Talk To The Hand

Having a time consuming beauty routine is something that's just not necessarily practical when we're dealing with all of life's daily stresses, so you may be inclined to skip one or several steps, but make sure that step is not moisturising. When you hear what happens to your skin when you don't moisturise, you'll want to make it your number one priority. Trust. Not just the face, body but also the hands. 

Take a moment to hold your hands out in front of you. Look at them. They are the only two hands you will ever have. You wouldn’t wash your face without applying a moisturiser, so why not do the same for your hands? Many women focus more on their face and less on their hands, feeling like no one really sees them. But our hands are our most sensitive and intimate vehicles of communication, and caring for them with the right-hand cream can enhance our overall appearance as well as our inner confidence. Hands are our tools and they allow us to carry out daily tasks in the home, at work and in the garden. But we all too often neglect them, leaving them defenceless to the environment and in poor condition. Has it ever occurred to you just about how many times you use your hands in a day? Many. Along with everyday tasks, exposure to water, chemicals and severe temperatures are the main cause of damage to the hands. Water is naturally drying for the skin, so even something as mundane as washing up without wearing gloves can cause more harm than good. Hands can become dry, cracked and painful, and are just as much of a problem for men as for women. The skin on the back of our hands is decidedly different to the skin on our palms. The skin on top of our hands is much thinner and has less sebaceous glands, meaning it can become dry very quickly. In comparison, the skin on our palms is a lot thicker, so for moisture to penetrate this area a hand cream needs to be rich and full of moisture binding ingredients. The skin is our defensive barrier and when the hands lose their natural moisturising oils, they need to be replenished. It is also one of the first places to show any signs of aging as our hands can easily give the game away if we neglect them. Using a hand cream is the best way to repair and restore damaged hands, ensuring that they not only look younger but feel softer too. 

Just like the face, the hands need moisture and protection too. Our hands, in particular the backs of our hands, are also regularly exposed to harmful UV rays and this can cause pigmentation and dark spots. Hand creams can benefit the skin by protecting it with sunscreen, which helps prevent skin cancer and brown age spots. Generally, hand creams differ from those used on the body, as the hands require a different type of care. As they are constantly exposed, they need to not only feel good, but also be protected. Our naked eyes might not be able to see it, but germs, through the air begin to build up right after we dry our soaped hands. Applying hand cream is actually hygienic. It contains antibacterial chemicals that keep airborne germs from invading your skin. It forms a protective layer so to speak to protect the skin from any harmful aggressors. Also, one of the biggest perks to using a hand cream is of course the scent and that sultry feeling of moist and nourished hands. Would you rather shake the hands of a person with cracked dry skin or one with soft and nourished hands? Hand creams make skin feels smoother. This helps for both the short and long-term care of your skin’s health and vitality without a doubt. Hands also appear softer if we may add. Ever wondered why beauty salons use hand cream before performing a manicure? Hand creams have moisturising elements that soften the skin, cuticles, and nails. Using a hand cream also results in younger looking hands. Hand creams with anti-aging impede the escalation of wrinkle formation, which is important in the skin’s transformation into its younger, original state.

Using a hand cream daily is a must and one that sinks in quickly means it can be used throughout the day. It may sound simple and perhaps to some, redundant, but really, do not down play the benefits of a hand cream. Hand creams are much more advanced now just like any other skincare products and can treat a variety of skin conditions that require more than just hydration. Whatever the reasons may be, we cannot stress enough on the importance of moisturising your hands. Prevention is better than cure they say. So be it to fade age spots, dark spots, pigmentation, tighten loose skin or soothe excessive dryness, there is a hand cream just for that.

