As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to spread globally, health officials and other health care professionals’ throughput the world are emphasizing more on the importance of washing hands. Also Read: DIY Hand Sanitizers: 3 Cool Ideas To Disinfect Your Hands

According to the Centre Of Disease Control (CDC), washing hands frequently with soap and water for about 20 secs or applying some hand sanitiser extensively help in combatting the SARS-COV-2 virus and curbs them from spreading further. While it helps in killing germs and warding off various infectious diseases, it has a negative effect on the skin as it aggravates the loss of moisture from the hands, causing skin dryness.

Dry skin on the hands can not only occur due to over washing of hands but also due to certain environmental factors, health conditions and irritants. The chemicals present in the soap or hand wash may strip away the natural oils of the skin making it rough and dry.

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Since the lockdown is still in effect and people cannot visit parlors to get their manicure done, let's turn towards some cost-effective natural ways to moisturise and nourish the hands and prevent them from drying up due to over-washing.

Incredible Natural Ingredients That Keeps Your Hands Moisturised

Coconut Oil

An age-old ingredient, a bottle of coconut oil is stacked up in all Indian households. With an abundance of fatty acids, coconut oil is the old school way of preventing dry hands and locking in the moisture by increasing lipid levels on the skin surface.

Just pour a few drops of this oil onto your palms and rub both your hands together. Wear gloves for some time after applying the oil. Topical application of coconut oil on a regular basis before sleeping can make your hands softer within a week. Also Read: Wonder Benefits Of Coconut Oil

Honey

The emollient nature of honey can not only hydrate but also soothe and moisturise dry flaky skin of the hands. It helps to scrape off the dead skin cells and replace them with new ones making the hands much softer and nourished.

You can directly apply honey onto the hands and massage well or use it along with sugar as a scrub to remove the flaky membrane and get a moisturised and rejuvenated skin.

Aloe Vera Gel

The benefits of the stunning aloe vera plant are immense. Be it consuming raw by infusing it in water, applying over the face to clear spots, or anywhere on the body, the moisturising properties of this wonder gel never fails to awe us. Being rich in polysaccharides, the fresh aloe vera gel, or the store-bought one can deeply cleanse the skin and moisturise the hands when applied topically.

Just dab some amount of gel onto your palms and massage both your hands with it, to get baby soft hands within a few days.

Oatmeal

Being a powerhouse of protein-lipids, the humble oatmeal not only benefits us when eaten but also helps in moisturising the skin and improving its barrier function. The natural exfoliative properties of this cereal replenish the skin with moisture and keep dehydrated hand problems at bay.

Mix a tbsp of almond oil and oatmeal powder and apply it all over your hands. Keep it for 15 minutes and wash off with cool water. Do it once daily to get moisturised hands.

Ripe Banana

Quite often when a banana ripens too much, it is difficult to consume since it becomes mushy. Although, the sight of an overly ripe banana might agitate you to throw it away but little did one know that this gooey banana helps in battling dry skin issues. Enriched with potassium, banana not only prevents dry and wrinkled skin but also hydrates and moisturises it. The abundance of B-vitamins also helps in evening out the skin tone of the hands and prevents fine lines and spots.

Make a smooth paste of one egg white and half a mushy ripe banana and apply it all over the hands. Keep it for 15 minutes and get smooth moisturised skin after washing off with cool water.