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Why are my hands so dry?
From extreme temperature changes (like hot water or cold weather) to over-washing and stress, many things can cause soft, nourished hands to become dry. Plus, using harsh chemicals when you’re cleaning around the house doesn’t help things - it can strip away the oils that keep your skin barrier strong and healthy, leading to dry hands.
Can overwashing cause dry hands?
Yes. Overwashing can cause your hands to become dry. That’s because frequent handwashing, especially with harsh soaps and hot water, can strip away your skin’s natural oils, leading to dryness, irritation and even cracking. Think of it like this: those natural oils are your skin’s built-in moisturizer and overwashing removes this protection. Need to know how to care for dry hands? Try our Advanced Care Deep Moisture Hand Wash for some everyday dry hand treatment - it deeply nourishes dry and itchy skin, leaving hands feeling silky-soft after every wash.
Ways to avoid dry hands
Start with simple switch-ups, like washing your hands with warm water instead of hot water, which helps to retain your skin’s natural oils. You might also want to start wearing gloves to protect your hands from getting wet when you’re cleaning dishes or rinsing utensils in the skin.
What to do for dry hands
Looking for dermatologist-approve tips on how to treat dry hands? Dr. Mona Gohara’s recommendations are “swapping to a non-soap cleanser like the Dove Shea Butter Beauty Bar. Unlike regular soap, it’s formulated with moisturizing ingredients and gentle cleansers that help maintain the skin’s natural barrier. Plus, it smells amazing—infused with shea butter and vanilla—so washing your hands becomes a nourishing ritual, not a drying chore.” If you need an extra moisture boost, apply “a thick cream or ointment at night and wear cotton gloves to lock in moisture. If you’re constantly sanitizing, try to balance with more frequent moisturizing.”
How to treat dry hands overnight
Wondering what to do for dry hands? Well, here’s how to care for dry hands while you catch your well-earned beauty sleep. Make a DIY hand mask by covering them with a generous amount of hand cream and putting on cotton gloves (clean socks work on hands too). Covering your dry skin helps to prevent lotion from rubbing off during the night and acts like a mini hand facial. Sleeping Beauty has nothing on you.
What you need to treat dry hands
Dry hands 101? Meet our hydrating hand heroes, which treat dry hands and restore that silky-soft feel you know and love.
- Dove Restoring Beauty Bar: the dry hand relief essential that delivers softer and smoother skin on your hands, face and body, with a creamy coconut milk and cocoa butter scent.
- Dove Care & Protect Antibacterial Beauty Bar: your daily shower essential that removes 99% bacteria in seconds* and moisturizes skin for hours.
- Dove Advanced Care Shea Butter & Warm Vanilla Hand Wash: a pampering hand wash that nourishes skin 10 layers deep for soft, smooth hands.
- Dove Advanced Care Sensitive Hand Wash: a sensitive skin savior, made for hydrating all parts of your hands while you wash, from your knuckles to your cuticles.
*in a 20 second wash test vs. E. coli
Dry hands can be caused by anything from overwashing and stress to temperature changes and using products with harsh ingredients - and sometimes, it’s a combination of them all. That’s why we believe in restoring moisture to your skin with every wash, giving you dry hand relief that helps you get on with your day without worrying. Get to know our beauty bars, which deliver a boost of moisture to your hands, face and body, or choose from one of our hand washes that work to keep your skin hydrated for hours.
