Hands On: Tips to Keep Your Hands Feeling Soft and Looking Young

We all know that when it comes to ageing, unfortunately it’s usually our hands that suffer first. Our hands can tell people our age, can show what kind of life experiences we’ve had and can tell others way more about us than we think.

Your hands can reveal so much about you, it’s important to take good care of them at all times. Remember – they’re prone to wear and tear because they’re the body part that you use the most (aside from your tongue and legs!).

Here are a few simple tips to help keep your hands looking (and feeling) young and full of life.

Don’t neglect them: We spend mass amounts of time and money caring for the skin on our face and the rest of our body, but when it comes to our poor hands, in most cases we’re just not bothered. If neglected, your hands can discolour, the skin can get painfully dry and crack and you may even find some fine lines appearing. Make a promise to yourself today to start looking after your paws a bit better.

Show them some G(love): Dermatologists recommend wearing gloves when you’re outside in order to limit UV light exposure (the type of light that causes wrinkles, brown spots and skin cancer). So if you’re doing the gardening or if it’s a cold day, keep your hands protected in a pair of gloves. Likewise when you’re inside cleaning the loo or washing the dishes, wear rubber gloves to protect your hands from contact with cleaning products and too much water.

It's important to keep your hands moisturised and exfoliated

Use sun cream: This sounds a bit counter-intuitive (especially given the fact that it’s currently December and freezing outside) but experts recommend putting some sun screen on your hands every single day. Again, this will keep them safe from damaging UV rays. Take a tiny amount and run it over your hands or invest in a hand cream that protects against UV light.

Exfoliate once a week: Like the skin on your body, the skin on your hands can be prone to dry, flaky patches. The next time you’re doing a full-body exfoliation don’t forget your paws. Use a body brush or rub some exfoliating shower gel on your hands to help keep them smooth and supple.

Moisturise: Like exfoliation, moisturising is an important thing when it comes to keeping your hands looking young and healthy. Buy some rich hand cream and some cotton gloves. Apply the cream and cover your hands with the gloves just before you go to sleep. The next morning you’ll wake up to soft, nourished fingertips.