Like the near certainty year after year that the groundhog will see its shadow and we’ll have six more weeks of winter, it’s pretty much guaranteed that my hands will be dry and cracked from December to April. I have dry skin in general, so keeping it hydrated is always a challenge, but in the winter, it becomes downright scaly. My hands really take a beating, especially with how much I wash my hands.
One thing that can make a major difference for dry hands? Choosing hand soap carefully. Water evaporates easily and quickly on the hands, which can lead to more dryness. “Soaps that have ingredients such as aloe vera, vegetable-based oils, shea butter or cocoa butter, milk protein, coconut oil, vitamin E, and glycerin help trap the water in the skin while you are washing,” says Dr. Purvisha Patel, board-certified dermatologist and founder of Visha Skincare.
