Don’t Let Your Hands Lie About Your Age
Even if your hairline holds up and your face remains wrinkle-free well into your forties (having a babyface does have its perks), there’s still one thing that’s going to give away your age. Well, two, actually: your hands, if you don’t start treating them better.
That’s right: without a little TLC while you’re young, your hands are going to go from dry and weathered to downright scary-looking by the time you're older. Now, we’re not saying to go whole hog and put them in homemade hyperbaric chambers or anything, but there are some less drastic measures you can take to keep your hands from looking like the Crypt Keeper's anytime soon. Heed a few of the following to keep your hands in peak shaking condition.
Herbivore Botanicals Soap, $8, available at themotley.com
Wash Well
Not to bash the bar you’ve used since your college days, but there are a bunch of soap options on the market right now that are exponentially better at tending to your digits—and the rest of you, for that matter. Here's a crazy idea: you should have different kinds of soaps for different parts of your body. Take this bar by Herbivore Botanicals: it’s made for the face, but the activated charcoal it’s infused with also helps slough off dead skin on your hands, feet, and everywhere else. Scrub hard and keep those things nice and soft. And when you’re washing, don’t use scalding hot water—it draws out moisture and can actually make dry skin worse, which is kind of the opposite of what you’re trying to do. Go for reasonably hot instead.
Nailcare 101
First of all, stop biting. It’s gross, for one, but it can also lead to swollen, pus-filled infections of the nail, which can leave the tips of your fingers scarred. And nobody wants that. Next off, buy a set of clippers and a file, and make sure to keep everything trimmed. Oh, and you’ll also want to get something called a nail brush. You’ll use it to get dirt and grime out from under your nails before it has a chance to turn into some sort of fungus-y situation. Anyone you ever shake hands with will appreciate it.
Baxter of California Hand Cream, $16, available at baxterofcalifornia.com
Keep ‘Em Moist
We’ve said it once, we’ve said it twice, we’ll say it a thousand more times: Moisturizer keeps your skin from looking older. Whether it’s your elbows, your face, or, hell, even your balls, every inch of skin on your body needs a little help once in awhile. This stuff from Baxter is formulated particularly hardcore for hands, which get the brunt of your skin’s abuse on a daily basis. Lather up.
Watch Out For The Elements
The secret to not-gross hands isn't really a secret: it's just about washing your hands, clipping your nails and rubbing on a little lotion. These preventative measures are pretty obvious because what you’re trying to do is steer clear of anything that can be particularly harsh on skin, like the sun. Did you know that the tops of the hands are one of the most commonly forgotten places to apply sunscreen? It's a ridiculous statistic, being that our hands doing the applying. Use an oil-free SPF so that they get the protection they need but don’t get too slippery.
You’ll also want to avoid excessive cold to your hands. Which, you know, is why gloves exist.
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