The 7-Step Anti-Aging Hand-Care Routine You Need to Try

We’re all for embracing wrinkles but sometimes maintaining an all-over natural glow can get a little difficult as your skin matures, especially when it comes to your hands. They’re an oftentimes overlooked part of the body, but with constant stress put on them (between typing, carrying things and using them for pretty much everything), they’re some of the first to show signs of aging. Treat your hands to some regular TLC with our seven-step guide, ahead. 

STEP 1: Exfoliate 1-2 Time a Week

Just like the skin on your face and body, the skin on your hands can benefit big from a weekly or bi-weekly exfoliation. Exfoliation can help slough off dead skin cell buildup — which can appear more prominently on your hands — and make it easier for your skin to soak up hydrating hand-care products like serums, oils, and of course, hand cream. We recommend applying a scoop of the Kiehl’s Gently Exfoliating Body Scrub to the tops of your hands and massaging it into dry skin — using similar motions as you would when washing your hands. Then, rinse and follow up with a nourishing hand cream. 

STEP 2: Use a Serum

At night, when you are applying your anti-aging skin-care products to your face, try massaging some of those anti-aging serums into the tops of your hands, too. This can not only salvage some of that excess product you may have accidentally squirted into your hands, but it can also help ensure that the skin on your hands are receiving a boost of nourishing skin benefits. Our favorite serums to massage into our hands? Anything formulated with antioxidants like the L’Oréal Paris Derm Intensives 10% Vitamin C Serum. Vitamin C is one of our favorite skin-care ingredients as it can help protect the surface of your skin from free-radical damage, while also working to brighten your skin tone.

STEP 3: Correct

In addition to applying serum to the tops of your hands, you may want to consider using your dark-spot correcting serums, too. Most dermatologists would agree that retinol is one of the best anti-aging ingredients in skin care. An active form of vitamin A, retinol works to reduce the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines as well as working to even out your skin tone. You can incorporate retinol into both your skin-care routine for your face as well as your hands. If you’ve never used retinol on your skin — including your hands — before, start with a lower concentration and frequency and slowly work your way up to help prevent irritation. Try beginning with SkinCeuticals Retinol 0.3 and eventually transitioning to higher concentrations such as SkinCeuticals Retinol 0.5 and Retinol 1.0. Apply retinol at night and apply broad-spectrum sunscreen during daytime hours, especially because retinol can cause skin sensitivity to sunlight.

STEP 4: Nourish Your Cuticles

Show your cuticles some love with a cuticle oil like the Olive And June Cuticle Serum. can also use a skin care oil such as coconut oil, sweet almond oil, argan oil, and so on to give your cuticles a similar hydrating effect. Simply apply the oil to the tops of your cuticles and nail beds and gently massage it in.

STEP 5: Apply Hand Cream on the Regular

When it comes to youthful-looking skin, hydration is key. Keep the skin on your hands looking — and feeling — well-moisturized with a creamy hand cream or lotion. Unlike body lotions, hand creams are often thicker in texture and can work to target some of the rougher areas of skin that the hands may be experiencing. Keep a bottle of the Lanolips Rose Hand Cream near your sink and apply after washing your hands … and while you’re at it, throw a travel-sized bottle in your handbag and desk drawer to ensure that you are never without moisture. 

STEP 6: Deep Condition

When moisturizer isn’t enough, we like to take things one step further and treat our hands to some deep conditioning R&R. Once a week, massage a skin-care oil — such as tamanu oil or argan oil — onto freshly exfoliated and cleansed hands. Wrap them in plastic wrap and cover them with a pair of mittens or fuzzy socks to keep everything in place. Leave them on for about an hour—or overnight, if you’d like—before removing and revealing soft, smooth, supple-looking hands. If you prefer a hand mask, try the Dr. Jart+ Dermask Hand Hydrating Mask for extra TLC.

STEP 7: Protect With Sunscreen

 You should always — we repeat: always — apply broad-spectrum SPF 15 or higher to your hands in the morning and throughout the day as needed (i.e. after you rinse your hands). Broad-spectrum SPF can help protect the skin from experiencing the wrath of the sun’s damaging UV rays like sunburns, sun spots, premature signs of skin aging and even cancer. So, apply some of the La Roche-Posay Anthelios Melt-In Sunscreen Milk, and reapply, and then apply some more.

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