This summer, I took good care of my skin. I put on suncream daily, treated my skin to a serum to target whatever was ailing me that day, and even made time for a bi-weekly mask. My hands weren’t the lucky recipients of such attention. Silly oversight on my part – I clean often (even more so in the new pad, which requires a whole lot of scrubbing to meet my exacting standards), wash dishes by hand, and have been chipping in on the manual labour stuff (grouting is my forte – yep, I didn’t see that coming either).
The dry hand situation has been vastly improved by a nightly application of Sarah Chapman Skinesis Overnight Hand and Nail Treatment. The treatment, which sits in the dry oil bracket, is enriched with nourishing oils to moisturise – baobab, chia seed, argan, jojoba, grape seed and seabuckthorn are in the mix. It also contains ingredients designed to overhaul the surface of the skin like antioxidant vitamin A, which will reduce free radical damage and therefore slow the ageing process and reduce pigmentation, and vitamin C, which will calm inflammation and brighten dark spots.
It’s a little greasy as it’s designed to soak in overnight, so I put it on last thing before reading my book and drifting off so as not to smear everything I touch with oil (sometimes print on books smudges a little, but I’ll take that hit for the greater good of moist skin). Provided you can get used to the sensation of a hand oil, I’d really recommend it – my cuticles are less dry, my nails seem to be growing well despite my penchant for long-wear polishes atm, and I can’t remember when my skin was last softer.