Dry, Cracked Hands? Try This Nourishing Hand-Care Routine

While most skincare aficionados know that it’s important to apply skincare products onto the neck and decolletage, along with the face, you may not know that it's important to indulge your hands with a routine as well. 

The hands are one of the first areas of the body to show signs of aging, and the same fine lines, wrinkles and sun spots that show up on your face can also pop up on your hands. The good news is putting together a hand-care routine is much easier than you might think, even if you have dry, cracked hands. 

Anti-Aging Hand Care Routine

From slathering on hand cream to applying sunscreen regularly, these are the steps to building an anti-aging hand-care routine — just remember to be as consistent as you are with your skincare routine. 

Step 1: Exfoliate One to Two Times a Week

Just like the skin on your face and body, the skin on your hands can benefit from a weekly or twice-weekly exfoliation session. Exfoliation can help slough off dead surface skin cell buildup — which can appear more prominently on your hands — and make it easier for your skin to soak up hydrating hand-care products like serums, oils and hand cream. 

Step 2: Use a Serum

At night, when you’re applying your anti-aging skincare products to your face, try massaging some of those serums into the tops of your hands, too. This can not only salvage some of that excess product you may have accidentally squirted into your palms, but it can also help ensure that the skin on your hands is receiving a boost of nourishing skin benefits. 

Step 3: Apply Retinol

In addition to applying serum to the tops of your hands, you may want to consider using your retinol serums as hand care. An active form of vitamin A, retinol works to reduce the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines as well as to even out your skin tone. You can incorporate retinol into both your skincare routine for your face and your hands. If you’ve never used retinol on your skin — including your hands — before, start with a lower concentration and frequency and slowly work your way up to help prevent irritation. Retinol can contribute toward sun sensitivity, so be sure to apply your retinol-infused products in the evening and apply a broad-spectrum sunscreen to your hands in the morning. If you’re unsure if retinol is right for you, reach out to a board-certified dermatologist. 

Step 4: Nourish Your Cuticles

Show your cuticles some love with cuticle oil. We love the Essie On a Roll Apricot Cuticle Oil because it nourishes dry cuticles with a fast-absorbing formula and is perfect for on-the-go application. You can also use an oil such as coconut oil, sweet almond oil or argan oil to give your cuticles a hydrating effect. Simply apply the oil to the tops of your cuticles and nail beds and gently massage it in.

Step 5: Use Hand Cream on the Regular

When it comes to youthful-looking skin, hydration is key. Keep the skin on your hands looking and feeling well-moisturized with a rich hand cream. Unlike body lotions, hand creams are often thicker in texture and target rougher areas of skin, which is great if you’re battling dry hands. Keep one near your sink or in your purse and apply it to your hands after washing them.

Step 6: Deep Condition Your Hands

When moisturizer isn’t enough, we like to take things one step further and treat our hands to some deep conditioning R&R. Once a week, massage a nourishing oil, such as tamanu oil or argan oil, onto freshly exfoliated and cleansed hands as part of your hand care routine. Wrap them in plastic wrap and cover them with a pair of mittens or fuzzy socks to keep everything in place. Leave the wraps on for about an hour (or overnight) before removing for soft, smooth, supple-looking hands.

Step 7: Protect With Sunscreen

You should always — we repeat: always — apply broad-spectrum SPF 30 or higher to your hands in the morning and throughout the day as needed (i.e. after you rinse your hands). Broad-spectrum SPF can help protect the skin from sunburns, sun spots, premature signs of skin aging and skin cancer, which can appear on your hands or under your nails. 

The Best Anti-Aging Hand Care Products

Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Advanced Repair Barrier Cream

If your hands are feeling dry and sensitive, reach for a cream that will protect your skin’s barrier and soothe any irritation. Formulated with colloidal oatmeal, this cream relieves skin dryness up to 10 surface skin layers deep.