Here it is, Monday. I've been up for four hours and have swept/mopped the floors, did five loads of laundry, and tidied the kitchen. Then I noticed how dry my hands were. Here's a few tips for those dishpan hands.
* Rub olive oil into your hands before cleaning. Especially if you wear cleaning gloves - which is a very smart thing to do, but not everybody feels comfortable wear those big ugly yellow things.
* Silicone Glove is a lotion sold by Avon. Many women (and men) state how this seems to protect their hands. (My Mom used it all the time, but Dad preferred Corn Huskers he purchased from the pharmacy.)
* Mix together 1/4 cup of ground almonds, a beaten egg, a handful of comfrey root, and a tablespoon of honey. Coat your hands with the mixture, pull on an old pair of leather or cotton gloves and wear overnight. Rinse your hands in the morning and repeat this for a week. Your hands will feel very soft and supple.
* For bad nails, immerse fingertips into a bowl of warm olive oil for 30 minutes a day until you see an improvement. (I did this prior to my wedding and I had amazing nails!) If olive oil is a bit sparse in your cupboard, fill a small bowl with water and add just enough oil to cover the water. Warm carefully.
* For stains that won't go away, rub hands and nails with the pithy side of a piece of lemon zest. Leave for a minute and then wash off.
* If you cook with cast iron or have a large wood cutting board, use lard to bring the polish back. Afterwards, rub your hands together and enjoy the softness in your skin.
There are so many products on the store shelves for dry, cracked, itchy, red... whatever state your hands are in. Through my confusion I think back to the work my grandmothers used to do, yet their hands, skin and hair was always nice. Perhaps in the old wives' tales there may be some truth!
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