Hand care advice can be overlooked in skincare, often something we seek out when problems crop up, but can neglect when they aren't calling for our attention. Our hands take a lot of bashing in our day to day life, are constantly exposed to the sun, and are a tell-tale indicator of one's age. In short, they really shouldn't be an after thought.
Well presented, cared for hands and nails really help you look and feel put together, and lovely hand creams are just one factor when it comes to keeping your hands soft, pretty and youthful.
So we spoke to Brooke Colman, a top hand model with Hired Hands, who has worked on campaigns and commercials for countless huge brands; everything from Hendricks to Dyson. She's made a whole career out of having beautiful hands, so if there's anyone who knows how to keep your hands and nails healthy, happy, and picture perfect... it's her.
Here she shares her advice for beautiful hands and nails...
Never cut away your cuticles
"This is the one thing I'd never do to my hands as the cuticles protect your nails. Cutting them not only encourages the skin to grow back quicker, it also leaves skin underneath sore, and exposed to bacteria and infection. Instead I apply Leighton Denny Remove And Rectify Cuticle Remover (£11) for around two to three minutes and then I push them back using a metal cuticle pusher. Then, using my cuticle nippers, I only trim the dead skin that has come away from the nail."
Moisturise at the right time
"I don't like to over moisturise my hands, I just do it whenever I notice that they need it. I usually moisturise after a bath or shower, and always after swimming. It depends on the seasons, in the winter your hands get drier because of the central heating and cold weather, so I will moisturise them more then and carry around a small hand cream when I'm on-the-go.
"I flit between many different creams, I just like anything natural. I love using anything with beeswax, I use the Body Shop Hemp Hand Cream and also Neal's Yard's Bee Lovely hand cream with honey and orange essential oil."
Brooke's go to hand creams...
Brighten stained nails with nail scrubs
"Before a shoot I will use a scrub on my nails to just bring them up, it cleans them and makes them whiter. It's good for yellow dirty nails or to remove colour. I use the Body Shop Hemp Hard-Working hand Scrub. If people want to make their own hand scrubs you can use castor sugar and any kind of oil, rose, almond, coconut. If you're really desperate you can even use olive oil or something. "
Look after hang nails
"I suffer quite badly with 'hang nails,' a hard piece of skin/cuticle that grows next to the finger nail. I trim them back as close to the nail as possible, I then use something like CND Solar Oil, