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When you hear about wrinkles
and skin aging, your first thoughts are about face and neck.
But the earliest signs of aging will show on your hands.
Often neglected, hands need to
be regularly taken care of. Frequent contacts with water and
chemicals, sun, cold weather, gardening - all put your skin under
a big stress. While hands do not have many oil glands, they will
give away your age earlier than your pampered face.
In the meantime, it has been
noticed that after making eye contact, the next thing people
pay attention to is your hands.
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What can you do
to keep your hands beautiful?
- Moisturize! Several
times a day. Dry skin is easily injured and looks wrinkled.
- Protect your hands
- wear gloves when gardening, washing dishes, or dealing with
chemicals
- Use sun protection |
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- Keep your hands
dry. Any water left on your hands will evaporate and dry out
the skin.
- Give your hands
a special treatment - herbal or oil bath - once in a while.
Here are a few
suggestions for your next hand spa:
* Herbal hand bath
Bring 1 qt of water
to boil and pour over 1 tbsp of herbs (you can use all of these
or just one: chamomile, nettle, sage, coltsfoot, calendula).
Let the infusion cool to 100-110F and soak your hands in it for
about 15-20 minutes. Dry your hands thoroughly and apply a rich
moisturizer.
* You can make
your own nourishing hand cream.
Thoroughly mix 1
teaspoon of honey and 3 tbsp of unsalted butter. Add 1 tbsp of
strong herbal infusion. This will make a very rich cream. It
will take a while to absorb, but leave your hands silky and smooth.
* For dry skin
use this hand treatment 1-2 times a week:
1 tbsp Glycerin
1 Egg yolk
2 tbsp vegetable
oil (olive, almond, or another oil of your choice)
Lemon Juice of
1 lemon
3 1/2 - 4 oz of
an herbal infusion (for example: chamomile, calendula, elderflower)
or rose water.
Other tips:
- Mashed potatoes
(with milk) will make a great hand mask.
- When cooking with
eggs, don't throw the eggshells away. Scrape out the remaining
egg white and spread it over your hands.
- Rubbing your skin
with a piece of lemon will give the skin a more even tone.
- After washing dishes
or dealing with other alkali detergents, rinse your hands with
sour milk or with vinegar-in-water solution (1 tbsp. vinegar
per 2qt of water). This will help to restore pH balance of the
skin.
- Keep your hands
warm. Not only for the sake of better skin, but for your overall
health. Flue and colds often start with cold hands.
Tip for gardeners:
- Before digging
in the dirt, scratch a bar of soap with your nails. When you
are done working, cleaning your hands will be so much easier!
Nails.
Just like your skin and hair, your nails need moisture and conditioning
too.
Here are few
tips for better nails:
- If you use nail
polish, do not use acetone polish removers.
- From time to time
give your nails a break - let them be "naked" for a
few days.
- For stronger nails,
soak them in horsetail infusion.
- Olive oil that
you probably have in your pantry will make a perfect strengthening
nail bath (warm it first).
- Cuticles. Removing
them is not always a good idea because it makes your nails more
vulnerable to infections.
Yet, if you decide
to do the procedure, prepare the nails first:
apply a rich cream to the cuticle area. soak your nails in warm
soapy water for 5-6 minutes. After drying your hands, push the
cuticles back and then carefully cut them off with small scissors.
As always, topical
measures are not always enough, especially if you have brittle,
split or dull nails.
There are vitamins
that will help:
* Organic Silica
- to speed up the growth, avoid brittle and split nails.
* Essential Fatty Acids - Omega 3-6, Primrose Oil, Borage Oil,
Fish Oil - for healthy and strong nails.
* Vitamin B (particularly B5) - for healthy nails and skin.
* Chelated Iron - to avoid vertical ridges and spoon nails.
* MSM (Methyl-Sulfonyl-Methane) - provides building material
for healthy cells.
For better absorption
of vitamins and minerals, take digestive enzymes or bitters to
stimulate digestion and help your body clean itself of toxins.
Whichever way you
choose to care for your hands, even if it is just a hand lotion
from your local grocery store, use it regularly. After all, doing
so many things, your hands deserve care and attention. |
Beauty Secrets of the World
