How to Treat Chapped Hands Using Home Remedies

Dry, chapped hands usually occur during the fall and winter months when the humidity in the air is low. Chapped hands crack easily and can be really painful. Also as you age, your body produces less oil that comes naturally to keep you hands healthy and moisturized. Chapped hands also happen when you neglect to take care of your hands by not keeping them moisturized. There are ways to prevent chapped hands as well as natural ways to treat dry and chapped hands.

Instructions

1

Wash both hands properly with a cornmeal paste and rinse it off with warm water. To make a cornmeal paste, peel a cucumber and remove the seeds. Squeeze some of the juice from the cucumber and mix it with a tablespoon of honey and set this mixture aside in a small container.

2

Mix cornmeal with warm water and soap to make a paste. Wash your hands with the cornmeal paste and rinse thoroughly. Apply the cucumber and honey mixture to your hands and wrap your hands in a plastic bag. Cover your plastic wrapped hands with a towel and leave on for 15 to 20 minutes. Rinse your hands immediately after the 15 to 20 minutes are up and apply a moisturizer. Do this 2 or 3 times a day for a week or until your hands are healed.

3

Use a mild soap like Cetaphil or Dove with cream in it. Using mild soap will help keep your hands moisturized and treat chapped hands as well as preventing more chapping.

4

Apply hand lotion to your hands in the morning and at night. Hand lotion with Aloe Vera in it is the best option. Using hand lotion frequently will heal chapped hands and prevent chapping from returning.

5

Double up on the hand lotion. Instead of applying one thick layer of hand lotion, apply one thin lower and wait a few minutes for it to be absorbed all the way into the skin, then apply another thin layer of hand lotion. Two thin layers of hand lotion are better than one thick layer.

6

Wash your hands with bath oil. This takes the mild soap cleanser to another step because bath oil is as gentle as mild soap. The bath oil will not get your hands as clean as with mild soap but bath oil treats chapped hands as well as prevents it.

7

Mix a few drops of glycerin with a few drops of lemon oil and massage the mixture into your hands at night before going to bed. You can find glycerin and lemon oil at your local pharmacy.

8

Take a cup of uncooked, old-fashioned rolled oats and grind them in a blender or food processor until the oats are a fine powder. Place the ground, powder oats in a bowl and rub your hands in it until the dead skin from your hands is removed. Rinse your hands thoroughly afterward. Pat them dry with a towel and apply hand cream to your hands. Wait a couple of minutes and apply more hand cream. Using the powder oatmeal, you will gently remove dead skin which will help in treating and preventing chapped hands.

9

Use a humidifier in your home to keep the air moisturized. Dry air dries out the skin more. If there is enough moisture in the air, not as much will be withdrawn from your hands.