, apply turmeric as it is an antiseptic, and clean it with coconut or almond oil instead of washing it,” she adds. Finally, keep yourself hydrated, Dr Lunawat reminds us.

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