Dry Cracked Hands?

The skin on the backs of your hands is in many ways like the skin on your face. Sadly, our hands take quite a beating over the course of our lives and we do very little to pamper them the way we do our faces. We plunge them into buckets of cleaning chemicals, dig holes, and rarely remember to use sunscreen. The result? Dry, itchy, even cracked and bleeding hands that can be painful at worst, and embarrassing at least.

If only we had taken the time to learn to pamper our skin the way we treat ourselves to fine dining, great movies and other of life's simple luxuries. Now, you can reclaim your long-lost beautiful hands with a simple 3 step process that's quick and easy, and leaves hands feeling sensational to boot!

This quick 3 step hand treatment is a perfect pick-me-up that will exfoliate, soften and protect your hands and leave you feeling soothed and refreshed in the process.

1. Apply a gentle exfoliant to dry hands. I recommend Almond Oil Refining Hand Scrub from The Body Shop. It warms as it exfoliates, can be used wet or dry for on-the-go exfoliating, and the fine salt crystals are similar to microderm in terms of coarseness.

2. Rinse the exfoliant and apply a small amount of hand wash. The creamy, yet lightly scented Almond Oil Hand Wash is great for men or women. Lather up, singing "happy birthday" in your head before you rinse. This gives you time to really scrub the hands. Use a massaging motion as you scrub and rinse in mildly warm water to continue stimulating circulation and cleansing.

3. After the final rinse, blot dry (you don't want to be bone dry or soggy) and apply a hand lotion to retain moisture. Depending on your skin condition, I recommend the following:
The Body Shop Almond oil Daily Hand and Nail cream (normal skin)
The Body Shop Almond oil Intensive Hand Rescue (drier skin - a great night treatment)
The Body Shop Hemp Hand Protector (dry, chapped, cracked skin)

Here are a few bonus tips to take hand care the extra mile:

• At night, you can slip on a pair of cotton socks or use The Body Shop Moisturizing Gloves after you apply lotion for speedier results.
  
• Take time to exfoliate and pamper your skin at least once a week.
  
• Use Sunscreen to help prevent "age spots". To even out skin tone, try The Body Shop Moisture White brightening serum. Originally designed for the face, the licorice extract will work on your hands, too.
  
• Wear gloves when you're doing work, out in the weather or putting your hands "through the paces".
  

You'll be amazed at not only the condition of your hands, but also how much more relaxed and revived you'll feel after a quick hand treatment. The massaging motion helps to relieve tension and soothe the senses, which always goes a long way toward making your whole being feel better - not just your hands.