Beauty tips for your hands

It is not the most uplifting thing to say but the age of a lady is most visible on her neck and hands. The neck and hands wrinkle just like the face. And while we take so much care to keep every sign of aging away from the face and neck, we more often than not, neglect our hands.

The glamour and hospitality industries focus on the presentability of a candidate’s hands. Imagine a beautiful air hostess serving you cocktail with  dry and peeling skin on her hands! It’s not a pretty sight and these industries look down on such things.

The fragile skin on the back of our hand has only a few oil glands, making the skin in that area vulnerable to shriveling and chapping. Soap, sun exposure, dirt and pollution play a major role in early aging of the skin. Protecting the hands with gloves and regular moisturizer helps them remain young and beautiful for longer.

Environmental factors are not the only ones to blame in skin aging. Fruits, vegetables and habits too are culprits. Orange peel for example, contains oil that can inflame the skin. Eating food which is heavily colored can leave behind stains in the finger nails. Get rid of these stains immediately with lemon and warm water.  Glycerin, rose water, honey and milk cream can do wonders to your hand. Chopping, peeling, grating and other kitchen duties also do their share of the damage.

But don’t worry, you’re not completely helpless. Here’s what you can do:

After a day’s chores, relax your hands by soaking them in a bowl of warm water to which a spoon of corn starch is added. Olive oil and almond oil too are good for your hands. Rubbing olive oil on your hands before and after doing the dishes or clothes keeps them from drying up. A few drops of almond oil mixed to the water with detergent also make the harshness of the detergent much bearable to the skin.

A regular manicure is recommended. A fortnightly or a monthly manicure is worth every bit of your penny. Manicure cleanses the skin and nails, removes dead cells and massages the hand helping in better blood circulation. However, be careful while selecting a nail parlor for the manicure. If not hygienic, a manicure can lead to infection.

For a simple manicure at home, coat your nails with petroleum jelly and soak your hands in a bowl of warm water with sea salt. Use a manicure kit to scrape away dead cells on the nails, trim the cuticle, and cut and file the nails. Brush you hands with a mild soap and wash. Follow with an oil or cream massage. Pat dry your hands to paint your nails and relax like a queen while waiting for them to dry.

Lift up your hands and look at them? What do they need? Maybe, a little moisture and some tender loving care. Aging is natural and there are many ways to conceal it. But when you know exactly how to do it, there’s nothing better!