To reduce dry and chapped hands at work, you need to protect your hands during the day and moisturize them with an oil-free ointment at night. Dry and chapped hands often result from washing your hands too often. Each time you wash your hands, some of the skin’s natural oils are removed, which eventually leads to dry and chapped skin.
Why Workers' Hands Crack
The reason your hands get dry and chapped at work is probably because you wash your hands too often. The outer layer of the skin is held together by oils between the skin cells—think of it like mortar between bricks. When you wash your hands with soap, which is designed to dissolve oils, some of the skin’s natural oils are also removed.
The problem arises when you wash your hands so often that your skin doesn't have time to recover between washings. The skin barrier gradually becomes thinner, leading to rough skin that eventually becomes flaky and, ultimately, cracks.
In many professions, hand sanitizer is also used frequently; as it evaporates, it dries out the outer layer of the skin. So it’s rarely a matter of poor hand care, but rather that your profession either requires a high level of hygiene or that your hands often get dirty, which means you need to wash or sanitize your hands frequently. The result is dry, cracked hands.
Protection During the Day
To protect your hands throughout the workday, there are a few steps you can take between hand-washing sessions that can help protect your hands and reduce the strain that soap and water place on your hands’ skin barrier.
Hand sanitizer is gentler than soap; this may come as a surprise to many, but alcohol-based hand sanitizer is actually gentler on the skin barrier than repeated washing with soap and water. Therefore, use hand sanitizer whenever possible. Or use a high-quality artisanal soap without added surfactants, which is much gentler and helps restore the skin’s natural oils. A good rule of thumb is to use hand sanitizer when your hands aren’t visibly dirty and to wash with soap and water when they are. That way, you’ll reduce how often you wash your hands, giving your skin a chance to recover.
Another tip is to dry your hands thoroughly after washing them, rather than letting them air-dry. When damp skin is left to air-dry, the water evaporates from the skin’s surface and contributes to further drying. So simply make sure your hands are completely dry after washing them with soap and water.
Although it’s best for your hands not to wash them too often, certain jobs simply require you to wash your hands repeatedly. In those cases, these tips can be helpful in protecting your hands as much as possible throughout the day.
Building Up at Night
When your hands are very dry and chapped, an oil-based ointment may be a better choice than a regular water-based hand cream. A hand cream often consists of water, oil, an emulsifier, and preservatives, which gives it a light, non-sticky feel when applied to the skin. However, water evaporates quickly, and such a hand cream is therefore often insufficient for dry and chapped skin.
An ointment, on the other hand, does not contain water; instead, it usually consists mainly of waxes, oils, and plant extracts that do not evaporate. An ointment may therefore feel heavier and stickier when you apply it to your hands, but since a water-free ointment is not diluted, you usually don’t need as much product as you might otherwise be used to. A mistake many people make is using too much product.
The ingredient list for a water-free ointment can usually be shorter than that for a water-based hand cream. Since microorganisms need water to grow, a water-free product does not require the same type of preservatives.
A practical routine is to apply a generous amount of ointment to dry, chapped hands before going to bed, preferably on slightly damp skin after showering. This allows the product to remain on your hands and work undisturbed for several hours, while the beeswax acts as an outer protective barrier that regulates moisture. If you have severe problems with dryness and cracks, cotton gloves can be an additional measure to help keep the ointment on your hands overnight.
When You Should Seek Medical Care
You should seek medical care if your hands have cracks that bleed, itch intensely, ooze, or do not heal even though you are caring for them properly. Sometimes, certain conditions require treatment other than moisturizing products. In such cases, it may be best to have a doctor examine your symptoms, determine the underlying cause of the problem, and decide on the treatment that is right for you.
Voice of the customers
Here are some testimonials from customers describing their experiences using the ointment on dry and chapped hands:
"My dry, chapped elbows and my hands, worn out from washing and using hand sanitizer, love calendula"
"I gave it to my son, whose hands get very dry because of his job and are prone to cracking. According to him, it works great and has healed his skin well."
"The calendula ointment is great after a day of frequent hand washing and using hand sanitizer. It's like a healing overnight treatment."
Frequently Asked Questions
Is hand sanitizer worse for the skin than soap?
No, hand sanitizer is not worse for the skin than soap. On the contrary, alcohol-based hand sanitizer is generally gentler on the skin than repeated washing with soap and water. Therefore, use hand sanitizer when your hands aren’t visibly dirty instead of washing them with soap and water every time.
Why does the ointment feel greasier than my hand cream?
Ointments may feel greasier than hand creams because they usually don’t contain water. Hand creams often contain water, which contributes to their light feel. But water evaporates quickly and is usually not enough for truly dry and cracked skin.
Can you use ointment during the workday?
It’s perfectly possible to use ointment during the workday, but many people find that ointment is too greasy to apply to their hands in the middle of a work shift. You can therefore use a lighter product during the day and an ointment at night.
How quickly will you notice a difference?
How quickly you notice a difference in dry, cracked hands varies from person to person and depends on how damaged your hands are to begin with. Many people notice an improvement within a few days to just over a week with regular evening use. If you have deep, dry cracks, it may take longer.
Gustaf & Linnea's nourishing balm contains, among other ingredients, cold-pressed canola oil, beeswax, and shea butter, which naturally nourish and soothe dry hands.
