It’s often said that the state of your hands gives away your age, but if you’re not careful, they can even make you seem much older. These hardworking helpers wear out easily: not only do they carry out a plenitude of tactile tasks each day but the skin on the hands lacks the oil glands found on other areas of the body, important for skin moisture and protection.

We’re also known to hold our stress in our hands, clenching them into tight fists. Our diligent paws deserve as much attention as the skin on the face and other areas of the body, as their health is essential for us to carry out daily chores. And, from an aesthetic perspective, some would say they’re the ultimate accessory.

Maintaining the skin’s protective barrier is probably the most important measure to ensure the health of the skin on the hands. It’s the breakdown of this protection through the constant abuse from washing, unprotected sun exposure and contact with harsh cleaning products and solvents that causes problems. Once the barrier is compromised, the skin is far more vulnerable to severe dryness, dermatitis and infection.

Hand creams are essential to replenish the skin with lipids (fats and oils), offer protection and thus reinforce the skin’s barrier system. They also keep the skin looking soft. They are best used regularly throughout the day, ideally after hand washing or after immersing hands in water, which dries them out. To rejuvenate the skin, lock in moisture and protect it from environmental assault, a good hand cream contains these essential ingredients: fats, oils, butters and waxes.

These can include cold-pressed vegetable and nut oils, butters such as shea or cocoa butter and waxes such as beeswax or carnauba wax and humectants to attract moisture from the atmosphere and keep the skin well hydrated. Some good humectants include seaweed extracts rich in hydrating minerals, glycerine, honey, aloe vera and hyaluronic acid.

It’s also good to have water present in a hand cream to keep the skin’s layers soft and supple. Regular hand masks made with ingredients such as honey, yoghurt, olive oil, almond meal and oatmeal will also keep the skin on your hands lovely.

Using natural ingredients ensures that your hands are being nourished and protected with a mix of nutrients including vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and fatty acids. It’s helpful to avoid mineral oil (a byproduct of petroleum) in cosmetics. Mineral oil offers no nourishment, robs the skin of fat-soluble vitamins, suffocates the skin and inhibits natural repair.

To prevent sun damage and pigmentation, sunscreen is an essential addition to daily hand care. The sun is responsible for 90 per cent of premature ageing of the skin, so when you apply it to your face, remember to extend it to your hands. Go chemical-free — not only do harsh chemicals strip the skin, but we often put our hands to our mouths while eating, so where possible seek out natural formulations.

Here’s a rich hand balm that’s perfect for dry skin on the hands. Massage it into your hands in the evening, pop on some cotton gloves and sleep on it.

Healing hand balm with shea butter & sandalwood

10g cocoa butter

10g shea butter

12g beeswax

4 tbsp jojoba oil

1 tsp honey

25 drops sandalwood essential oil

5 drops calendula essential oil

Method

Melt all the waxes and oils (except the essential oils) using the double boiler method. Or sit a glass Pyrex jar in a pot of boiling water over open heat. Once the ingredients are melted, stir well. Take off heat. Mix in essential oils well and pour into amber-coloured jars.