We primp and pamper our face to no end. We use the best of creams and treatments, plaster on DIY masks and treatments, and make sure our face glows with all the charm our age has to offer. What we very often forget in our pursuit of a youthful face is that our hands give away our age all too well—considering we don’t pay all that much attention to them in the first place! So how do we make sure that our face and hands (and nails even) look and feel the same age? With some DIY and organic beauty from the kitchens, made this way…
An Everyday Routine
Hands suffer the most in our daily chores—they fall victim to repeated soaks, harsh detergents and cleaning agents, and even get coated with microbes during gardening routines. Soaps dry them out and OTC creams and lotions slather them with even more chemicals. While we can and do recommend organic DIY soaps and lotions, it’s not always convenient to make your own beauty products. Store-bought stuff comes with a longer shelf-life and a comfort factor that comes with a lifetime of use. So what can we do for our hands on an everyday basis to make them look less aged and more youthful?
- Make A Homemade Hand Wash: It is simpler than it sounds actually. All you need is 1/2 cup each of liquid castile soap and distilled water, along with 1 teaspoon each of jojoba oil, honey, vitamin E oil (squeeze it out of a capsule), and of course, your favorite essential oil for the scent of it all. Mix all the ingredients gently in a big bowl and then pour it into any liquid soap dispenser. Voila—a beautifully perfumed hand wash that doesn’t leave your hands dry! You can check out more handmade hand wash recipes here.
- A Nightly Lemon & Sugar Scrub: Lemons help in sloughing off dead skin; coarse sugar not only scrubs away that dead skin but also works as a skin softener and an emollient. So if you scrub your hands with sugar dipped in some lemon juice; you’ll be making your hands softer and brighter. Plus, a softer skin will be more effective in retaining the moisture of the cream you use later.
- Always Wear Gloves: And remember to wear gloves when you do the dishes, the cleaning, or the laundry. Your hands will thank you for it by not getting dry and keeping your nails as un-chipped as possible!
A Weekly Routine
So you have been doing the lemon and sugar scrub, but obviously, the chores still remain the same. Just as you tend to apply a weekly mask or pack to your face and neck, the same trick can also do wonders for your hands. Here are some organic but effective masks for your hands.
- Coffee Creamer: Once you are done with your daily cuppa, use the coffee dregs to add some life to your hands. Mix 1 tablespoon cream with 1 teaspoon coffee dregs. Add a pinch of turmeric or some crushed basil leaves to the same. Now scrub this mixture all over your hands, massaging the goodness in for 5 minutes each. Keep on an extra five minutes and wash off with warm water for hands that look as youthful as you are.
- Oil’s Well: You can also make an oil and egg mask to really nourish those hands. Mix one egg yolk with 2 teaspoons olive oil and beat both till creamy. Add in a few drops of a favored essential oil and apply this mayo-like mixture on freshly scrubbed hands. Keep on for 10 minutes and wash off for softer and deeply moisturized hands that really look a lot younger than before.
A Monthly Routine
So you have scrubbed and massaged, caked up those hands with packs and masks and worn gloves too. This should have made your hands look a lot better than what they were when you started. But if you still feel the need to help your hands a little more, then you need to reach for your medicine cabinet for some aspirin. And no, we don’t mean you eat it—aspirin makes for a wonderfully exfoliating hand mask that can really help you achieve your beautiful hand goals.
- Aspirin Deep-Exfoliating Treatment: Tap out 5-6 aspirin into the palm of your hand and wet them with just a few drops of water. Mash them into a paste, adding more water if needed, and once done, massage this all over your hands, concentrating more on the back of your hands. Keep on for 10-15 minutes and wash off. Try and keep your hands out of the sun for a few hours after this and make sure to apply a lotion or hand cream.
Bonus: Homemade Hand Lotion
Stop relying on those off-the-shelf hand creams and lotions, and simply make your own. This is what I made and it works perfectly though let me warn you—this is more liquid than most lotions, so you may want to store it in the refrigerator to keep it solidified.
You’ll need 1/2 cup virgin coconut oil, 1/4 cup castor oil and 20-30 drops of a favored essential oil. Heat the first two ingredients—the castor oil will froth a bit so make sure the heat is low. Allow to cool and whip for 2-3 minutes with a hand blender. Add in your essential oils and give it another 10-20 second whip. Transfer into a steamed mason jar to prevent any infections and use as and when required. It is a bit oily yes, but far better than any store-bought stuff I have ever used.
Hope this New Year is all happy hands for you. If you have any recipes to share with us, do write to us in the comments section below…
