Dry Hands Pampering

I am not a natural cold weather lover.  So much in fact that my body works really hard at reminding me of that everyday during the winter months.  My hands are really good at this.  During the first hint of winter, the skin on my hands begin to crack and bleed. My Dad's hand do the same thing and for years I used to tell him he needed to moisturize.  In my early 20's, the same thing began to happen to me and I learned first hand (pun alert) that it didn't matter how many times you moisturize.  

When I was at Lush last week, I picked up their 'Golden Handshake Hot Hand Mask' . I have had paraffin wax treatments before and they have done wonders for my arthritis in my hands and dryness so I was super excited when I came across this.  The girl who sold the hand mask to me told me not to use whole thing at once as there was plenty for two or even three applications.  

LUSH - Golden Handshake Hand Mask

I would have to also suggest breaking up the hand mask as one application would leave you with a lot of the product wasted.  I could see after a couple of application for me, I could easily get three uses out of one product.  

The next part of the application is to put it in a bowl that you can fit both hands in comfortably, place the product in the bottom of the bowl and then pour hot water over top.  It is important to note here that if you are planning on using the treatment right away, be sure to put warm to hot water that your skin can stand or you will be waiting until the temperature adjusts.  I have also taken before and after photos of my hand for caparison.  

Here are a few of my thoughts about the product.  After reading some of the reviews, I likely had a different view of it going in.  A lot of negative reviews came about due to the wax not melting in the hot water.  I didn't think that it would however I could see why most thought this.  

The wax didn't dissolve as one would expect, but it still suspended in the water.  I didn't only submerge my hand but I also rubbed the product into my hands because mostly I was bored of simply sitting there and I felt I could work the product in better to some of my problematic areas.

Because it does not 'melt', it also does not make a 'mask' around your hand like paraffin wax does. However, without being a dermatologist, I would imagine that the product not being peeled off your skin would allow more of the moisturizing ingredients to soak and stay in your skin. 

Overall, it has been nearly a week since I did the treatment and I believe that my hands are more soft and not even close to cracking.  I still need to apply moisturizer as needed which I don't think can be avoided in a climate that sits well below freezing for about 6 months.  If you struggle like I do with dry skin on your hands, give it a go.  It is far less expensive and much more convenient then a salon treatment.  

#livelush