How to Help Keep Your Hands From Cracking This Winter

During the winter it is really easy for your hands to get chapped and crack open. This condition can get quite painful. Here are some steps to help prevent that.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Lotion
• Gloves
• Thick lotion like Eucerin

1. First of all, make sure your hands are really dry after you wash them in the winter. When you don’t get them completely dry, then chapping will usually occur.

2. 
   Keep your hands protected!

   Wear gloves when you are outside during the winter. Gloves not only help keep your hands warm, they help prevent the cold wind from damaging your skin.

3. 

   Make sure you put hand lotion on your hands after every hand washing and if the skin is feeling tight. Putting lotion on your hands helps restore the moisture and keep it in your skin.

4. If you already have chapping, use a heavy cream like Eucerin before bed. Rub it in real good. To add to the protection, you can wear white socks or white gloves on your hands over the cream to keep the cream from rubbing off and keep it on your skin. Just make sure if you use socks, that they aren’t a good pair, because they might get kinda yucky!!! Do this every night until you hands get better, then continue to use hand lotion after each hand washing.

Tips & Warnings

• Guys, you may think that this is just a woman thing, but it's not!!! I have seen how bad my husband's hands get and there is no reason to have pain when it's not necessary!!!
• Keep lotion with you. For women, that's easy, just keep it in your purse. Men, you may need to get more creative, like keep it in your desk at work or keep it in your glove compartment of your car.
• If your hands are not improving, then see your doctor, you may have another skin condition that needs further treatment.

Resources

• Big Photo

[slphilbrick]

on 1/13/2009 Perfect tips for winter weather chapped hands ! 5*

[kaytay]

on 1/13/2009 very helpful and timely. 5 stars!

[FrazzledNanny]

on 1/11/2009 Thanks for the tips. I get dry skin a lot in the winter. 5*s

[bossypants]

on 1/7/2009 Thorough advice for keeping your hands moisturized and preventing chapping. Thanks!

[Allyn]

on 1/6/2009 Good info.