We need to wash, wash and wash again! Poor hands! x
I think I'm probably not far off the mark in saying that all of our hands are feeling it a bit with the excessive but so necessary hand washing and hand sanitising gels we're all using with the current climate. I know mine are - they are so dry and cracking now too!
The best advice I can give you ladies is to definitely wear your Marigolds for all household chores we've found ourselves doing - all the extra cleaning and for the washing up. Washing up liquid and cleaning products are total enemies to the skin and nails normally, and that's without the extra hand washing to wash away any viral bugs!
Any and every opportunity you get, smother on a good hand cream, if you have it, a cuticle oil too - put that on first then cream them up regularly. I don't know about you but I have actually given up on shellac, gel or acrylics for now. Seems pointless during lock-down...I've been doing a lot more with the kids and I'm finding typing this a joy with au naturelle nails!
I'm just regularly filing my nails, keeping them shortish and practical for now and focusing on keeping them hydrated as often as I'm dehydrating them with the washing. A really great time to cream up is before you put your gloves on - before you dip those hands into that hot washing up water - the heat of the water will act like a sauna and make the cream actually act like a hand mask on your hands inside those gloves! Brilliant - a treat for your hands whilst you wash!
The other great time and probably the most important of all is last thing at night before you drift off - our skin repairs at night whilst we sleep so slap it on those hands then and don't forget your face and neck too. Night creams nourish and repair - I always finish off by wiping any remains of face cream that's on my palms onto the backs of my hands. Don't neglect your body or feet either. Your body will thank you! Results are immediate with hydration.
I smashed my toe badly last week, being wreck-less and clumsy with the sofa of all things in bare foot, so I shall be replacing that in due course over the coming days with an acrylic toe nail replacement as the toe nail is three-quarters detached sadly and despite my naivety where I momentarily kidded myself into thinking it had reattached, its definitely coming off! Yup, that's actually a thing - acrylic toe nail replacements!
If you are finding you are getting dry skin around your nails, apart from hand creams, oils and cuticle creams, you can purchase some cuticle nippers from most supermarkets or chemists - if your'e out anyway. These are great for just nipping off any loose dry, sharp, hard bits of skin or cuticle that are catching and tempting you to pick!
Bottom line though - hydrate, hydrate, hydrate...oh, and gloves!
Love and miss you all <3 Cant wait to be back working again.
Love Caz. xx