Putting it into practice

Skincode Essentials 24h Intensive Moisturising Hand Cream

75 ml | For All Skin Types

Our skin care routines are so often focused on our faces and bodies, we often forget the struggle our hands go through until they begin to show age and damage. This is because our hands are easily dried out and compromised from all of our work, travel and using stripping ingredients when we wash our hands. Giving a bit more protection and care to our hands, nails and cuticles can be a fun and luxurious moment in our everyday skincare routine. Without your fingers or hands, our ability to work would be greatly reduced. Human hands are unique. No other creature in the world has hands that can grasp, hold, move, and manipulate objects like human hands. They are one of our greatest assets. And, as such, must be protected and cared for. It’s important that we don’t neglect our hands as they can quickly become dry, cracked and painful. In fact, one of the best things you can do for your hands is to moisturise them throughout the day and there are huge benefits of using hand cream. Although any cream or lotion will do, using a cream specially formulated for hands is the best way to repair and restore damaged hands. Without moisturiser, the skin will start flaking and appear dry. Dehydrated skin makes fine lines more visible, so wrinkles you already have that you didn't really notice because your skin was moisturised will start to pop more as your skin dries out.

The Skincode Essentials 24h Intensive Moisturising Hand Cream is definitely a winner in this area. It is a nourishing hand cream developed by skincare experts to deliver intensive care for hardworking hands. The cream instantly absorbs to replenish natural moisture levels and to deliver instant relief to dry and dehydrated hands. It also repairs, protects and offers long lasting hydration throughout the day for the hands. As a result, the skin on hands is moisturised and strengthened, soothed and protected and hands appear beautifully soft and non-greasy. 

Moisturising the hands also does reduce microbial shedding from the skin and is part of good hand hygiene, which will protect us from picking up viruses and reduce the likelihood of transmission as we all know a lot of diseases can be transmitted through our hands. It only takes a minute or two, so stop complaining and start moisturising those hands.

Application

There isn’t a wrong or a right way to apply hand cream but the best way to apply hand cream is to squeeze it onto the back of your hand and rub the back of your other hand against it. This is because the skin on the top of your hands is much thinner and has less sebaceous glands, meaning it can become dry very quickly and therefore needs the most moisture. There is also no specific number of time that a hand cream can be applied. So go ahead and apply as often as needed and make sure to apply every day. This is a hand cream and not an eye cream, so be sure to avoid the eye area. The Skincode Essentials 24h Intensive Moisturising Hand Cream can also be applied to the nails by carefully massaging the cream into each nail.

This may look silly but there are people who do it for a more intensive treatment. After applying the hand cream, you may put on a pair of gloves to help lock the moisture into the hands and prevent the cream from being rubbed off, hence allowing the ingredients to be soaked into skin effectively. Wait around 15 minutes before removing the gloves to see and feel a difference in the skin.

Ingredients

We all love a good product with top ingredients. Just the other Skincode Essentials products, the 24h Intensive Moisturising Hand Cream also contains the active ingredient CM-Glucan, a water-soluble glucan derivative, with a combined protective action to repair, regenerate, preserve and heal, that has the ability to stimulate the skin’s own defense mechanism. CM-Glucan enhances the skin’s resistance to UVA induced oxidative stress as well as other environmental hazards. It enhances the turnover of cell renewal and improves the skin’s barrier while calming and reducing irritations and is therefore ideal for sensitive skin. What’s more with its anti-inflammatory, protecting and moisturising properties, the Pro-Vitamin B5 helps restore and maintain natural skin moisture, leaving the skin feeling velvety and smooth while strengthening the skin’s barrier function. The Shea Butter in the 24h Intensive Moisturising Hand Cream offers cell regenerative virtues and efficiently delays skin aging. It also has softening, moisturising and restructuring properties. Shea Butter is one of the oldest remedies for dry skin. This stuff is rich in Vitamins A, E, and essential fatty acids. Shea Butter improves skin's barrier function and naturally offers a small amount of UV protection. Using a hand cream with Shea Butter in it can be like a sleeping mask for your hands, as it is extremely nourishing and reparative. It also helps to re-texturise skin and improve circulation, helping to revive sore hands from the feeling of fatigue. The Hydration Complex is the active ingredient Pentavitin (INCI: Saccharide Isomerate) which is included at tested level, helps to reconstitute the skin's barrier layer and possesses a skin identical carbohydrate complex that provides for an instant and long lasting hydration effect while strengthening the skin’s barrier and protecting it against environmental stresses.