A guide to hand and foot care

While we all spend plenty of time cleansing our faces, styling our hair, shaving our legs and scrubbing our bodies – looking after our hands and feet is often overlooked in our beauty routines.

Whether you’re on your feet all day or out working in the garden a lot – our extremities take a bit of battering and the skin can become tough with constant use. That’s why it’s so important to care for our hands and feet just as much as everything else.

From washing-up and cooking to gardening and even typing – our hands go through a lot every single day and they deserve to be looked after. Next time you find yourself with a few minutes to spare, why not try a natural manicure at home? It doesn’t have to be complicated, just a simple hand care routine to nourish your hands after a long day.

Neal’s Yard Remedies have a range of natural hand care solutions to help keep your skin in good condition.

Signs you might need to take more care of your hands

• Dry skin
• Brittle nails
• Age spots
• Flaking or itching
• Abnormal sweating

What causes dry hands?

• Harsh soaps & over washing: Although it’s important to keep washing your hands throughout the day, excessive hand washing can cause your hands to become sensitive and dry due to the natural oils and moisture being stripped from your hands.
• The elements: Changing weather, especially cold weather can be a factor in hands becoming extremely dry and cracking. This occurs when the weather is cooler, the air becomes dryer which causes our body to hold onto less moisture.
• Workplace: Professions that require frequent hand washing, have more exposure to harsh surfaces or simply just using your hands often may notice and experience dry hands. Jobs working with chemicals may also irritate the skin.

Tips for looking after your hands:

• Avoid using hot water when washing or bathing
• Wear gloves whilst doing tasks around the home that may cause dry hands
• Keep hands hydrated with a natural hand lotion or cream
• Massage hands regularly
• Protect hands from sun exposure

1. Wash your hands: Start by gently washing your hands with a natural hand wash and for additional cleansing, exfoliating with our Nourishing Melissa Hand Polish, getting rid of any dirt and grime you might have picked up and revitalising dull and dry hands.

2. Apply a natural hand cream: Gently massage your hands with our skin-conditioning Defend and Protect Hand Lotion. For especially dry and cracked hands, Citrus Hand Softener. For especially dry and cracked hands, our  delivers a deeply nourishing moisture boost. Simply massage the fragrant balm into your hardworking hands and enjoy the revitalising fragrance.

3. Care for your hands while you’re on the go: Pop a Defend and Protect Hand Spray in your handbag to leave your hands feeling fresh and clean while you’re out and about. A tube of our best organic hand cream Bee Lovely Hand Cream is naturally moisturising and perfect for day-to-day hand care.

Looking after our feet is often even further down our list of priorities than our hands. From dog walks and school runs to nights out in high heels – our feet literally carry us around all day. We’re all busy and we put our feet through a lot, so they deserve a little pampering from time-to-time as well. 

Signs you might need to take more care of your feet:

• Dry, cracked skin
• Damaged nails
• Foot aches and pains
• Unpleasant odours
• Blisters

What causes dry, cracked skin on feet?

• Footwear: Wearing ill-fitting or open-heeled footwear as well as regularly wearing heels and sandals can lead to the skin on your feet thickening and increasing the pressure on the heel of your foot.
• Hot baths & showers: High water temperatures may dehydrate the skin on your feet, inevitably causing further dryness.
• Pressure: Jobs that require you to be on your feet all day or stand for long periods can put a lot of pressure on your feet, increasing the chances of forming cracks in the skin.

How to care for your feet:

Taking the time for a natural pedicure at home can be a really great way to relax and enjoy some time to yourself. With our range of natural foot care solutions, you can help to keep your feet feeling soft and supple.

Starting with our Pumice Foot Scrub, which gets to work on even the toughest soles, you can soften any dry, hard or cracked skin while gently cleansing to smoothen and freshen your feet. Next up, smother your feet in our soothing Comfrey and Mallow Foot Balm. For an intensive treatment, apply the salve before bed, then slip your feet into a pair of socks and allow it to soak in overnight.

For an extra special treat, book your toes in for a Reflexology treatment at your local Neal’s Yard Remedies therapy room.

Helping to restore balance within the body by relieving tension through pressure massage of the reflex points, you’ll leave with an overall sense of calm and relaxation, and perfectly pampered feet.

Take a look at our full range of hand care products and foot remedies and start your journey to better overall body care.