Importance of Taking Care of Your Hands

Your hard-working hands serve you well, grasping, feeling and expressing yourself. As
hands are exposed to bacteria, viruses and other impurities all day long, you owe it to your hands to lather up and stay germ-free. But, that is only half of the equation for healthy hands and bodies.

The Hands-Down Problem

Worry about catching the latest bug leads to overzealous hand washing and constant slathering with hand sanitizer. The wrong types of soaps and alcohols in hand sanitizers can leave them dry and cracked, and ironically, even more exposed to contaminants. Failing to follow up with the right moisturizers to protect hands from environmental hazards is counterproductive to purifying and rejuvenating efforts.

In your quest to become “squeaky-clean,” your skin barrier may get damaged and proteins broken down, giving environmental contaminants easier access to the lower layers of the skin. When you wash with cleansers containing SLS (Sodium Lauryl Sulfate or Sodium Laurel Sulfate) and SLES (Sodium Laureth Sulfate), these harsh detergents create a foaming lather that dissolves the oils on your skin, stripping it of vital moisture. Removing natural oils from the lipid layer breaks down the skin’s acid mantle, causing dryness, dehydration, and irritation. Hands may appear red, rough and raw and feel itchy as a result. This leaves the skin vulnerable to skin diseases, as well as photo-aging.

Did you know?: SLS is used in scientific studies to help measure the degree of irritation of other ingredients. Let that sink in!

Following up with standard moisturizers found over-the-counter fails to repair the damaged barrier. This is because most of these drugstore products contain petroleum-based mineral oil that only creates the illusion of hydrating the skin, disrupts the skin’s protective barrier function and over time causes the skin to become dependent on it.

Hands Show Your Age

With years of use and exposure to UV rays, chances are your hands have taken a beating.
If you've found yourself hiding your hands from view due to lines, wrinkles, dark spots or just an overall aged appearance, we are right there with you! Despite the toll your hands have endured, you can keep them youthful looking by giving them the TLC they deserve, as outlined in our handy solutions below. (Sorry, we couldn’t resist the play on words!)

Handy Solutions

If you really want to take care of your hands, natural skin care products are the optimal remedies to keep them soft and smooth every day.

• Choose a sulfate-free natural skin cleanser with gentle yet effective surfactants like Sodium Lauroyl Oat Amino Acids and Saponaria. Be sure to wash with lukewarm water (not hot!) to avoid over-drying your skin.
• Enhance this daily ritual with a relaxing aromatherapy natural body wash. The Pevonia Anti-Stress Bath and Shower Gel with soothing Lavender and Chamomile and moisturizing Sweet Almond has softening, smoothing, and protective benefits that leave you cleaner and calmer!

• If you are obsessed with aging well and graciously, consider using an age-defying wash on your hands instead. We like to keep the Stem Cells Phyto-Elite Multi-Active Foaming Cleanser on our vanity for just this purpose, as it is the best natural face cleanser for aging skin. If you are frequently away from home, tote the travel-sized Hydrating Cleanser to wash your hands when you are out and about.

• Apply the mineral oil-free Multi-Active Hand Cream after washing to seal in moisture. Glycolic Acid and Vitamin A from Retinyl Palmitate and Beta Carotene help shed dead skin cells and refine your hands’ texture and allow the moisturizing Sunflower Seed Oil to absorb better. Lastly, soothing Chamomile and Vitamin E help rehabilitate irritated skin on overworked hands.

• Before heading outdoors, apply sunscreen daily to protect skin from UV damage. If you want to blur imperfections like redness and age spots, try YouthRenew Tinted Cream SPF 30. Otherwise, use the Hydrating Sunscreen Broad Spectrum SPF 40 with blue light protection to give you added defense against photo-aging.
• Always wear gloves when cleaning, doing dishes or gardening, as well as during cold weather.

 

Did you know? Tap water contains drying chlorine and iron residue that remain on the skin after you rinse your hands, increasing photo-aging. Studies show that these iron molecules form skin-damaging free radicals when exposed to UV light, making sunscreen use even more important.

If you really want to turn back the hands of time, give yourself an ageless hand treatment at home as follows:

1. Exfoliate with the Silky Skin Body Scrub or the Enzymo Spherides Peeling Cream.
2. Cleanse with the Phyto-Gel Cleanser to prepare the skin for your Pevonia treatment.
3. Apply the Vitaminic Concentrate with Squalane, Vitamin A and E, for a triple dose of skin- repairing moisture.
4. Layer with the Ageless Skin Collagen Mask to support production of naturally occurring proteins for optimal skin rejuvenation.
5. Finish with the Crepe No More Body Cream, the best body moisturizer for early and advanced signs of aging. With antioxidant Longan Fruit Extract, it strengthens the skin’s moisture barrier and enables your hands to age gracefully.