Anti-bacterial Hand Gels and Dry Hands

Do you suffer from dry cracked hands?  Do you carry around a little bottle or hand sanitizer gel, or keep them in your car, around the house, etc?  Do you know that the main ingredient in these gels is alcohol? 

Habitually putting these hand sanitizer alcohol based gels on your hands can really dry out your skin causing rough, and painful chafing and cracking.  If you are worried about germs, did you know that properly washing your hands with regular, not even anti-bacterial soap, is just as effective at killing and removing germs as all that expensive anti-bacterial stuff?  All this anti-bacterial everything really is not helping anything except contributing to building up the defenses of super germs and bacteria that eventually become resistant to these products, while severely drying out your skin.

Instead of grabbing the anti-bacterial hand gel or anti-bacterial soap, opt for the simple old fashioned soap hand washing, if it's available.  It might seem like a simple thing, but surprisingly, most people do not know how to properly wash their hands to make it most effective.  Here is a good article that breaks it down as a simple reminder we call can use.  5 Steps to Effective Hand-Washing

The best non-drying soaps are cold processed super-fatted soaps containing ingredients such as goats milk, olive oil, shea butter, or jojoba, just to mention a few.  These true soaps typically contain excess oils, which have not been converted to soap that help moisturize and clean at the same time.  Most mass produced conventional "soap" bars are really detergent bars.  Many times the manufactures remove the moisturizing natural occurring glycerin produced during the soap making process and turn it into lotion, which is then resold as a separate product for a much higher price per ounce.  These "detergent bars" can also cause your skin to dry out with excess use, since it also removes the natural oils in your skin as it washes away the dirt and germs.

If you prefer liquid soaps, don't go for the clear soaps.  These may be pretty, but they can also be contributing to your dry skin.  These clear soaps do not contain any excess oils which have not been saponified, or turned into soap.  That is why they are clear.  Instead, opt for the others you cannot see through. These typically are more moisturizing since the excess unsaponified oils give them a more creamy appearance.

In addition to some wonderful natural lotions now available, you can also try some home remedies you might already have in your kitchen to keep your hands and skin protected and moisturized.  After washing or soaking your hands, apply a little olive oil or coconut oil to your hands.  You don't need much or you won't be able to open a door knob for a while. :o)  Just a drop or two will help seal in the moisture and absorb into your skin helping to heal and prevent those dreaded dry and cracking hands.  An extra rub into your cuticles works great, too.  If you happen to have any tamanu oil, which I went into more detail in a previous post Must Have for your Medicine Cabinet, this will really help speed up the healing process of dry cracked hands and protect your skin at the same time.