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Our hands do a lot of hard work every day. Typing on the computer, washing dishes, scanning groceries, or swinging a hammer, we often take our hands for granted. Everyone takes care to wash their hands regularly to prevent germs from building up, especially during cold and flu season. Sometimes, you don’t have access to soap and water, but you need to clean your hands. Many people carry an alcohol-based hand sanitiser with them to quickly clean their hands on the go. But have you noticed that the more often you use it, the more dry, red, and cracked your hands become?
Since you can’t stop cleaning your hands, it’s essential to choose a sanitising hand moisturiser that will protect your skin and still prevent germs. Here are five signs your hand sanitiser is helping restore skin elasticity.
1. Your Dry, Cracked Hands Are Healing
Some people are susceptible to dry, cracked skin regardless of the products they use. Especially in drier climates or during the winter, your skin loses moisture, so your hands are red and itchy. For other people, especially those in the medical field, in schools, or food service, their hands might suffer all year long because of the frequency with which they have to wash or sanitise their hands. You’ll know that you’ve chosen a good sanitising product if your hands begin to heal.
2. Your Skin Looks Smoother
Once your hands heal from being so chapped, you can continue to improve the look of your skin by choosing to moisturise. Another side effect of constantly dry, chapped hands is that your skin might begin to look old. This is because the skin on the back of your hands is very delicate, so if you don’t care for it, your hands might suggest that you’re older than you are. Moisturised hands are smooth and soft and help keep you looking younger.
3. Your Hand Sanitiser Has the Right Ingredients
A simple way to know if you’ve chosen the right hand sanitiser is to check the ingredients. Most sanitisers are alcohol-based, but it is possible to combat the drying effects of the alcohol with moisturising compounds. These compounds won’t lessen the cleansing effects of the sanitiser, so there’s no reason for your skin to suffer by choosing one without moisturiser. For example, look for the ingredient panthenol which uses vitamin B5 to revitalise your skin cells.
4. Your Immune System Is Trending Up
Did you know that your skin’s health can actually support your immune system? Think about all of the things that you touch in a day. There are germs on most of them, but most people aren’t constantly sick because your skin is a barrier to keep the germs out of your body. When your hands are dry and cracked, that barrier is susceptible to being breached. Therefore, keeping your hands soft and moisturised can help to keep you healthier.
5. Your Stress Level is Trending Down
When your hands are dry, the most logical thing to do is to use moisturiser. While the long term effect of regular use is that your hands heal, you can also enjoy a more immediate effect which is that your stress level can go down. When you rub moisturiser into your hands, you’re giving yourself a bit of a spa treatment. A gentle hand massage can release endorphins which helps you to feel more relaxed.
Hand hygiene is important but it doesn’t have to mean that your hands are destined to be dry and cracked all of the time. Carefully choose a sanitiser that contains moisturising compounds that will protect your hands and still prevent germs.