One of the silver linings of being in home quarantine is that it let us catch up on simple things that we badly wanted to do but didn’t always have the time for. And for me, among those things is improving the appearance of my hands and feet.
See, I wasn’t born with soft, delicate, pristine extremities and for a very long time, I’d used these parts of my body a lot, day in and day out, without really putting extra efforts to take care of them in return. This bad habit leaves them even more unappealing (to me) than they already are.
Hands and feet are really prone to damage since they are exposed to the environment just as much as the face. Without proper care, they may suffer from premature wrinkles, and age spots can even form on them. Now, with me being at home for almost 24/7, I can now pay more attention to my hands and feet and avoid these unlikely outcomes from happening.
To have a move realistic way of giving back to these overworked parts of my body, I’ve been using these simplest and most affordable hand and feet care methods that I’ve derived from several skincare influencers:
Wrap hands with a nice DIY mask from time to time
Since I’ve been doing A LOT of handwashing and alcohol hand rubbing lately, my hands become dry easily. Hand masks can help soften and bring back the moisture of the hands. It can also help keep hands wrinkle-free.
To do this, prepare a body or hand lotion, aloe vera gel, honey, two plastic bags, mixing container, and two rubber bands. Mix an equal amount of lotion, aloe vera gel, and honey in the container. Make sure the mixture is enough for both hands.
After covering my hands with the mixture, I wrap my hands with plastic bags and I use the rubber bands to secure the opening. I let it this way for 20 minutes. Lastly, I just simply wash the mixture off my hands.
Exfoliate them feet with a DIY footbath after a long, tiring day
Treating feet with a soothing foot bath is not just for those who deal with a lot of corns and calluses. Aside from aesthetic benefits, it has lots of other perks too including improving one’s mood, energy level, and even sleeping habits.
For this, I use alcohol, vinegar, essential oil (e.i. virgin coconut oil), and warm water. These ingredients are believed to soften dead skin and prevent athlete’s foot. Just pour a cup of vinegar and alcohol into the bowl of warm water together, add a bit of essential oil, too, and viola! There’s the footbath. Soak both feet for 20 mins. I do this two to three times a week.
Moisturize from the bottom to the top
Well-groomed nails can easily make hands and feet look nice and healthy. Aside from cleaning the nails, moisturizing the cuticles protects them and keeps them hydrated.
Most tips that I found suggest using olive oil for moisturizing the cuticles. But for me, I use virgin coconut oil and the results are just as fine. So I apply the oil first at the bottom of my nails and let it sit for about 10 minutes. After wiping them off, I put some moisturizer that I use on my face (but any kind of moisturizer would do) to finish. I do this three times a week.
Also, on top of everything, make sure to moisturize both hands and feet with lotion every night or as you feel necessary to keep them hydrated and ready for another day of work tomorrow.
Let’s face it, not all of us are made to be a hand (or feet) model. But just like anything else that makes the world such beautiful diversity, that’s okay! What makes hands and feet beautiful is not exactly its shape but rather how healthy and clean it looks.
Have a beauty + full day!
