What to Do When Washing Dries Out Your Hands

Over the last few weeks, I've gotten pretty intense about washing my hands. Granted, everybody should have been washing their hands before all the Coronavirus stuff, and they should continue to do so when it's all over - but it feels like I'm more conscious about it now, taking every opportunity to do it and making sure to go for at least 20 seconds at a time.

And that's how I discovered that when you wash your hands TOO much, they get dried out and sometimes even crack a little bit. And that's no good either! If your hands get too dry and cracked, that makes them MORE susceptible to catching germs.

Montana Right Now has some advice from Dr. Thomas George in Kalispell about what to do when you've dried out your hands from washing them so much. He says to use lukewarm water instead of hot, and to gently rub them instead of vigorously scrubbing. He also recommends using a bar of soap instead of hand soap.

But if your hands are really bad, here's a pretty intense but effective method - the "Soak and Smear," where you soak your hands in warm water for 5 to 10 minutes and then rub them with moisturizer, and THEN put cotton gloves on for at least an hour. It takes some time, but he says it's effective in getting your hands back to their pristine glory.