Due to the coronavirus, we have become a nation of handwashers. Over time, many of us will begin to experience dry and cracked hands from regularly washing in hot soapy water or using alcohol-based hand sanitisers that are known to dry your hands.

But what can we do to avoid the dryness and potential discomfort?

Dr Lindsay Broadbent of the Centre for Infection and Immunity at Queen’s University Belfast says, “There is no problem using hand cream, as long as you have dried your hands thoroughly before applying the cream.” To be extra safe, she advises that people carry their own tubes, warning that you don’t know if someone has touched the tube who hasn’t washed their hands. When applying the cream, squirt it on the back of your hand, without touching the nozzle.

However, if you don’t have your own hand lotion, it’s ok to use a communal one as long as you don’t touch the applicator. Wash your hands and using the paper towel that you dried your hands with, use that to push the dispenser, so you don’t touch it with your bare hands.

Sourced from The Guardian