Clean Hands without Cracked Skin: Beyond Hand Washing
Natural Steps: Hand Washing + Moisturizing
We're all washing our hands a lot these days.
It's a must. But it can also leave our skin irritated and dry. In some cases, your skin might even start to crack. Not fun!
As an RN, I have much experience with excessive hand washing.
In the hospital, we washed our hands many times a day for twenty seconds at a minimum, making sure to scrub every skin surface and under our nails. The soap we used was strong and germicidal. It left my hands irritated, itching and even cracked. It was painful and made my skin more vulnerable to infections, meaning I had to wash my hands all the more often!
It was a necessary but uncomfortable cycle.
Even wearing gloves didn't offer much relief. Gloves protected my skin from germs but left my hands broken out and more irritated.
I want to share ways to keep your hands clean, without sacrificing the health and comfort of your skin.
Keeping your hands clean and healthy is about more than just hand washing.
It's really a two-step process:
Washing your hands often with gentle soap and water
Moisturizing your hands to nurture and protect your skin
Let's look at effective essential oil recipes for each step!
Step 1: Wash Your Hands!
You don't need to use hospital-grade germicidal soap to keep your hands clean in your home!
Plain soap and water are very effective! However, even basic store-bought soap can be rough on your hands if you wash it many times a day.
Making your foaming hand soaps ARE effective, fun, and gentle.
I like foam hand soaps made of liquid Castile soap.
Here's a recipe made in a 50 ml travel-sized foam soap container, so you can take it on the go and wash your hands anytime. And remember... don't touch your face until after thoroughly washing your hands.
Take it in your car with a bottle of water—even if you're going to the grocery store. When you leave the store, you can wash your hands right there in the parking lot! Wet your hands, use foam soap, and rinse them off. Follow it up with your moisturizer. (You'll find DIY recipes for that below!)
The Castile soap I use is a very gentle recipe. (You can find it at Aromatics International.) And adding jojoba makes this soap extra moisturizing and protective. The soap does a great job of washing contaminants off your hands, and the essential oils add even more germ-reducing and skin-friendly benefits.
We're making this blend in a 50 ml foam soap bottle. The castile soap and jojoba won't fill it up, which is excellent—the foam pump is in the top of the bottle and takes up a little space.
Deep Lavender Pine Foam Soap
Carry this luscious, all-natural foam soap for hand washing anytime, anywhere!
Ingredients
40 ml Castile Soap
5 ml Jojoba Wax (Simmondsia chinensis)
10 drops Lavender Oil (Lavandula angustifolia)
8 drops Scotch Pine Oil (Pinus sylvestris)
5 drops Patchouli Oil (Pogostemon cablin)
Equipment
One 50 ml foam soap container (travel size)
Directions
Combine the Castile soap and jojoba in the bottle.
Add the essential oils.
Tighten the lid, and shake gently.
Let's make a kid-friendly version of this soap too.
Little hands like to touch everything, but children's skin tends to be very sensitive. We don't want them getting cracked and painful with all that washing!
Deep Lavender Pine Foam Soap - Kids' Version
We'll keep the Castile soap and jojoba the same and lower the essential oil drop counts.
40 ml Castile Soap
5 ml Jojoba Wax (Simmondsia chinensis)
3 drops Lavender Oil (Lavandula angustifolia)
3 drops Scotch Pine Oil (Pinus sylvestris)
1 drop Patchouli Oil (Pogostemon cablin)
Step 2: Moisturize Your Hands!
Now that we've washed our hands fresh and clean, let's moisturize our skin so that to stay comfortable and even more protected.
The great thing about making your moisturizer is you can customize it!
Do you like light, silky lotions? Or heavier butters? Or even a thick, firm salve? (Salves are great for cracked knuckles!) Choose what's suitable for your skin.
You can also add essential oils for different effects. Add oils to reduce germs, nourish your skin, or calm your heart during stressful times. Your custom moisturizer can become a good friend during these times!
I'll give you a recipe here and then share links for different recipes you might enjoy.
This recipe comes from our post, How to Use Myrrh Essential Oil: 3 Therapeutic Ways.
It's a simple blend of jojoba and myrrh essential oil.
Myrrh, like other essential oil distilled from resins, is deeply nourishing and protective of skin helping to reduce germs. The aroma of myrrh combined with warm vanilla is also comforting—like it's wrapping you in a warm hug!
Make this blend in either a 1 oz (30 ml) glass bottle or PET plastic bottle. If you take your moisturizer on the go, I suggest using PET plastic so you don't have to worry about the glass shattering if you accidentally drop the bottle. (PET plastic is inert and non-reactive. It won't leach into your blend!)
Myrrh & Vanilla Skin Care Oil
Carry your skin care oil with you and use it often to moisturize. It really helps!
Ingredients
1 fl oz (30 ml) Vanilla-infused Jojoba (Simmondsia chinensis)
12 drops Myrrh Oil (Commiphora myrrha)
Equipment
One 1 oz (30 ml) glass bottle, or PET plastic bottle.
Directions
Combine the jojoba and drops of essential oil in the bottle.
Tighten the lid, and shake gently.
Other Moisturizer Blends You Might Love!
Light, Fast-Absorbing Lotions
These recipes from Aromatics International are light, silky lotions. They absorb quickly, but you may have to use them more often.
Rich, Thick Hand Butters
Would you prefer a denser hand butter that leaves your hands deeply moisturized for a more extended period? Try a luxurious butter!
Firm Hand Salves
When your hands need urgent care, protect the driest, most painful areas with a soothing salve.
There you have it!
Natural recipes to customize your own 2-step hand-washing process, so you can keep your hands clean without irritating your skin.
Thank you for seeking out this information. It's never been more apparent that what we do for ourselves, we do for one another. Keeping your hands clean helps not only you and your family—it helps all of us.
And we want you to feel comforted and cared for in return.
