by Carol Belanger

Created on: October 06, 2010

All too often we neglect our hands as part of our skin care regime. The hands, just like the face, age with lines, wrinkles, and brown spots. Additionally, as we age the skin on the back of your hands looses elasticity and the skin becomes thinner. Furthermore, the hands can be a real distraction when neglected, (dirty fingernails, coarse cuticles, calluses, etc.). Your hands are part of your first impression in when meeting new people. Have you ever been taken aback by someone's hand when they shake yours?

As with the face, your hands and nails need exfoliation to remove dead skin cells and promote circulation. Additionally, your hands need moisturizing to hydrate and soften. Furthermore, hands should be protected from sun damage. Below are some tips to promote younger looking hands and a well manicured look:

I personally encourage the use of rubber gloves when cleaning or doing dishes. The anti-bacterial soaps and other cleaning products are detrimental to the hands. They extract all the natural oils from the hands and leave them dry and vulnerable to wrinkles. In addition, harsh soaps can cause contact dermatitis.

Clean, soft, and smooth hands can be easily accomplished with the right cleansing products. An exfoliate to remove calluses can be easily made with natural ingredients already in your kitchen, such as oatmeal, cornmeal or even sugar. After exfoliation, rinse and apply a moisturizing hand cream. Below is a simple exfoliating recipe for the hands or for all over the body.

1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup canola oil

Mix ingredients and rub into hands. Feel the granules of the sugar smooth out rough spots and the oil moisturize the skin. This simple recipe is inexpensive, effective and eco-friendly!

Finally, always protect your hands with a sunscreen.

Look at your hands now. Are they soft, supple, and feeling great or are they dry, cracked and need a little TLC? Following the easy steps listed above you will see a remarkable improvement in the appearance of your hands.

Additionally, fingernail care is a vital step in achieving beautiful hands. Below are some tips to consider to properly care for your fingernails:

Keep your nails manicured to a length that suits you. When filing your nails use an upward stroke along the top side of the nail. The new trend in nail appearance is square at the top versus the rounded appearance. Whatever your choice do not file your nails along the side walls as this weakens the nail.

Applying nail polish is

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