The hands are often the first part of the body to notice that the season has turned. A coat keeps the rest of us warm, but the hands stay out in the cold air, then meet the dry warmth of a heated room, then plunge into hot water at the kitchen sink. By late November, many people begin to notice roughness on the backs of the hands and small splits at the fingertips.
Winter dryness rarely has a single cause. Cold, dry air outdoors; heating indoors; hot water; and the extra hand washing that comes with the season of colds. Each is a small burden, but they repeat many times a day, and together they draw moisture out of the skin a little at a time.
This article gathers the habits Soie relies on to keep hands from drying out through the winter, arranged around the moments of an ordinary day. No special equipment is needed. The right order, the right temperature and a few spare minutes are enough.
Four reasons hands dry out in winter
First, the air itself. As the temperature falls, the air holds less water, and water escapes more easily from the stratum corneum of the skin. The back of the hand has little sebum and thin skin, so it feels this before the face does.
Second, heating. The air near a radiator or an air conditioner on its heating setting is frequently drier than the air outside. The longer a day is spent indoors, the longer the hands sit in that dry air.
Third, hot water. The colder the season, the hotter we tend to run the tap. Hot water strips sebum and weakens the film that holds moisture in the skin. Every round of washing up, every hand wash, takes a little more lipid with it.
Fourth, the number of times we wash and sanitise. When we are careful about health, washing happens more often, and each wash rinses away the sebum film. These four together make winter the season in which the hands are most likely to be dry.
Turn the water down a notch
The simplest habit, and the one most often overlooked, is water temperature. When washing hands or dishes, set the tap to a temperature that feels slightly cooler than you would like. That alone changes how much lipid the skin loses.
Choose a soap that is not too strongly cleansing, wash gently with foam rather than friction, and rinse thoroughly. When drying, press the towel against the skin instead of rubbing, and leave no droplets behind. Skin that meets cold air while still damp dries out faster. We have written about the basics of washing in how to wash your hands without roughness.
Then moisturise, immediately. This is the heart of the routine Soie proposes: wash, then moisturise. The minutes right after washing are when moisture is lost most readily, so keep your moisturiser beside the basin and let the two actions become one.
During the day, little and often
In winter, frequency matters more than quantity. A thin layer after each hand wash, on coming in from outside, or whenever the hands feel dry in a heated room keeps the skin steadier than one generous application in the morning.
For that reason, a daytime moisturiser should not be sticky. If you can touch a keyboard, a document or a phone straight afterwards, you will reach for it without hesitation even in the middle of work. Keeping it within arm's reach, on the desk or in a coat pocket, is a small arrangement that supports the habit.
Outdoors, gloves are a tool for protecting the hands too. Simply shielding the backs of the hands from cold wind and dry air lightens their load. The same applies when cycling or driving.
In the evening, take your time
The end of the day is when the hands can be given the most attention. After a bath, while the skin is clean and soft, work your moisturiser slowly from the back of the hand along each finger, around the joints and up to the nail contours.
When the hands are badly chapped, moisturising and then wearing cotton gloves to bed is one option. Put the gloves on only once the hands are completely dry, and choose a powder-free pair to limit irritation. On days when roughness is pronounced, a richer cream can be layered over the serum to add a film that holds dryness at bay.
This evening time is not only for the skin. Moving the hands, noticing the scent, closing the day: that short interval shapes the impression the hands will make the next morning. The whole picture of hand beauty is set out in our hand beauty guide.
Where Soie's hand serum fits in
Soie's beauty serum for the hands, Enlight Hand Serum, contains five ceramides and peptides (moisturising ingredients) in a light texture that sinks in without stickiness. It is designed to be used after every one of winter's extra hand washes without interrupting your work, and to accompany the unhurried evening moment when the serum is worked from the back of the hand to the nail contours.
The washing side matters as much as the moisturising side. Moist Fragrance Hand & Body Soap has a moisturising formula that leaves no tight feeling after washing. In winter, hand beauty begins at the tap.
If redness or cracking is severe and persists, please consult a dermatologist. Daily habits are the foundation for keeping the skin of the hands healthy. Take them one at a time, and let them settle into your winter days.
