Hand Care Tips for Dry and Rough Hands

Like all other parts of the body, the skin on your hands can get rough and dry when it is deprived of natural oils. Remember that with every treatment you pick for your hand care, it must be regularly repeated for good results.

One old-time recipe for keeping hands soft and well nourished is to soak about 1/4th kg of oatmeal in a quart of warm water. Leave overnight. Next morning strain it. To the liquid that you get, add one teaspoon of olive-oil, one teaspoon rose-water, one teaspoon of glycerin, one table­spoon of lemon juice and one teaspoon of diluted ammonia and mix well.

Preserve this lotion in a bottle and use on your hands at least three to four times a day.

To repair the damage done by soaps, hard detergents and aids, rub your hands with a mixture made of equal amounts of rose­water and glycerin.

Remedies for rough and dry hands include massaging them with equal parts of lanolin, cocoa, butter and almond oil.

Mix two tablespoons of almond oil with one egg yolk and one teaspoon of honey. Massage well into the hands and then put on cotton gloves. After an hour remove gloves and wash hands with a mixture of equal portions of clear water and vinegar.

Keep the excess lotion in a glass bottle and store in the refrigerator. This lotion should keep well for about two weeks. Use twice daily.

To soften hands, soak them in a mixture of honey and orange juice for about ten minutes. Wash with warm water, pat dry and then apply a hand cream.

Vaseline (petroleum jelly) mixed with carbolic acid, or just by itself, should be left on overnight for softening very rough hands.

Also try rubbing them with camphor ice and massaging them with pure cocoa butter.