I spend a lot of time at the kitchen sink.
Throughout the course of a day, my hands are repeatedly plunged into water and then dried.
Again and again.
This isn’t a big problem in the summer.
But winter takes a toll. If I’m not careful, my skin will crack and dry.
Lately, for many of us, this has gotten even trickier. Because now I wash my hands more than ever to prevent germ-borne disease.
I’d definitely have dry, cracked hands if I didn’t have a strategy.
This includes not using chemicals in the form of soaps or even moisturizers.
Yes, even the chemicals in moisturizers dry my skin, which totally defeats the purpose of using them in the first place.
I also make sure any hand sanitizer I use doesn’t have chemicals. (I either make my own sanitizer or I use a natural alcohol-based formula I pick up at the local drugstore.)
Rosehip Oil for Dry Skin
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I try to limit the amount of times my hands get wet.
I also use natural remedies such as pure rosehip seed oil, instead of chemical moisturizers. Using a plant-based dish washing solution eliminates the need to expose my hands to the harsh ingredients, such as sodium lauryl sulfate, typically added to regular dish washing liquid.
One great way to use rosehip seed oil is to put a little bit of lavender essential oil in it. That way, when you put it on your hands, you have two plant-based ingredients working together. It’s believed that combining healing remedies creates a powerful synergy.
Lavender is an herb that appears to have great affinity for the skin. That’s why it’s often found in natural skincare products.
Chamomile essential oil is another good choice. It has the same skin soothing attributes as lavender oil.
If you have seriously dry skin consider making your own hand balm. It’s really easy, with just three ingredients, including beeswax. Natural beeswax is one of the best and most powerful moisturizers I’ve found.
The only drawback with beeswax is that you need to melt it and mix it with other oils in order for it to work.
So if you need convenience, think about using rosehip seed oil on your hands.
Washing Dishes With Dry Hands
I’ve searched long and hand, but I haven’t been able to find a safe, affordable organic dish washing liquid.
So I’ve tried making my own. Later in this article, I’ll share this recipe. (Also, you can just dilute Castile soap or black soap and use it to do your dishes.)
Home Remedies Itchy Dry Skin
Don’t forget to avoid those chemicals. This has made such a huge difference with my hands.
For everything you use there’s a natural plant-based alternative. As more of these green products come on the market, the price continues to fall.
I also try to use natural products whenever possible because I suffer from a painful nerve condition. It almost drove me into a wheelchair. But it didn’t. I’m convinced that’s because I changed my lifestyle. This included cleaning up my diet and getting rid of potentially dangerous beauty formulas. One thing that needed to go were the moisturizing lotions I used to use.
In retrospect, I’m starting to think they only served to irritate my skin, contributing to my dry, red hands. They had the same effect on my face. At the time, I was puzzled as to why my skin continued to itch and flake. It’s now my personal, non-scientific opinion that these chemical concoctions don’t work nearly as well as natural plant-based oils, made by God, and not by man.
Parabens in Hand Lotion
I no longer use regular hand lotion, the kind you see at the drugstore. But not just because it dries my skin.
Chemical lotion contains a lot of questionable ingredients. Many brands are made with parabens. However, there’s really no need to expose yourself to these controversial hormone disruptors.
A lot of natural beauty products have become available. I love them.
For me, they work better than the chemicals.
All that’s missing from these formulas are the potentially dangerous chemicals. These may include artificial fragrances, tentatively linked to break cancer. Then, there are those parabens. These are added as preservatives. Unfortunately, there’s growing concern they also raise the risk of breast cancer.
Parabens mimic estrogen. So it’s possible they could fuel a hormone-dependent tumor.
More research is needed before anyone can say this conclusively.
But I’m not waiting for the studies. In the meantime, I’m doing my best to avoid these compounds.
Home Remedies Extremely Dry Hands
Natural rosehip oil works so well for me that I’ll never use a chemical moisturizer again.
I use it on my hands, as well as my face, to soften my skin reduce the appearance of lines around my eyes. Rosehip oil is rich in natural Vitamin C. This nutrient is believed to help maintain a healthy production of collagen, which keeps our skin looking younger. Here’s my favorite brand.
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Other good choices for dry hand carrier oils include:
- Avocado oil
- Sweet almond oil
- Tamanu oil
- Shea butter. This isn’t a typical carrier oil. Instead, shea butter is often added to natural beauty products. But it’s one of the best dry skin remedies I know of. Mixing shea butter with beeswax and coconut butter will yield and amazing hand balm. Here’s the recipe.
Dish Washing Liquid for Dry Hands
I’ve searched long and hard for that natural and effective dish washing liquid. My local grocery store used to carry one brand that I sort of liked, except for the fact I needed to use a lot of it to get any lather. It also didn’t work that well. But it didn’t contain any potentially toxic chemicals.
Some of the other available choices are packaged to look all natural. But, upon closer inspection, they’re not that much different than regular soaps.
So I’ve decided not to buy them anymore. Instead, I can make my own soap I can use to rinse my dishes, before putting them in the dishwasher.
All Natural Dish Soap Recipe
This recipe will make a workable dish rinse you can use to clean your dishes, before loading them in the dishwasher. I haven’t yet tried this on dishes I do by hand. If you want to use it to wash dishes in the sink, you’ll probably want to add more Castile soap to the mix.
With this recipe, you’re trading in some effectiveness for safety. But it’s really mild on your hands. I keep some at my skin to wash my hands, even when I’m not doing dishes.
- 1 ounce of pure peppermint castile soap.
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 10 ounces of water
- An empty plastic castile soap or dish washing liquid bottle.
Mix the first three ingredients together in the empty bottle. Shake before using. If you desire a stronger solution, add more Castile soap. This recipe can also be doubled or tripled, if you want to store it in a larger bottle near your sink.
Disclaimer
These statements have not been approved by the FDA. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
