Looking for a cure or at least some relief for your hands? No need to buy and try one of everything on the drug store shelf — there's lots of help right at home. Try some of the tips below to give your hands the treatment they deserve.
- Chapped hands become velvety-soft again when treated with a fennel infusion. In the morning, pour 300 millilitres (1 1/4 cups) of boiling water over about 125 millilitres (1/2 cup) of fennel seeds, steep for 10 minutes, strain and cool. Soak your hands in the infusion for two minutes after every washing.
- To rejuvenate dry skin, use a yogurt and egg poultice once a week. Mix together 30 millilitres (two tablespoons) of yogurt, 15 millilitres (one tablespoon) of cream cheese, one egg yolk, 15 millilitres (one tablespoon) of honey and 30 millilitres (two tablespoons) of lemon juice. Apply a layer almost three millimetres (1/8 inch) thick to hands. Wash off with warm water after at least 15 minutes.
- For an exfoliating scrub that will smooth rough skin, stir five millilitres (one teaspoon) of sugar with a little lemon or grapefruit juice and rub your hands with it before rinsing with warm water.
- To make an oil and honey massage that leaves your skin noticeably softer, mix five millilitres (one teaspoon) of honey, 10 millilitres (two tablespoons) of almond oil and two drops of seabuckthorn oil. Massage into your dry, chapped hands. Let it work overnight — wear cotton gloves — and rinse with warm water in the morning.
For a moisturizing emulsion that will cleanse, stir five millilitres (one teaspoon) of honey and the juice from half a lemon into 100 millilitres (3 1/2 ounces) of warm milk.
- Make a daily hand cream by pouring the juice from two lemons through a cheesecloth. Mix the clear juice with an equal amount of almond oil. Melt 30 millilitres (two tablespoons) of beeswax in a double boiler, add the lemon-almond oil and stir until the liquid cools. Add five drops of citrus oil (e.g., lemon, grapefruit, neroli or lemongrass). Pour into a clean jar and store in the refrigerator — it will keep for three days.
- Back in the olden days, badly cracked skin was treated with a hand cream made of milk, but soaking your hands weekly in warm olive oil will also render skin soft again.
