Caring for the hands during the coronavirus pandemic

During the last few weeks, we have all been following the UK Government's and WHO advice to wash our hands more regularly. We have noticed an increase in enquiries, from customers who are struggling with sore hands and eczema break outs.  So we thought it might be useful, to pass on our advice.

The problem is being caused by many people (because of their work) having to use hand sanitizer gels or harsh soaps.  The gels need to be at least 60% alcohol to work against coronavirus, and you have to really cover the hands and massage the skin for about a minute for the gel to be effective.  So it's not surprising that after applying so much alcohol onto the hands or using a synthetic soap (sodium laurel sulphate is often the ingredient that causes the problems), that the skin is drying out.  The main problem seems to on the fingers, with soreness on the webbing that's between each finger.  We're hearing that some customers now have red, sensitive patches on their hands, with many people noticing dry, rough skin on the back of their hands.  So what can  you do to improve things?

Try to use a good soap for hand washing

First of all, we'd advise everyone to invest in a good bar of soap that has skin-kind ingredients, and to use this for hand washing where you can.  Read our article How Soap Works, for more information on why soap is fantastic for hand washing.  Our goat's milk soap is a perfect choice, since it is enriched with organic raw goat's milk and organic cocoa and shea butters.  We have lots of our Older Soap Offers on off-cuts and mis-shapes listed on the website at the moment, specifically so they can be used for hand washing.  These older soaps may have lost some/most of their aromatherapy fragrances, but the soap itself is still perfect to use.  The beauty of using a handmade soap like ours, is that it has a rich creamy lather and the bar was formulated to not be drying.  You'll often hear us saying that it cleans without stripping away all of the skin's natural oils.  So your hands will be clean but not squeaky clean, and this means you will have far fewer problems with the skin becoming dry compared to if you use hand washes. 

So try to use a good soap at home, even if you have to use hand gels at work.

Use a good hand cream that contains natural oils

If you are able, we'd recommend that you apply hand cream regularly throughout the day after you wash your hands.  Choose something with natural cold pressed botanical oils, since these will penetrate the skin and will help to maintain skin hydration.  If you use something that mainly contains petroleum derived oils it will tend to sit on the surface of the skin, so it will only act as a barrier cream rather than having moisturising qualities to improve the skin's condition. 

Our Natroma Hand Creams were formulated to feel light and non-greasy but they contain skin hydrating botanical oils (jojoba, coconut and squalane), organic shea butter, soothing aloe vera, d-panthenol, vitamin E, glycerine (it retains moisture in the skin) and organic calendula extract (well known, for it's skin calming attributes).  This combination of skincare ingredients ensure the skin is moisturised and then holds on to that moisture. Remember that our products are concentrated, so you should find that you only need to use a small amount (about the size of pea) each time.

Try to use heavier oil based products every evening

Every evening try to massage a heavier oil-based product into the skin.  This is how we recommend our Organic Balms are used since they can make the skin feel slick for a short while.  (In our shop, we recommend they're applied while you're watching TV!).  They contain organic shea and cocoa butters, avocado butter, jojoba and coconut oils with vitamin E and each has a lovely aromatherapy fragrance.  They feel rich and oily when they're first applied to the skin.  Don't worry they are supposed to feel firm while they're in the tin - it's so they don't melt too easily in hot weather. We suggest that you dig in your nail, and scrape a small amount of balm onto your hands where it will melt as it warms up to skin temperature.  Then, gently work the balm into the skin massaging the fingers, into the webbing between the fingers, onto the palms and the back of the hands.  The balm will leave an oily sheen on the skin for a few minutes and will slowly penetrate leaving the skin feeling silky soft afterwards. 

For an extra bit of pampering cover the hands with balm just before you go to bed, and then pull on some soft cotton gloves.

If you have really sore hands, we'd recommend you try our Soothe Organic Balm.  It contains a soothing, anti-inflammatory blend of Roman and German Chamomiles and Lavender essential oils with Sea Buckthorn extract, traditionally used to soothe irritated skin and aid skin healing.

Covid-19 Natural Hand Care Offer - Buy one of our handmade goat's milk soaps and an organic balm for £8.99

We hope this information has helped!