How to Prevent Splitting Skin and Heal Cracks on the Fingers From Dry Winter Skin

Left untreated extreme dryness can lead to painful cracks and possible infection. 

This is the time of year that our hands are more prone to developing splits and cracks of the skin due to more dryness in the air, which can be extremely painful and a problem to heal if not treated properly.  However, there are several options that you may want to try to remedy the situation.

Before the skin opens enough to bleed, you need heavy lubrication with a greasy moisturizing cream.  At this stage, a thinner hand lotion formula won’t be sufficient enough for your needs.  Look for a moisturizing cream that has emollients and humectants such as petroleum jelly, lanolin and coconut oil, which is harder to wash off as fast as typical hand lotion.  Reapply often.  

A few simple changes can make all the difference for the health of your hands.

For those difficult spots between the fingers and their tips, you might even want to try a diaper ointment.  It is geared for extra sensitive skin, provides a water barrier and packed with healing power, especially if you look for one with vitamin A, D, and E in the formula.  

Another helpful tip before those rough lines turn into cracks is applying a thin coat of petroleum jelly to the hands before covering them with a pair of gloves upon turning in for the night.  

Once that skin starts to split, crack and bleed, you need to prevent infection with an antibiotic ointment.  My dermatologist recommends Polysporin because it is less likely to cause contact dermatitis having just the Polymixin B Sulfate (antibiotic) and the Bacitracin (to handle the bacteria) over something like Neosporin that has an extra ingredient that your skin could react too.  Apply as directed and always cover with a bandage. Keep lubricating the uncovered areas as well.

If your skin still doesn’t respond, a fungus could be responsible for the problem.  You might want to try using Vicks VapoRub.  With camphor, menthol, eucalyptus oil, cedar leaf oil, nutmeg oil, petrolatum, and proven fungus fighting ingredient of thymol, it could be the solution that ends your misery. 

Something else that you should think about involves the type of soap that you normally wash your hands with.  Try changing strong antibacterial soaps for something milder for washing your hands. A bar that has lotion built in the formula could help reduce irritation.

Washing dishes manually also contributes to increasing the likelihood of drying out our hands.  Though it is clumsy to use rubber gloves, they can help defend the hands from harsh, drying detergents and water better than going without.

Since the air inside your home is extra dry, which increases your chances of this problem, you may want to get a humidifier to put more moisture in the air.  Then again, you can always put some water in a dish by your heating vents to help accomplish the same thing, if price is a factor.

Finally, you might want to increase your vitamin C intake for your overall body’s health.  Being deficient in this vitamin could be another cause of the skin cracking.

Hopefully, the information that I shared will help prevent or bring you relief because suffering is not beautiful!

Molton Brown's Rhubarb & Rose Replenishing Hand Cream Review

**Disclaimer:  This post has been compensated through a free product (s) or monetary payment.  Opinions are solely mine. All links are "no-follow" links.**

This hand cream has more of a  refreshing citrus scent than you might expect.

Unlike the sweeter fruity-floral rush of Delicious Rhubarb & Rose, this variation is Molton Brown’s Rhubarb & Rose Replenishing Hand Cream is a bit more on the tart and citrus inspired than any floral rose scent.

The formula nourishes dry skin with the help of rhubarb and rose extracts among its ingredients.  It didn’t make my hands feel greasy or sticky, which is important to me with all the time I spend typing at my computer.  Nor do you have to use all that much to keeps hands smooth.  Yet, the best part is its zesty, uplifting lingering scent that lightly clings nicely to your skin.

Molton Brown Rhubarb & Rose Replenishing Hand Cream retails for $15 for 1.4 oz. on Amazon.

Have you tried any Molton Brown’s hand creams yet? Check their website out!

A Great Skin Care Tip to Remember for Smoothing Extra Dry, Rough Hands to Get Even More Benefits Out of Your Hand Cream!

The colder the weather becomes, the more our hands usually suffer with extra dryness and flakiness.  As a result, we are constantly slathering on hand creams and lotions to help repair the damage.  However, if you want to do more to speed up that awful cycle for smoothing away the dryness, I have a tip you need to try.

This simple tip helps give you even better results from your favorite hand creams. 

