Wash you hands NOW

Now more than ever, it is important that we maintain good hand hygiene. The WHO and experts around the world urge us to wash our hands with soap and water for at least 20–30 seconds.

Every corner of the hands should be washed, including under the nails and up a bit on the wrist. This is not a new concept; it has always been important. Unfortunately, it is only now that we are being reminded of how crucial it is and why. Most of us who wash our hands frantically have realized that there is a negative side to it: many experience drier skin on their hands.

So, how can we counteract this? Should we stop washing our hands so frantically? NO! Absolutely not. Let’s just agree that having dry, flaky hands is an extremely low price to pay for staying healthy and not spreading viruses and other bacteria to those around us.

After all, it is possible to counteract dry hands relatively easily. Here are my best tips for keeping your hands soft despite all the washing.

1. Use a soap that has some moisturizing properties.
2. Don’t wash your hands with scalding hot water. Lukewarm water is sufficient to activate the surfactants in the soap that help dissolve viruses and other bacteria. You can wash your hands in cold water as well, but if you do, make sure to wash for a little longer to ensure that the surfactants really get rid of everything that needs to come off your hands.
3. Don’t dry your hands too thoroughly; that’s not necessary.
4. Use hand cream. By doing this, you counteract skin fissures. We don’t want fissures for two reasons: they hurt, and if you come into contact with viruses and bacteria, they can enter through those cracks. So, use hand cream.
5. To combat dryness, I use a peel on my hands once a week, just like I do on my face. I use an AHA-based toner on a cotton pad (AHA 7 Whitehead Power Liquid from CosRx) and dab it on my hands. Afterwards, I apply hand cream.

Discover all our hand creams here!