Struggling with dry hands can be painful. Even if you are diligent about keeping them protected when doing housework or gardening, and unfailingly apply moisturizer whenever the opportunity arises, you can still suffer from bone-dry, cracked, parched hands. Don't get me wrong, it is still of vital importance to protect your hands from dish detergent, laundry detergent, excessive washing, and irritating ingredients, and also when doing potentially irritating manual activities such as yard work or sports. Wearing gloves to prevent contact with these types of products and ingredients is of the utmost importance. However, a significant number of women may find they are allergic to latex gloves. About 10% of the population have negative reactions, ranging from mild to severe, if they come in contact with latex. If this turns out to be a problem, ask your physician or pharmacist where you can find nonlatex gloves.

The faster you get an emollient moisturizer on your hands after washing, and the longer you can keep it on, the better. (Note: Any good, emollient moisturizer will work--it does not have to be labeled "hand cream" to be used on the hands.) It helps to keep small tubes or bottles of moisturizer all over the house, including near the kitchen sink, in the bathroom, at the bedside, and in the garage. Keep more in your car, purse, briefcase, and desk drawer. That way it is never out of reach for a quick application. The best moisturizers for daytime are moisturizing sunscreens whose active ingredient is avobenzone, titanium dioxide, or zinc oxide. As an added benefit, titanium dioxide and zinc oxide provide an occlusive barrier that can act as a protective layer to retain moisture in the skin while keeping the sun's rays off the skin. (Bear in mind that brown "sun spots" on the back of hands and arms are a direct result of relentless, daily, unprotected sun exposure.)

Paula's Choice Beautiful Body Butter or Lip and Body Treatment Balm, Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula, and Eucerin, to name a few are all excellent moisturizers to use at night. The best approach is to apply moisturizer every chance you get. It is also incredibly helpful to purchase an over-the-counter cortisone cream such as Lanacort or Cortaid to help treat cracks and fissures that may occur, but cortisone creams should only be used intermittently, not on a regular basis. Severely dry hands can also benefit from overnight treatment with moisture-infused gloves. These unique gloves are lined with a synthetic material that slowly releases moisturizing ingredients as they are worn. Two to consider are Borghese Spa Mani Moisture Restoring Gloves ($46.50 per pair) and blisslabs' Glamour Gloves ($48 per pair).

If your cuticles are also dry and/or cracked, make sure to moisturize them with a very emollient, thick moisturizer. Almost any moisturizer for dry skin will do, and it is not necessary to purchase special cuticle creams: they contain absolutely nothing special for the nail or cuticle. Products with glycerin, petrolatum (Vaseline) or other oils are wonderful cuticle-softening options (my Lip & Body Treatment Balm is an excellent choice).



$$$ DIOR DiorSkin Forever Compact Flawless & Moist Extreme Wear Makeup SPF 25 ($42) is a terrific, mica-based pressed-powder foundation with an in-part titanium dioxide sunscreen. This applies easily, feels wonderfully silky, and leaves a sheer matte finish that can provide sheer to light coverage. That means you can add this to the very short list of pressed powders with sunscreen that not only blend like a second skin, but also come in a gorgeous range of neutral shades, though there are no options for dark skin. Note: Each shade applies lighter than it appears in the compact, and Dark Beige 050 may be too peach for some tan skin tones. All skin types can use this foundation with success.  



Dear Paula,

I have some of your books and very much respect your advice. My question is about something pretty basic. Recently, everywhere I turn I see the advice that women shouldn't wash their hair every day. Even my hairdresser said something about women who come in to have their hair shampooed twice a week. Seems it's better for your hair, hair color, etc. This makes a lot of sense! So I'm trying it but I'm getting frustrated. No surprise--my hair looks dirty! It's short, medium brown, straight, and not very thick. Is the don't-wash-your-hair advice only for women with long hair? I have bangs and they suffer particularly on the off days. Will my hair adjust in a while? Would simply washing every day with a frequent-use shampoo help? Also, I swim sometimes and I assume I have to wash it afterwards to get the chlorine out. What do you think?

Charlotte, via e-mail

Dear Charlotte,

Intercellular Substances

Intercellular substances (which I often refer to as ingredients that mimic skin structure) should be the backbone of every moisturizer. In fact, moisturizers are not about giving skin moisture or keeping water in skin. All current research is about moisturizers keeping the outer layer of skin resilient and healthy, and that has little to do with water content. But it does have everything to do with giving skin the substances that keep skin cells intact so they can defend themselves against the environment, feel soft and supple, and maintain a reliable protective balance. Ingredients such as ceramides, cholesterol, fatty acids (linoleic acid, triglycerides, glycerin, phospholipids, lecithin), and glycosaminoglycans (hyaluronic acid, sodium PCA) are essential for helping skin to function normally, as it once did before sun damage and age got the better of us. (Sources: Clinical and Geriatric Medicine, February 2002, pages 103-120; Progress in Lipid Research, January 2003, pages 1-36; Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology & Venereology, November 2002, pages 587-594; Contact Dermatitis, June 2002, pages 331-338; Journal of Investigative Dermatology, May 1996, pages 1096-1101; British Journal of Dermatology, November 1995, pages 679-685; Skin Pharmacology and Physiology, September-October 2004, pages 207-213; Free Radical Research, April 2002, pages 471-477; and Journal of Lipid Research, May 2002, pages 794-804.)

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