It is no surprise that right now you may have some serious dry hands from so much handwashing!
Here are a few tips to help save your skin (and your sanity):
1 - Turn the heat down
Washing your hands with scalding hot water is not recommended. Not only will you damage the cells of your skin, you are not necessarily getting your hands any cleaner by using extremely hot water.
Try using luke warm water instead.
2 - Use half the amount of soap
Instead of using for example, an entire squirt or pump of soap, use half the amount and scrub hands for a few seconds longer instead.
3 - Take it easy drying them
Instead of quickly ripping or scrubbing your hands dry with rough towel, try being gentle instead. Dab or lightly tap your hands dry with a soft towel.
4 - Treat your hands with some love
The best way to keep your hands soft and supple and to help the skin cells rejuvenate themselves is to moisturize! It might be unrealistic to ask you to do this after every hand wash but try to put some cream beside your sink and remember to use it after every third or fourth time you wash your hands.
Another tip is to choose moisturizers that are oil based instead of water based - oil based moisturizers are full of ingredients to help revive your hands, they are thicker and are not watered down. They will penetrate into the skin more effectively and moisturize quicker and more abundantly.
Choose from body butter, intense moisturizing cream or eczema salve - all will help but for extreme dry skin that is cracked and damaged choose the herbal healing eczema salve that is designed for healing damaged skin barriers.
5 - Other tips
Avoid harsh cleaners on your hands and use rubber gloves when doing dishes.
Avoid soaps with SLS (Sodium Laurel Sulphate) as an ingredient - this will strip all the oils from your skin and is not necessary - you don't need to strip the oils from your hands in order to clean them! Instead choose nourishing soaps - like for example a mango butter soap that is enriched with moisturizing and cleansing properties.
I hope this helps you and your skin!
<3 Jes xo