Baby, It’s Dry Outside! 8 ways to take care of your skin so your hands can keep playing

No matter where you live, no matter how arctic or temperate, winter tends to be drier than the other seasons.  And it’s easy to tell that when you look at your hands.  In case it had escaped you, you use those hands a lot when playing the harp.  So, keeping them in good shape is a good idea!

Problem is, you use your hands for so many things, it’s easy to look at them and not see them.  Who really checks them every day for wear and tear?  I get it – we’re busy.  We wash our hands, we see them.  We decorate them with rings and bracelets.  But how often do you really look at them?  Your hands are like that – or more specifically, the skin on your hands is like that. 

It’s easy to take your skin for granted.  So, it’s time to add caring for the skin on your hands to your things to do list!

It’s winter, so the air is dry.  And it’s cold and flu season, so you’re washing your hands a lot.  Frequent hand washing strips the natural oils from your skin, leaving it dry and flaky.  Of course, this dryness also gets more likely as your get older.  If you let it go long enough, it is possible that your skin will become so dry and tight that it impacts your playing – yikes!

What happens? Well, you already know your skin can become dry from the dry indoor (and outdoor) air, but healthy habits can also impact your hands badly.  The water and soap from hand washing – both of which draw the oils away – lead to drying.  And the drying after the hand washing can be a problem.  Air driers blow warm, dry air at your hands and towels (including paper towels) can also “rough up” your hands (leading to chapping).  Left untended, after all these assaults (albeit healthy assaults), your skin may become dry enough to feel tight, flaky, rough and it might even split or crack. 

Splitting and cracking is bad for a number of reasons – it hurts and leaves your fingers sore.  Sometimes you’ll also get bleeding – and no one wants that.  Perhaps the worst part is that your skin is part of your immune system and these cracks and splits leave your open to infection.

So, what can you do? You can’t really take the entire winter off (ok, you could but that wouldn’t be fun!).  Here are 8 ideas you can pick and choose from to improve the state of your skin throughout the winter.  Many of these are basic maintenance and some are downright pampering.  But caring for your hands will be good for your health and for your harping!* 

1. Hydrate!  This is a good place to start.  Because the air is so dry in the winter, you need to drink more water – or at least drink enough water.  You can use your favorite rule of thumb (8 glasses, half your body weight, or “drink when you’re thirsty”!).
2. Moisturize.  You might think this goes without saying, but say it anyway!  Use your favorite moisturizer – but use it!  And remember that the skin on your hands is different in different places on your hands.  Lay it on thick on the backs of your hands, get your fingertips, but maybe the palms don’t need as much of a slather?  Put it where you need it.  And use the product that works best for you – there are loads to choose from.  
3. White Glove Treatment.  If you are having trouble keeping your hands moisturized, this works overnight!  Wash your hands, leave them damp, slather on “too much” moisturizer (this is a good time to use an emollient rather than regular moisturizer), slip on plain cotton gloves and go to bed!  Plain white cotton gloves are available on line and are inexpensive.  This keeps your hands warm and traps body heat which seems to help the moisturizer “get in”.  Caveats – you’ll feel ridiculous (especially if you have a roomie) and you will feel much warmer than you would otherwise while in bed (so layer your blankets accordingly).
4. The Black Glove Treatment.  Keep gloves in the pockets of all your coats – and wear them!  I buy the cheapy Walmart ones that come in packs of three and look like they won’t fit a toddler but magically grow to be the right size when you put them on.  They have all the qualities you need – they are inexpensive enough to have a lot of them so if you lose them, it doesn’t matter much (they’re like $1.25 a pair), they come in colors so they go with everything, and if it’s really really cold, you can wear two pairs).  I have gloves in all my coat pockets, in the pocket of my harp case, in my gig bag, in my car, in my purse, and anywhere else I happen to stash them.  Like the white glove treatment, they keep your hands warm which seems to help the moisturizer be more effective and just protects your skin in general.
5. Take care of your nails.  Not only do you need to keep your nails trimmed and filed to play, but you can also apply oil to the nail beds to keep your cuticles supple.  There are fancy nail oils but Vitamin E oil or plain ol’ olive oil also works (you could combine this with the White Glove Treatment – and not get oil all over the place!).
6. Keep your hands clean, but….  You do, of course, need to wash your hands frequently.  But warm water will do – it doesn’t need to be so hot you can barely stand it!  If you can, use liquid soaps.  And when drying – just get to damp rather than completely dry.  Then apply moisturizer.  If possible, try to avoid hand sanitizer (which is typically made with alcohol – don’t believe me? Use it when your hands are chapped, and you’ll find all the little cracks you didn’t know where on your hands – ouch!  Ask me how I know!).  If you’re working in hospitals and health care environments, they often use a hand sanitizer that is not alcohol based.  Of course, patient health is a priority, but still, you need to take care of you.
7. Get a manicure!  This is a little luxury! And while a good manicurist will leave you feeling heavenly (!), you can also do this at home for yourself.  Just be sure you do all the steps on all of your hand!  Don’t leave out the massage. One big advantage of having a professional manicure is adding the paraffin dip which is really lovely and softening!
8. Deal with it.  If you have cracks or splits – deal with them quickly to heal faster and to avoid infection.  Use an antibacterial treatment (often typically carried in an emollient – so a two-fer!) and cover with a bandage (to protect it and to keep the antibacterial in place).  If you have a gig and must play, many swear by the liquid bandage products or superglue.  These hold the crack closed and will certainly make it easier to play – just be sure to try this out b-e-f-o-r-e you try to play any kind of gig, so you’ll know what works for you (but it is definitely easier than a bandage when you play the strings!).

It’s never too late to treat your hands well.  Even if you’re a cracked, bleeding, sore mess – your hands will respond to a little TLC very quickly.  Don’t wait!  Do it today.  Don’t have visibly dry hands?  Build the habit now – before you need to.  These small steps will certainly keep you playing comfortably throughout the cold dry months.  What is in your daily routine?  Do you have other great solutions you can share with the rest of us?  Leave it in the comments below!

*As always, these are suggestions from my experience.  I am not a health care professional nor am I a manicurist or other professional who professionally knows this stuff.   If you have a health concern, see your qualified medical practitioner.  And if you know something that works well – let me know – I’m always looking for good solutions!

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