To make those healing hand products perform to the max, I suggest gently exfoliating your hands first to get rid of the dead skin that could be blocking the complete absorption of your chosen skin care just as you would do for your face.  After all, that dry skin is not doing you any good.  Instead, it is holding you from total healing and smoothness.

You don’t need anything fancy to exfoliate your hands.  What I use is a little sugar to olive oil mix to rub over the skin.  A teaspoon of sugar to another teaspoon of the olive oil works wonderfully for this purpose.   

After you initially rub that oil and sugar over that rough skin of your hands, you don’t want to immediately rinse the mix off.  You want to keep this mix on your hands for at least 10 minutes-15 minutes before washing it off. This will give the olive oil enough time to properly moisturize as well as aid to plump up the skin with its antioxidants.

I hope that on those occasions when your hands are extra rough that you try this simple fix of mine because it does help smooth the skin so much more this way.

How to Keep Your Hands From Those Visible Signs of Aging!

Youthful looking hands only add to your beauty.  

We all want to keep our hands as youthful as possible.  After all, we don’t want them to betray our age. Therefore, here are some simple tips to protect that thin and extremely delicate skin on the back of your hands.  Incorporating all or even of few of these things will help your hands look better, longer.

You might want to start by caring for your hands with sunscreen just as you do your face every morning. Keep a tube or bottle of at least one with an SPF 30 in your handbag or at work and remember to reapply it through your day before going outdoors.

If you already have some brown age spots, then there is no time to waste.  Sunscreen is a must because that hyperpigmentation will only become darker without it.  Apply the product every two hours when you find yourself in direct sun can save your hands considerably more damage.

You can also try fading those brown sunspots with fresh lemon juice, leaving it on for about two or three minutes before rinsing. The best time to do this lightening is at night because the citrus contains a substance that can cause darkening when in contact with sunlight.  A glycolic acid or some form of scrub that will help exfoliate some of that darkness in the skin can also help the area.

Every time your hands come in contact with water, do moisturize them with your favorite hand lotion or cream.  Your well-hydrated skin will look less wrinkly because the fresh application of lotion or cream lubricates and also plumps the skin.

Wearing rubber, vinyl, or latex free gloves when you need to put your hands in dishwater also will help.  If you do have sensitivity to rubber gloves and find it irritates your hands as it does mine and so many others, it could be due to latex.  You might want to try the vinyl or the latex free variety.

Another thing that ages hands is the condition of our nails.  Try keeping the bottle of cuticle oil out in plain view on your vanity or dressing table and remember to use it twice a day.  

Our nails can become weaker as we age.  Stop using them as a handy “tool” to open boxes, peel off stickers, letters or for other household tasks that can cause them to break or split.  Instead, use a real “tool” like a  letter opener or improvise with another-–just not your nails to do that job.

If you like to get a professional manicure, I suggest taking your own tools with you.  This will save the nails from risk of any possible infection.  

Give a Gift of Healing Relief With L’Occitane en Provence’s Hand Cream Bouquet! (Review)

**Disclaimer:  This post has been compensated through a free product (s) or monetary payment.  Opinions are solely mine. All links are "no-follow" links.**

L'Occitane en Provence's Hand Cream Bouquet

What a beautiful gesture to receive to a holiday gift set of L’Occitane en Provence’s award-winning shea butter hand creams like this Hand Cream Bouquet, especially at this time of year when the weather can be brutal on hands. 

I love this stuff because it honestly works quickly to help heal suffering hands without any greasy feel. Before you know it, your hands are soft and not to mention exquisitely scented.

The Hand Cream Bouquet sells normally at $72 but now is $54!  There are other hand cream sets to choose but I really am drawn to this one because it has six glorious (1 oz.) tubes that are perfect for toting to the office without taking much space in your handbag. You’ll find a Shea Butter Rose, Shea Butter Lime, Shea Butter Vanilla, Shea Butter Hand Creams along with an Almond and Lavender Hand Creams.

Do the ultimate kindness and give this as a holiday gift for yourself as well as those you shop for this holiday season.  Find the Hand Cream Bouquet at L’Occitane en Provence along with other tempting holiday gift ideas!

