Winter Can Make Proper Hand Care More Difficult

Winter brings along a host of problems for our hands. Many will notice an increase in dry, cracked, and itchy skin during the cold winter months. This is because of a few different factors working in unison to decrease the health of our hands. First, when the weather gets cold, humidity levels plummet. This decrease in moisture dries out our exposed skin.

While indoor heating is great to keep us comfortable when it's cold out, it can also be a big culprit of wintertime hand dryness. This is because, without a humidifier to counteract it, indoor heat further dries out the moisture in the air. Lastly, we all know that wintertime means cold and flu season. Most of us spend extra time washing our hands more often to ensure that we're not contracting an illness. Unfortunately, this will remove the natural skin oils we need to keep our hands properly moisturized. To avoid dry, cracked hands this winter, it's important to understand the basics of protecting them.

Protecting Your Hands in the Winter

Most don't think much about the health of their hands until they experience some dryness and cracking in the cold, dry winter months. Unfortunately, once irritation occurs, it can take weeks for the hands to properly heal. This can be a disaster for those who rely heavily on their hands to get their job done. Protecting our hands in the winter can be done in a number of ways. Here are some of our best tips to ensure everyone's hands stay comfortable this winter season:

• Always wear gloves when going outside. The cold temperature will quickly dry up moisture in the hands
• If wearing rubber gloves for an extended period of time, wear a pair of cotton gloves underneath. This will protect the hands against excessive drying due to moisture loss caused by sweating.
• Use hand sanitizer over traditional soap and water at times. It can be gentler on the hands depending on the type of soap you use. 
• Keep hand moisturizer close by. This reminds us to consistently use the moisturizer throughout the day, which can result in overall less dry skin.

Benefits of Using Hand Creams

As we noted above, hand moisturizers are a must to ensure that our hands stay healthy during the harsh months of winter. They reintroduce moisture and provide a protective barrier to lock it in for hours. There's nothing worse than dry, cracked hands. They can sting in the cold winter weather and make it difficult to perform our daily tasks. Hand creams can alleviate dry, cracked hands and heal them back up to normal.

One factor that many tend to forget is that cracked hands are more prone to viral and bacterial infections than healthy hands. This unprotected skin can pick up a number of infections that can become more serious and debilitated. Regular use of hand creams can heal up cracked hands and prevent drying. It's a fact that our hands age faster than the rest of our bodies. Ensuring that they're properly moisturized helps to slow down the natural aging process.

Top Hand Cream Brands

Hand creams are a must for people of all ages to protect their health and comfort. While one may understand the importance of using a hand moisturizer, figuring out which one to purchase can be a real challenge. The hand cream aisle is usually full of hundreds of products that can make it burdening to determine which is best. What follows are some solid hand creams that can help moisturize the skin: 

• Hydro Boost Hand Gel Cream
• Dove Dry Skin Relief Replenishing Hand Cream
• Intense Relief Hand Cream
• Burt's Bees Hand Cream
• Bliss Hand Cream

All of these hand cream brands focus on healing cracked, dry skin, and sustaining moisturized skin in the future. Any good hand cream brand will be sure to address cracking and dryness problems. It's a good idea to avoid any high fragranced creams as they can lead to skin irritation for those with overly sensitive skin.