Shahnaz Husain

Your hands are involved in nearly every task you undertake. We rely on them for working, cooking, cleaning, eating, writing, using tools and devices, self-care, and even for conveying our thoughts during conversations. Excessive moisture and humidity during the rainy season come with their own set of challenges, especially for our hands.

Dry hands are a common concern at this time of year due to dehydration, as a lot of water content is lost through excessive sweating. Due to dampness and fluctuations in humidity, hands frequently face issues like fungal infections between the fingers, joint stiffness, and dry skin irritation during the rainy season.

1. Hydrate

Hydrate your hands using hand cream or moisturiser. It can be a saviour, especially when you’re working around water, like in the kitchen.

For especially dry hands, an overnight routine can help provide extra hydration. Apply a thicker layer of moisturiser before bed and wear soft cotton gloves. This allows your skin to absorb and lock in moisture overnight, leaving your hands feeling soft and nourished in the morning.

To keep your hands hydrated during the rainy season, apply a lightweight, non-sticky moisturiser right after every hand wash to trap water in your skin before it evaporates.

Mix coconut oil, sea salt, and vitamin E oil. Scrub your hands with the mixture for 5 minutes in a circular motion. Clean with warm water and pat dry.

Add lemon juice to a few drops of your regular hand wash in a bowl of warm water. Soak your hands in the mixture for 10–15 minutes every night before bed. Pat dry and apply moisturiser to get clean and soft hands.

2. Keep Your Hands Clean During Monsoon Season

Hand hygiene becomes even more crucial for staying healthy and preventing the spread of germs during the monsoon season. Clean your hands meticulously for at least 20 seconds with mild, fragrance-free soap and running water before eating, after using the restroom, and immediately after coming home from outside.

Use germ-protection handwashes that provide 99.9% germ protection. They cleanse tough dirt and grime to leave your hands squeaky clean. Make sure that the handwash is made with 90% natural-origin content and doesn’t contain parabens, silicones, triclosan, or triclocarban. Regular handwashing removes these microbes, significantly reducing the risk of monsoon-related illnesses like colds and flu, which spread easily through contaminated hands and water.

3. Exfoliate Your Hands with a Mild Scrub

Exfoliating your hands during the monsoon season helps remove dead skin cells and grime that stick to humid skin. Exfoliation helps remove dead skin cells and impurities, keeping your hands smooth and soft. Use a gentle scrub specifically designed for hands and feet at least twice a week. Pay attention to rough areas to prevent the buildup of dead skin. Apart from properly cleansing your hands with a mild cleanser, make sure you don’t miss out on the nails, as they can accumulate a lot of bacteria during the season. Get a nail brush that comes with small, tough bristles to clean under the nails and soft bristles to clean the top of the nails.

Homemade Hand Scrubs

Coconut Oil, Sea Salt and Vitamin E Oil:

Mix coconut oil, sea salt, and vitamin E oil. Scrub your hands with the mixture for 5 minutes in a circular motion. Clean with warm water and pat dry.

Coffee, Coconut Oil and Sugar Scrub:

Mix 3 tablespoons of coffee, 2 tablespoons of coconut oil, and 1 tablespoon of sugar in a glass jar. Gently apply it to your hands and massage them. Rinse off after 2–3 minutes with warm water.

Coconut Oil, Honey, Sugar, Sea Salt and Lime Juice Scrub:

Take 1 tablespoon of coconut oil, 1 tablespoon of honey, 1/4 cup of sugar, 1/4 cup of sea salt, and a few drops of lime juice. Mix one tablespoon each of coconut oil and honey. Then add the sea salt and sugar and mix well. Now add the lime juice and blend for 20–30 seconds. Gently rub the scrub on your hands for a minute or two and then rinse it off. Exfoliate your hands only once or twice a week to avoid damaging your skin barrier.

4. Take Extra Care of Your Cuticles

Nails take the most hit during the rainy season. The monsoon calls for special care of the nails to avoid damage due to red, swollen, and itchy skin around them. The skin becomes sweaty or infected due to overexposure to water, and as a result, both fingernails and toenails can be affected by the rains.

Painting your nails is like therapy. Trying out new nail colours and designs is something that just makes you feel groomed and uplifted. When your nails are groomed in invigorating hues, you automatically get a dose of colour therapy that is just great for your mood.

The monsoon season calls for special care of the nails to avoid infection and chipping. The monsoon can lead to rough, brittle, and discoloured nails. Well-kept nails are a part of our presentation and look. Be it any occasion, we all know how essential it is to maintain them.

(The author is international fame beauty expert and is called the herbal queen of India.)