*Disclaimer: Free products were provided to facilitate this review--not my opinion.*

Crabtree & Evelyn's Botanical Hand Therapy Trio and Citron, Honey & Coriander Ornament Holiday Tins Review

**Disclaimer:  This post has been compensated through a free product (s) or monetary payment.  Opinions are solely mine. All links are "no-follow" links.**

Crabtree & Evelyn's Botanical Hand Therapy Trio

Deciding what sort of gifts your family and friends can take a lot of thought.  But, if you’re looking for a few wonderful stocking stuffer ideas that would be especially welcome at this time of year, then you came to the right place. 

Regardless of age or sex, who on your list wouldn’t appreciate some winter hand care in festive holiday tins like the Botanical Hand Therapy Trio Tin ($20.00) or the Citron, Honey & Coriander Ornament Tin ($14.00) that Crabtree & Evelyn sent me for this review?

This Botanical selection comes in with three tubes (25g) of Ultra-Moisturizing Hand Therapy in Citron, Honey & Coriander scent, the second in Avocado, Olive & Basil, and a third tube in Pomegranate, Argan & Grapeseed. This hard-working formula heals dry, irritated hands with macadamia nut oil, shea butter, myrrh extract and moisture-locking ceramides.

Crabtree & Evelyn's Citron, Honey & coriander Ornament Holiday Tin

These holiday hand cream tins also are available in other tempting Crabtree & Evelyn scents so do check them out!

*Disclaimer: Free products were provided to facilitate this review--not my opinion.*

Review: Memebox Special #26 Hand & Nail Care—September 2014 Deals!

**Disclaimer:  This post has been compensated through a free product (s) or monetary payment.  Opinions are solely mine. All links are "no-follow" links.**

Memebox Special #26 Hand & Nail Care

Hands can give away your age—that is, if you let them.  Look at all we put them through every day doing dishes, laundry, cleaning, and cooking to name just a few routine chores that can turn once soft hands with lovely nails into ones that you would rather hide from the world.  Help is here though with the Memebox Special #26 Hand & Nail Care assortment that I was sent.

I wish that I could tell that you can still buy this particular Memebox, but it is another sold out box.  When it was still available this box sold for $23 plus $6.99 shipping.  Here is what you missed.

Memebox Special #26 Hand & Nail Care Box

1.    PURE SKIN Hand Care Pack—Full Size (15g)--$4.00

2.    SUR 3D Nail Art Kit (3D & Magnet emerald 12ml & Nail Art Pen Silver 7ml)—Full Size--$29.00

3.    PURE PLUS Hydrogel Moisturizing Nail Patch—Full Size (2/5g)--$8.00

4.    With shan Dr. Care Set (Dr. 01 15ml & Paper File 1 ea.)—Full Size--$13.00

5.    BARBINIE Shea Butter Hand Cream—Full Size (50ml)--$18.00

6.    SHARA SHARA Soft Hand Gommage—Full Size (50ml)--$6.00

7.    With shan Baby Hand Set (Treat Oil 15ml & Nail Wall File 1ea)—Full Size--$9.00

Total Value:  $87.00!

The most interesting product was the Shara Shara Soft Hand Gommage.  This is a gel that you rub over your hands to get rid of rough skin. Once applied, it balls up and gently peels away skin. My hands were softer as a result.

The Pure skin Hand Care Pack was one of my favorites of the products that I sampled.  This product is a pair of gloves loaded with rich moisturizers and anti-aging ingredients that can help banish dryness and roughness.

The Barbinie Shea Butter Hand Cream was in Violet Musk.  This provided heavy duty lubrication in a lovely floral scent.

Something else I loved was the Pure Plus Hydrogel Moisturizing Nail Patch for strengthening and improving the look of nails.  I just placed this flexible hydrogel patch over a nail and waited twenty minutes for it to work its magic.

Another helpful product for serious nail strengthening was the with shan Dr. Care Set.  The Dr. 001 is what you paint your nails with every two days to build them up. Once you finish a week, you remove it and repeat the process.  A Paper File was also included to perfect those stronger nails.

The Sure 3D Nail Art Kit is something that I did not experiment with yet.  I got a forest green shade of nail polish and a Black Diamond Nail Art pen to be artistic with.  This will be my first attempt at designing my own nail look, but it looks like fun.

The with shan Baby Hand Set is another product that I didn’t get a chance to try yet, but I soon will.  This set consists of a Treatment Oil for working on cuticles.  It also comes with a Nail Wall File to smooth and perfect. 

