Curing my dry winter hands

I hate winter hands! Right now I have the hands of someone working hard labor outside in extreme temperatures all day. In case you’re wondering, I don’t do anything that comes close to that unless you count carrying kids and groceries inside from the cold garage. Yet, my hands are still dry from my fingertips to my wrists. You can actually see the “wash line” or how far up my arm I wash when I clean my hands before cooking, after shopping, after changing diapers or wiping little behinds, after wiping snotty noses and after disinfecting bathrooms, sheets and towels when my husband has the stomach bug. I do wash my hands a lot. The ad campaigns won’t let us forget how important it is to preventing the spread of germs and keeping our families healthy, but my hands are begging for mercy!

I’ve tried lots and lots of different hand lotions and nothing really cures the dry patches or cracks. In fact, a lot of them irritate my hands and make the really dry spots burn. So tonight, I resorted to a trick I learned last winter, but had forgotten about. While cooking dinner I had the coconut oil out and remembered that it’s also a great moisturizer and anti-microbial. So I grabbed some and rubbed it all over my hands. Ahhh! Instant relief. As I continued to wash my hands before and after handling the chicken I reapplied several times. As I head off to bed, I’m giving them one more good coat. I can feel a difference already and I hope to see one by morning. I’m also spooning some coconut oil into a pretty little container to place on my nightstand. It will serve as a reminder to take care of my hands before bed every night. I’m getting rid of these chapped hands once and for all.

Coconut oil is so versatile. If you don’t have it, get it. I’ll share more ideas in the coming weeks and I hope you’ll share your tips too!