The Hands an Index to Age and the Health - Use and Abuse of Soap - Care of the Hands Massage - Exercises - Removal of Blemishes

As no part of the body is a more accurate index of age than the hands, it should be the first duty of every woman to keep her hands fresh and young. The colour and condition of the hands are indicative of daily health or feebleness.

The possession of white hands, of course, depends a great deal on the nature of the skin, and also upon absence of employment of any kind, whether work or recreation.

Anything which necessitates very frequent washing tends to roughen and dry up the skin.

Neglect is, perhaps, the chief cause of unsightly hands, and, with a little care, even the working hand may be well preserved, and of an attractive and shapely appearance. To preserve and restore the whiteness of the hands, and to improve those not naturally white, it is essential, whenever possible, to wear gloves, and these should never be too tight.

Washing

The hands should always be washed in soft water, and if this is not obtainable, a good emollient soap is all-important. Care should be taken to select super-fatted or super-creamed soaps of a white or creamy colour, although for skins that are inclined to be greasy alkaline soaps are required, which contain potash or soda in slight excess.

Antiseptic soaps are used only in cases of any irritation of the skin. A good soap of this kind is composed of ichthyol and sulphur. Boracic acid soaps are also recommended in this connection.

Fig. I. The fingers should be taken singly between the thumb and index finger, and stroked from finger tip to palm, as if putting on a glove

Soap should always be used moderately, and when the skin is sensitive, very sparingly. The hands should be washed with warm water and soap at night, and with oatmeal and cold water in the morning and during the day, unless, of course, they are very much soiled, when soap is essential. Soap used frequently has a tendency to dry up the natural secretion from the pores of the skin.

Moist Hands

The skin of a healthy hand should be soft and flexible, cool to the touch, and the muscles should be firm.

Ve r y moist hands proclaim a highly nervous temperament, and while the natural remedy for this state is building up the health, there are many ways of giving temporary relief. In such cases of excessive perspiration the alternate hand bath will be found beneficial. The hands should be immersed to the wrists in water as warm as can be endured, for about five minutes, and then plunged into cold water for from ten to thirty seconds, and afterwards thoroughly dried.

A good powder is also efficacious for this trouble. Equal parts of boracic acid, powdered starch, talcum powder, with about ten drops of oil of eucalyptus added to each ounce of the mixed powders will be found a very cooling remedy.

Redness of the hands arises from two main causes - chapping and exposure of the skin, and some fault of circulation of the blood. The first is easily remediable by means of emollient ointments, and care of the skin itself. The other more constitutional cause is best treated by attention to the general health, and can be aided locally, if not cured entirely, by careful massage of the fingers and hands.

Fig. 2. The back of the hand should be rubbed towards the wrist with the palm of the other hand

Massage of the Hands

The hands should be massaged with lengthwise movements from the extremities upwards. The pressure must not be hard, nor the movement rapid, but the fingers should be taken one by one between the thumb and index finger, and stroked gently and deliberately from the finger-tip to the palm, as if putting on a glove.

Then the back of the hand should be rubbed towards the wrist.

For massaging the palm of the hand, the thumb will be found the most convenient to use, and the stroke should be towards the wrists, as in the other movements.

The finger-tips should not be flattened in massaging, but pinched gently, and pressed at the sides to make them taper.

During the operation of massaging, the hands should be held very lightly and loosely. A good skin food should be used and well rubbed into the skin. Before using the cream, however, the hand should be bathed for ten minutes or so in hot water to prepare the pores for receiving the cream, and to clear them of any dirt and dust which may have accumulated. After massaging, all superfluous grease should be wiped away, and some astringent lotion used to avoid a chill through the pores of the skin being opened. Half an ounce of alum in ten ounces of rose-water makes a good lotion of this kind.

To Whiten the Hands

An excellent skin-food for massaging purposes, and at the same time a preparation for whitening the hands, is composed of equal parts of cocoa butter, oil of sweet almonds, and refined wax. These ingredients are melted together, and the mixture stirred until cool.

Fig, 3. To massage the palm the thumb is used, and the stroke should be towards the wrists

Electrical Massage

The mode of procedure in electrical massage is exactly similar, only instead of the fingers special rollers are used. These are charged with electricity, and can be obtained complete with batteries for home treatment.