How to Keep Your Hands Smooth, Soft, and Healthy During Viral Season
COVID-19
With the unholy combination of COVID-19 and, in many places, a bad flu season, the CDC is recommending more frequent hand washing. Obviously, this is a good idea; washing with soap and water is the best way to control the spread of coronaviruses, which are amongst those viruses which have a lipid envelope, a layer of fat around them. Break the layer of fat, and the virus dies. When soap and water are not available, alcohol-based sanitizer is recommended.
When Should you Wash your Hands
There are specific times you should wash your hands; some of these are for coronavirus prevention, and some are for other infection control. You should wash your hands:
After using the restroom. Guys, you too please!
Before eating.
Before preparing food.
After handling raw meat.
After having sex.
After touching, handling, or petting an animal (Note, there is no evidence COVID-19 can be caught or carried by pets, but pets tend not to be clean to start with).
Before sleeping (the reason is, we touch our face a lot while we sleep, and can easily transfer any viruses on our hands to our respiratory system).
After being in an area frequented by a lot of people and/or touching things touched by a lot of people. For example, if you commute using public transportation, you should wash your hands when you get to work and when you get home.
After shaking hands with or otherwise touching somebody who is not a member of your household. (In fact, right now it's recommended not to shake hands, with various jokes circulating about what we should do instead, that range from bowing to elbow bumps).
You should wash your hands for about 20 seconds. If you want to make this more fun, check the internet for coronavirus memes...suggestions for things which take 20 seconds include Happy Birthday twice, the first verse of "Never Gonna Give You Up" and the possible winner, Lady MacBeth's speech when she tries to wash the blood off of her hands.
Now, the problem with all of this hand washing is the effect it has on our hands; especially during the winter, when the cold temperatures can also affect your skin.
How to Keep Hand Washing from Drying out Your Skin
So, how can you reduce the effect on your skin of hand washing or, worse, using hand sanitizer. Here are some suggestions:
Use a moisturizer every time you wash, if possible. Moisturizer will both help keep your hands from drying out and help keep your skin intact, which protects you from other infections. Get a travel size to take with you and don't forget to slip a bottle into your office drawer.
If you can get it (there's a run on hand soap and hand sanitizer everywhere), use hand soap with built-in moisturizer.
Use aloe vera. You can get it in any drug store. In fact, you may want to stock up; if you can't get hand sanitizer, you can make your own version using aloe vera, rubbing alcohol, and tea tree oil, but it will likely be even worse on your hands than the store bought version, so make this a last resort.
Avoid hot air dryers. First of all, they dry out your skin. Second of all, those rapid jet dryers (you know, the ones that actually work) blow viruses into the air and can actually increase the spread of viruses. It's still better for infection control than not drying your hands, but if all the public rest rooms in your area have ditched paper towels in the interests of the environment, consider carrying a hand towel.
While the weather is still cold, wear gloves every time you go outside. Invest in a pair of touchscreen gloves so you aren't pulling off your gloves to check your phone. Gloves will also help keep you from getting germs on your hands. Hopefully you won’t touch your face as much either with gloves on.
If possible, use soap without fragrance; fragrance can be a drying agent. Also avoid alcohol-based soaps. As already mentioned, the thing soap does for you is get the germs off your hands when you lather up; the kind of soap is really not that important.
Pat hands dry rather than scrubbing. Scrubbing with a towel will aggravate any cracks you might have.
If your hands are particularly bad, you might have to bring out the big guns. Use petroleum jelly before going to bed and wear lightweight cotton gloves when you sleep. Coconut oil can also work really well for particularly dry hands.
Another "big gun" is to get a portable humidifier for your bedroom.
The best thing you can do, though, is use a good moisturizer every time you wash your hands, or at least as much as possible. And wash your hands. (Even if there's not a nasty virus circulating, most of us need to wash our hands a little more often). Stay safe, and look after your skin!