I really discovered some unique hand and nail products in this collection that really surprised me.  After this experience, I have been browsing the Memebox Shop for more of their hand and nail products for how wonderfully they worked.  Do yourself a favor and check into their hand and nail products such as Kocostar, a favorite of mine, as well because I think you will be impressed.  

Here’s something that you will like—LOTS of September 2014 Coupon Codes!

Enter Code CU5I saves you $5 off any order (expires September 30)!

Insert Code USA5OFF25 saves you $5.00 off orders of $25 and up in USA Exclusives 

Purchase over 3 Memeboxes and get $5.00 off the entire order inserting Coupon Code: MEMEBUNDLE3 

Buy over 4 Memeboxes and take $8.00 off the entire order when you insert Code: MEMEBUNDLE4

Use Code FREE SHIPPING on orders over $70.00 from Memeshop to snag FREE SHIPPING!

Shop through my affiliate link to save yourself $5.00 off your order of $100+ or save $10.00 off any order of $150 and up! (No Code involved.  This offer is valid until September 29, 2014).

Be sure to check out the weekly sales and you'll do the happy dance with the money that you'll save!

*Disclaimer: Free products were provided to facilitate this review--not my opinion even though it contains affiliate links.* 

Review: Burt’s Bees Shea Butter Hand Repair Cream

**Disclaimer:  This post has been compensated through a free product (s) or monetary payment.  Opinions are solely mine. All links are "no-follow" links.**

 Burt’s Bees Shea Butter Hand Repair Cream

I happen to have sensitive hands that chap and get rough easily.  What usually gives me trouble is dish detergents and washing in public restrooms (not with any particular soaps, but the water itself).  You may be thinking why not just get a dish washer or use rubber gloves and avoid this problem.  

Regretfully, my kitchen is too small to fit a dish washer and if I wear those typical latex gloves with my allergies, it only irritates my hands even worse.  I do have thick, non-latex gloves for cleaning but they are too clumsy to use for dishwashing.

Anyway, I am getting sidetracked.  The thing that happened was I used a new brand of dish detergent that was meant to be kinder for hands.  Perhaps, this is true for others, but my hands hurt after that and became red.

I was about to put on my normal hand cream when I remembered I had one left to review with Burt’s Bees Shea Butter Hand Repair Cream.  Therefore, I thought this was as good a time to test it than any other.  

This 100% natural product comes in a metal tube and is extremely thick.  This hand cream also has cocoa butter and various botanical oils in addition to that intensive lubricant of shea butter.  It does take a bit of work to finally get it out of that tube, but once you do you will notice it has a very strong herbal smell, which is not particularly pleasing.  Nonetheless, I am a professional, committed to telling it as it is.  Thus, I squeezed some on before I went to bed.

By the way, the less than pleasant fragrance does dissipate in time, approximately fifteen minutes to become lighter.  This hand cream also is fast absorbing and left my hands without greasiness.

When I woke the next morning, I was really impressed at the condition of my hands.  With only one time, this stuff healed that irritated skin and left them smooth again.  I honestly liked this product.  The only thing that I wish was that the company work on is improving the scent. But, as to the performance of Burt’s Bees Shea Butter Hand Repair Cream ($13), I think it is exceptional for healing.  

Anyone with sore hands and needs immediate relief, I highly recommend Burt’s Bees Shea Butter Hand Repair Cream!  

NEW Dial Deep Cleansing Hand Soaps Review

**Disclaimer:  This post has been compensated through a free product (s) or monetary payment.  Opinions are solely mine. All links are "no-follow" links.**

Water Blossom and Yellow Raspberry & Black Sugar Deep Cleansing Hand Soaps

We all need to wash our hands so why not pamper them at the same time?  If you haven't heard about Dial's new Deep Cleansing Hand Soaps, then let me assure you that the two scents I got to review from Purex certainly fit the bill.  These liquid soaps indulge the senses with lovely scent while treating hands to luxurious moisture in a gentle micro-scrubber formula.

The two scents that I got to test are Water Blossoms (a calming aroma inspired by water lily) and Yellow Raspberry & Black Sugar (a sweet and tart fruity scent).  Coconut Lime Verbena is the third scent that also is available.

