HOW TO CARE FOR YOUR HANDS NATURALLY
You get home from a quick trip to the shops, and head straight to the sink where 20 seconds of scrubbing and washing ensues. This has become the new normal for everyone, a practice we now will typically perform three times as often as we have done in the past. This is on top of frequent application of hand sanitiser, which might happen as often as 3-5 times on an average trip out.
We all know that washing hands frequently with soap is critical in helping to protect yourself and stop the spread of COVID-19 and other viruses. As per the recommended guidelines set by the Australian Department of Health, the best course of action is to wash your hands frequently with soap and water, and to use an alcohol-based hand sanitiser when you can’t use soap and water.
WHY WASHING YOUR HANDS AND USING HAND SANITISER CAUSES YOUR SKIN TO DRY OUT
As much as the importance of good hand hygiene cannot be overstated, this constant cleansing of your skin does come with a down side. You may have noticed your hands are more dry, itchy or even breaking out in rashes as a result, depending on how sensitive your skin is. In addition, using antimicrobial sanitisers and soaps have a drastic effect on your skin microbiome, which has an effect on your overall health.
The skin microbiome plays host to trillions of bacteria and fungi that live on our skin. While this might come as a shock, these are friendly bacteria that play crucial roles in supporting healthy, strong skin. A healthy skin microbiome ensures that skin is performing at its optimum, providing a strong barrier and protection against infection. It also aids in wound healing and protects you from environmental damage, ensuring skin stays moist and elastic. Further studies have shown that the skin microbiome may in fact play a crucial role in communicating with our immune system, more so than the microbiome found in the gut, although further studies are needed.
Not only do hand sanitisers kill off the harmful viruses you are protecting yourself from, they also damage the lipids and fatty acids (natural fats and oils) that are produced by your skin. This in effect damages the skin barrier and leads to issues such as dryness, cracking, irritation and in some cases infections. Hand sanitisers should only be considered in the event there is no access to soap and running water. Further if using a mild soap enriched with hydrating and soothing ingredients such as aloe vera, honey, and plant oils, the skin microbiome is not as compromised.
NATURAL TREATMENTS FOR DRY HANDS
A further step to keep your hands nourished and moisturised is to invest in a good quality natural hand cream or balm and take it with you everywhere. Take care of your skin by applying it after washing and drying your hands. This restores the fats and oils that were stripped away with washing and encourages healthy bacteria to proliferate. Natural balms contain emollients and humectants such as coconut oil and beeswax that draw moisture to the skin and create a thin protective barrier to help lock moisture into the skin.
Further, natural moisturisers that use good quality plant fats such as those from nut and seed oils encourage the growth of good bacteria. With the regular use of a natural hand moisturiser, you are encouraging your skin to retain its balance of soothing, hydrating oils and the integrity of the skin microbiome, ensuring that skin is soft, plump and functioning at its optimum, even with frequent hand washing and sanitising.
THE IMPORTANCE OF DIET
Another way to encourage the health of your skin is to consider your diet. The gut and skin microbiota communicate with each other, and numerous studies link gut health with skin health. This is known as the gut-skin axis and this contributes to certain foods causing breakouts, puffiness, redness and eczema in certain people. Drinking plenty of filtered water, eating lots of healthy fats, especially from plant sources and including fermented foods or probiotics in your diet can be highly beneficial for the healthy functioning of your skin.
These are just some of the ways you can encourage skin that is healthy, soft and supple during these times where hand hygiene is of the utmost importance, in order to keep yourself and your loved ones safe.