How to keep your hands soft and supple as the cold weather draws in

Two hands with hand soap foam on colorful background with copy space.

placeholder image — Two hands with hand soap foam on colorful background with copy space.

A dermatologist breaks down handcare dos and don’ts, and what key ingredients we should be looking out for.

You might have a multi-step skincare routine for your face, but what about your hands?

Most of us occasionally chuck some hand cream on – that is, if we remember. Yet our hands are so important – and we’re not giving them anywhere near the amount of love they deserve.

“We use our hands to express ourselves with communication; we need them for physical jobs, like grasping; but also sensory – for touch,” says Dr Alexandra Kemp, consultant dermatologist and spokesperson for the Skin Health Alliance. “So it’s really important to focus on hands and not forget them as part of our skincare regime.”

Here’s what you need to know about protecting your hands – particularly as we come into the colder months…

What sets our hands apart?

“On your palm, the skin is thicker than other skin on the body,” explains Kemp.

“Nature has designed it that way, to give us protection from touch, from trauma… We’re traumatising our hands more than we would other parts of the body.”

This means skincare needs to be a bit different to, for example, what you use on your face, “Because certain creams are more difficult to penetrate the skin, you often need to go with something a bit stronger on the hands than you might use on the rest of the body.”

But what makes the hands even more unique is how different the skin on the backs of them are, which tend to be “very thin”, says Kemp.

“It’s quite translucent, so as we age, you see the veins coming through. In an older person’s hands, you can see the tendons of the hands start to show up more through the skin. So it is really important that we protect that skin barrier function on the back of the hands and give it all the skincare that it needs.”

What should a healthy handcare routine look like?

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No, you don’t need to immediately transfer your complicated, multi-step facial routine to your hands, with Kemp saying: “If you speak to most dermatologists, skincare – even on the face – has become far too complicated, and actually you can overload the skin.

“So most dermatologists would say you don’t need to be applying eight different things to your face – so the same concept applies to your hands, I wouldn’t overdo it.”

As best practice, Kemp recommends washing your hands “fairly regularly throughout the day” using a gentle wash.

“For the face, for example, you only need to [wash] it morning and evening. But for the hands, you probably need to do it a couple more times throughout the day, depending on what you’re doing.”

Kemp’s top tip? “Use a gentle wash. There are quite a lot of harsh, astringent products out there, so you should make sure you are using a gentle wash. I think we learned during Covid that it’s important to rub your hands and give them a two minute clean with something gentle – [that’s] far more effective than having a quick wash with something harsh.”

She even suggests that you can wash your hands with a moisturiser if you’re not doing super dirty work, as that’s “nice and gentle”.

So what should you do after you’ve washed them? “Lots and lots of moisturisers,” Kemp advises.

“People forget that. You probably wouldn’t wash your face then leave it – you would definitely put something on afterwards, even if it’s just a moisturiser. The same applies to hands, always put a moisturiser on after you’ve washed them.”

And finally, Kemp doesn’t want people to skip the SPF. “It’s really important for your hands to remember to put sunscreen on, just as you would your face – and you do need to reapply it,” she says.

“What I say to most of my patients, whatever you’re putting on your face, pop on the back of your hands.” Kemp doesn’t even suggest a hand-specific SPF – whatever you already use will work a treat (“As long as it’s high factor – normally 30 and above – broad spectrum, so it’s protecting against UVA, UVB, visible light, and the whole range”).

What ingredients should you look out for?

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There’s a wealth of choice when it comes to hand creams, but what ingredients will really help protect the skin that is tough on one side, and delicate the other?

“There are a few key ingredients that you want to look out for,” says Kemp – adding that plenty will be similar to what you might be used to applying to your face.

“Hyaluronic acid is very good, that puts a nice little mask over the skin – and it also attracts water, so that softens the hands.

“You’ve got ceramides, that actually replenish the skin and protect the natural lipids, which is the oil barrier in the skin.”

Even if you don’t find a hand cream specifically formulated with vitamin C, if you are popping some on your face in the morning, why not pat the excess into your hands? It’s a “brilliant antioxidant”, says Kemp, who recommends using it before moisturiser.

For something a bit more exfoliating, Kemp recommends looking out for urea: “Normally around 5%, that exfoliates the skin – it is good if you get roughness on the skin.” This should do the trick when it comes to exfoliation – while you might be used to putting retinols on your face for more intense treatments, “It’s not something I particularly recommend – it’s more about protecting the skin barrier with the hands,” Kemp adds.

How else to protect your hands?

It’s not just about products – there are plenty of other ways to keep the skin on your hands soft and supple.

“Whenever we’re using harsh, abrasive products for cleaning, we should always wear gloves,” is Kemp’s top tip.

“If you are someone who enjoys a manicure, I would avoid having your cuticles cut and removed – that encourages infection into the hands, and can cause products. And in the harsh weather we’re coming into, if you’re out on a very cold day – wear some protection, wear some gloves. Moisturise [your hands] then pop your gloves on.”

6 hand heroes…