This formula really does thoroughly clean and soften hands in the process quite nicely.  I keep a bottle of it now on my kitchen counter because I am always washing my hands.  The other one is downstairs in our powder room.

I think you will be pleasantly surprised at how wonderful this formula is for a reasonably priced soap.  I am intending to pick up the Coconut Lime Verbena when I run out.  Do look for this new Dial Deep Cleansing Hands Soap when you go shopping because I am sure you are going to love it.

A Great Way to Infuse Skin With Moisture--Crabtree & Evelyn's NEW English Honey & Peach Blossom Collection Ultra-Moisturizing Hand Therapy and Body Butter (Review)

**Disclaimer:  This post has been compensated through a free product (s) or monetary payment.  Opinions are solely mine. All links are "no-follow" links.**

Crabtree & Evelyn's English Honey & Peach Blossom Body Butter

No wonder honey has held such high esteem throughout the ages with its healing and beautifying properties.  Crabtree & Evelyn's new line harnesses that skin transforming power into their English Honey & Peach Blossom Collection.  I was fortunate to experience two of these fabulous hydrating products with their Ultra-Moisturizing Hand Therapy and Body Butter for this review. 

Winter can be hard for any skin.  However, it can be merciless if you happen to already have dry skin, which I do.  Therefore, I was thrilled about seeing how this pair would work on my suffering skin. 

Following my shower, the first product that I tried was the English Honey & Peach Blossom Body Butter.  The scent is warm and enticing, oozing with the soft sweetness of honey and luscious peach even before you dive into it.  Once you do, I found the texture was a rich blend that got easily absorbed and replaced my dryness with velvet-like softness.  The formula also has other wonderful lubricating ingredients to that honey and peach blossom extract with moringa oil and shea butter.

Regardless of how often I apply hand lotions and creams, I always seem to be fighting chapping.  What the English Honey & Peach Blossom Ultra-Moisturizing Hand Therapy formula is said to do is to make hands feel softer with each application while moisturizing with other skin soothing ingredients like shea butter, peach blossom extract and macadamia nut oil.  Myrrh is also added for what it can do to condition the cuticles and nails.  

English Honey & Peach Blossom Hand Therapy

The increased softness claim sounded almost too good to be true, but this hand cream does exactly that and more without feeling greasy or sticky.  In fact, this product managed to heal the redness much sooner and left a petal like softness in its wake the more I reached for that tube.   I can't tell how much it helped my cuticles or nails, but this is an excellent hand cream for hurting hands in need of tender loving care. 

Crabtree & Evelyn's new collection of English Honey & Peach Blossom is one of my favorite new finds for skin.   If your dry skin cries out for help, I recommend you to visit Crabtree & Evelyn and look into these products!  Other products in this collection include Body Wash, Body Lotion, Glistening Face Serum, Lip Salve, All Purpose Balm, and a Moisturizing Cream.

*Disclaimer:  Free products were provided to facilitate this review--not my opinion.*

Philip B. Botanical Products Lavender Hand Wash Review

**Disclaimer:  This post has been compensated through a free product (s) or monetary payment.  Opinions are solely mine. All links are "no-follow" links.**

Philip B. Lavender Hand Wash 

I wasn't exactly sure what it was about Philip B. Botanical Products Lavender Hand Wash that appealed to me more--the gentleness of the way it cleansed with natural botanicals or the lingering fresh lavender scent left behind from washing with it.  However, I couldn't be more pleased with how the mild formula worked on sensitive hands.

Regardless of the season, I go through a lot of hand creams with how easily my hands chap and get irritated.  Believe it or not, I get hurting hands pretty much just by doing simple chores like washing dishes.  With my delicate hands, I looked forward to trying this liquid soap because it sounded like a highly promising moisturizing  botanical cleanser with vitamins and soothing natural ingredients such as sweet almond  and safflower oils along with pure Provencal lavender as a natural antiseptic that would treat my hands with care and my mood with its aromatherapy benefits. 

This hand wash produces a nice fragrant lather without being too strong.  In fact, I loved how each pump releasing that wonderful lavender scent remained.  What else I noticed after using it thorough the day was that my hands were feeling softer than they normally do, which surprised me.  

