A pump by the shop entrance, a bottle on the reception desk, another in the bag for after the train. In the past few years alcohol hand sanitiser has become part of the furniture of daily life, a habit of cleanliness that no longer feels remarkable.
The hands, however, keep an honest record. On the evening of a day with many rounds of sanitiser, the backs of the hands look pale and rough and the skin over the knuckles feels tight. Many people sense that hand hygiene and hand moisture are competing for the same small territory.
This article looks at why the hands dry out after sanitising, how to decide between washing with soap and using sanitiser, and how to turn moisturising into the second half of the habit, from Soie's point of view.
Why sanitiser leaves the hands dry
Alcohol evaporates quickly. Rubbed onto the hands, it is gone within seconds, and as it goes it tends to take water from the surface of the skin with it. Unlike washing, there is no towel and no sensation of anything having been applied, so the dryness is often noticed late.
Sanitising is also easier to repeat than washing. It needs no tap, so a dozen rounds in a day is not unusual. Each one is a small burden, but the burdens add up, and the sebum film on the backs of the hands grows thinner a little at a time.
The back of the hand has little sebum and thin skin. When the balance between the water held in the stratum corneum and the film of sebum that covers it is disturbed, the result is roughness and tightness. Dryness after sanitising is not a sign that anything unusual is happening; given the structure of the hand, it is the expected response.
Soap or sanitiser: which is gentler?
It may come as a surprise, but when there is no visible dirt on the hands, using a sanitiser that contains moisturising ingredients is considered less likely to cause chapping than washing again and again with soap and running water. Frequent washing strips sebum readily, and hot water or soap left on the skin makes the burden heavier still.
The rule of thumb, then, is visible dirt. When soil, food or ink is on the hands, wash with soap; when it is not, reach for a sanitiser with moisturising ingredients. The proper way to wash is set out in how to wash your hands without roughness.
For those who find alcohol irritating, sanitisers without alcohol are an option. In every case, moisturising once the hands are dry should become part of the habit. Simply checking whether a sanitiser lists moisturising ingredients changes how the hands feel at the end of the day.
After sanitising: let it dry, then moisturise
Timing is what matters most. Wait until the alcohol has evaporated completely, then take one or two pearl-sized drops of serum on the back of the hand, bring the hands together to spread it, and work it in between the fingers and around the nails. Applying before the hands are dry undoes the point of sanitising.
If moisturising is to follow every round of sanitiser, the texture has to be free of stickiness. A habit that stops you touching a door handle, a wallet or a phone for the next few minutes will not survive. A hand serum that sinks in lightly and does not interrupt what you were doing suits this moment well.
Think about placement too. Keep the moisturiser next to the sanitiser and the two actions will join themselves together. The same pouch in the bag, the same corner of the desk, side by side on the reception counter. Small arrangements turn sanitising and moisturising into a single habit.
Quantity deserves a word as well. After sanitiser, a little goes a long way; the aim is to replace what the alcohol took from the surface, not to coat the hand. One pearl-sized drop spread thinly over both hands is often enough during the day, with a second drop reserved for the fingertips and nail contours, which dry first. Using less, more often, keeps the hands comfortable without ever leaving them slippery.
Those who work in settings where sanitising is constant, behind a counter, in a kitchen, in a workshop, may find a dozen applications becomes two dozen. In that case, the moisturiser does not need to follow every single round; following every second or third round, and then giving the hands proper attention in the evening, is a realistic rhythm that still keeps the skin supported through the day.
Taking it back in the evening
Daytime moisturising is inevitably quick. On days with many rounds of sanitiser, give the hands a little longer in the evening. Onto hands that are clean after the bath, work the serum slowly from the back of the hand along each finger, around the joints and up to the nail contours.
On nights when dryness feels pronounced, a hand cream can be layered over the serum: serum first, cream second. If roughness, redness or cracking persists, do not keep guessing; consult a dermatologist. Protecting hand hygiene and preserving the beauty of the hands are not opposites, and both can be kept.
Where Soie's hand serum fits in
Soie's Enlight Hand Serum is a beauty serum made only for the hands, with five ceramides and peptides (moisturising ingredients). Its texture leaves no stickiness, so it can follow every round of sanitiser without getting in the way of work, and the 30 mL bottle travels easily alongside a sanitiser.
Where soap is the right choice, Moist Fragrance Hand & Body Soap moisturises with every wash. After sanitising and after washing alike, add the step of moisturising. That is Soie's proposal for keeping cleanliness and beauty on the same pair of hands.
