Hand care tips for gardeners

This really is the most enjoyable time of year to get up, get into the garden and get sorted those jobs you were putting off all winter. Unfortunately, it’s also one of the worst times of year in terms of the damage you might be doing to your hands. There’s an old saying that basically states that if your garden looks fabulous in the summertime, chances are your hands probably don’t!

 

Why? Well, it all comes down to the fact that gardeners in general are far less inclined to use appropriate hand protection during the summer when the weather is temporarily lovely. They may wrap up and cover up in the winter, but it tends to be bare hands all the way during the summer. Which by the time winter rolls around again can result in hands that are cracked, chapped, sore and sun-damaged.

 

So assuming you plan to spend plenty of time out in the garden this summer, what should you be doing to look after the health of your hands?

 

Above and beyond everything else, it’s a good idea to consider wearing gloves if you intend on working during the hottest hours of the day. The reason being that while sunscreen will definitely help and certainly comes highly recommended, chances are you will be scratching, scraping and rubbing it off from the very moment you apply it. Which in turn means, it probably will not protect you for very long. Gloves, on the other hand, will get the job done properly.

 

It’s also worth paying attention to which areas of your garden are in the shade at what time of day, in order to strategically plan your gardening activities accordingly. You might also find it a lot more comfortable in general to do things this way.

 

Of course, chances are that whichever way you go about the job, you will still end up with dry, cracked and irritated skin due to all the friction and having handled so many strange things. As such, you might also want to think about upping your hand care regime a little in general, which according to the experts can be kick-started with the following:

 

Make the switch to organic soaps and cleansing products that are guaranteed not to dry or irritate your hands any more than they already are.

 

Select an equally kind and caring organic hand cream that can be applied as many times as necessary during the day after washing.

 

Choose a high quality night cream that can be applied before bed and allowed to do its work intensively for several hours overnight.

 

Invest in a natural, gentle and non-drying exfoliate to keep control of rough and dead skin.

 

They do say that prevention is far better than treatment, so even if you aren’t already dealing with problem skin on your hands, you might want to think about following these four steps. It’s a small change to make and one that guarantees that when the summer has come and gone, your gorgeously radiant skin will keep on shining!