This was the first product that I ever tried from this company.  Now that I have discovered Philip B. Botanical Products with this Lavender Hand Wash that I like very much, I am curious about looking into their hair care products next.  

The 11.8 oz. Philip B. Botanical Products Lavender Hand Wash retails for $29.  Do check this product out because it is really like having three products in one--a convenient gentle cleanser, aromatherapeutic fragrance, and a hand softening treatment. 

*Disclaimer:  This is my own honest opinion.  A free product was provided solely to facilitate this review.*

Review: Every Beauty's All in One Foot Smoother and 3 in 1 Nail File to Make Your Feet and Hands Happy!

**Disclaimer:  This post has been compensated through a free product (s) or monetary payment.  Opinions are solely mine. All links are "no-follow" links.**

Every Beauty's All in One Foot Smoother and 3 in 1 Nail File

I am so hyped over these products from Every Beauty that unexpectedly arrived at my door.  You may think big deal over ordinary products to work on your hands and feet for smoothing nails and skin.  However, you have no idea how extraordinarily well they performed.  Once I explain the situation, you will understand and want to buy these also.

My mother is older and has a bent (hammer toe) on one foot from arthritis.  Thick, very hard skin surrounds that toe nail at the bottom and close to the top of the nail across.  This makes it uncomfortable for her to walk in shoes.  We have tried all sorts of soaks, lotions, oils, pedicure tools, and files without much success--that is until we used the All in One Foot Smoother from Every Beauty. 

Every Beauty's mani-pedi products

Unlike a pumice stone, this is a gently curved sponge for easy maneuvering with a coarse and finer side along with useable edges for dermabrasion as well.  You will be able to get any higher spots with rough, thick skin so much better with this tool because of this design but also due to the texture of the sponge itself.

My mother soaked her feet in warm water and suds to soften them the best she before thoroughly drying.  We started with the coarse side and rubbed with steady, but soft pressure over that problem spot.  Before long, we noticed that lump beginning to decrease.  We kept going until the area became tender after a while of filing.  

Nonetheless, the high rough skin near the top of that hammer toe was nearly smooth now and almost flat, which excited us tremendously.  Let me tell you how much easier this made it later when she slipped on her shoes. 

I almost forgot to mention this product helps with corns.  We worked on one on her little toe with the finer side briefly.  In the process, we peeled some skin and smoothed over the corn a bit.  We didn't get rid of it, but this was a good start because it did cut into the corn somewhat.  We will continue using this but gently and gradually to further take it down.

Maintenance of this tool is simple.  Cleaning involves running hot water over it.  Next, I doused it with alcohol over every part to saturate it for killing germs.  I parked it for about ten minutes and then rinsed it with more hot water before allowing it to dry.

I found the Every Beauty 3 in 1 Nail File was also wonderful.  This looks like a mini computer mouse with a stainless steel edge that is straight then curved for filing.  This device does not fray nails like emery boards often can or make all that dust when you file.  

Honestly, I think these products are outstanding and you need to pick them up.  Normally the All in One Foot Smoother and the Every Beauty 3 in 1 Nail File retail for $4.99 each, but they are currently on sale for $3.99 a piece.  Visit Every Beauty and buy these!   You can thank me later.  

*Disclaimer:  This is my own honest opinion.  Free products were provided to facilitate this review.*

An Easy Way to Clean and Still Beautify Your Hands!

Let's face it.  Our hands take a lot of abuse when you clean and handle all that other fun stuff involved with housekeeping.  Unless you are privileged enough to have someone else do all of that for you, then your hands constantly are prone to suffer from dryness, cracking, and chipped or broken fingernails.

Despite this depressing reality, there is still hope to get your beautiful hands back.   This simple trick will also help keep them in that condition while still doing your routine cleaning.

Here's what I have been doing lately.  Take out your rubber gloves and an old pair of gloves.  Before you put them on, you need to slather on a heavy duty coating of lotion.  You don't have to put on second pair of gloves, but I do. Once you start to work, the heat from your skin will warm the lotion so it will penetrate deeper to repair the dryness while protecting your hands from further damage, especially from the onslaught of chemicals in cleaning products. 

By the time you finish with your chores, your treated hands will be saved from more redness, cracked fingernails to become smoother, softer and lovely once again.  Do try this little trick and you will see a wonderful difference.