This article shows you how to heal broken skin damaged by the cold and wind. I live in Michigan where the winters are quite long and cold. Whenever the air gets cold and dry, the skin on my hands cracks and bleeds. My knuckles gets so chapped and raw that the skin splits open and bleeds.
I used to just tough it out. I did this for years.B ut it got to the point where it was so painful it was distracting. My skin on my hands felt tight and sore. Not only that, it was terribly unsightly. Flaky, bleedy skin isn’t healthy or attractive.
Over the past few years I’ve found ways to fix this condition. A combination of prevention and treatment can be used to protect your skin and make it healthy again.
What Causes Chapped Skin?
Old Man Winter can be a cruel bastard. He saps the moister from your body, leaving you with your skin feeling tight, dry, and chapped. These harsh condition coupled with compulsive hand washing (due to cold and flu season) further drys your epicures which leads to cracked skin on your hands.
My hands, especially my knuckles, get dry, flaky and cracked to the point that they bleed. When the skin on your hands becomes too dry, fissures form which are basically open wounds that bleed and leave you vulnerable to infection.
How to Heal Cracked Skin on Chapped Hands
The best product I’ve found to heal dry hands is Bag Balm. Not only does it work incredibly well, it has a pleasant earthy scent.
It’s the most powerful skin rejuvenating product by far. You’ll notice an improvement after the first use. Bag Balm requires time to absorb into the skin.
It’s petroleum jelly based so it’s slick and leaves a residue for a little bit after application. I’ve found the best way to use Bag Balm is to apply it at night before bed. Massage it into your hands thoroughly, then cover your hands with a sock and go to bed. The sock helps your skin absorb the ointment and prevents it from rubbing off on your bedding. Or rub it into your skin then just wipe your palms with a towel to remove the access ointment.
Bag Balm works so well that I only have to use it a few times a month. One tin of has lasted me several winters.
Bag Balm Works Wonders
How to Prevent Dry Skin
They say an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of the cure. Maybe that’s true, and here are some easy things you can do to prevent dry hands and keep them from getting chapped in the first place.
Stay Hydrated
This should go without saying but I’m astonished by how many people go through life ironically dehydrated. It’s important to wet your whistle consistently to stay hydrated and keep your skin smooth.
Pound a gallon of fresh water every day. Drink two gallons on days you workout. Get a big water bottle and carry it with you everywhere. Staying hydrated is such a simple solution, yet so underrated.
Wear Gloves
Gloves protect your hands from the elements. The cold dry air sucks the water right from your epidermis leaving you with scaly skin. Not wearing gloves leads to hands more chapped than a cowboy’s ass (insert Brokeback Mountain joke here).
I have a pair of Outdoor Research gloves that are in their third season. They are warm, sleek, lightweight and hold up well (I’ve had mine for several years. The only draw back is that the little grippy things on the figures and hands wears off pretty quickly so if you’re holding something it could slip easily. But this minor annoyance is far outweighed by the benefits. Just increase your grip strength and you don’t have to worry about the grip assistance.)
Gloves are mandatory if you suffer from cracked skin. They are your first line of defense.
Wash Your Hands with Real Soap
Most ‘soap’ today is actually industrial chemical detergent. Detergent equals harsh chemicals that destroy your skin.
Real soap nourishes skin while removing harmful bacteria. Harsh detergents basically throw the baby out with the bathwater by sterilizing your hands while stripping away natural oils and moisture from your skin. Usually leaving your hands splits and cracked exposing your to infection. So really, it’s counterproductive to use mass-market hand-soap (detergent).
Use Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soap
Dr. Bronner was a superior human being that made superior soaps. His Magic Soaps are made of natural ingredients and actually good for you. I use it as my hand soap (and sometimes shampoo and facial cleanser.)
Use Bag Balm
I’ll say it again – Bag Balm works.
Bag Balm is an intensive skin moisturizer. I heard about Bag Balm from Victor Pride over at BoldAndDetermined.com. After reading his article about Taking Care of Hands and Feet, I bought the stuff immediately. I tried it out and could feel it work right away. The cool, soothing relief replaced tight achey skin. You rub it in, giving yourself a nice little hand massage, then let your skin absorb it.
You’re hands will feel renewed and you can feel a layer of protection; like a little shield in your skin that repels the harsh winter wind.
The one draw back of Bag Balm is that it’s greasy and takes a while for your sink to absorb it.
It’s very greasy will get all over everything you touch. For best results, I apply Bag Balm just before bed. I lay in bed and massage it into my hands.
Then I wipe my palms on a towel to remove the access. Then I go to bed and wake up with my skin healed. Apply Bag Balm as much as necessary to keep your hands healthy and chap-free.
Runner Up: O’Keeffe’s Working Hands
O’Keeffe’s Working Hands is a great product you can use during the day to combat dry skin. It’s not as strong as Bag Balm but it works well in a pinch if you need relief during the day. It absorbs into the skin quickly and provides quick results. It does require several applications but it does help. Grab a pack and toss it in your backpack or brief case, or keep one in your car.
It’s not nearly as strong as Bag Balm, but it is less greasy and can serve well as compliment to Bag Balm during the day. Using O’Keeffe’s during the day, and Bag Balm at night, and you won’t have to work about chapped, dry and skin ever again.
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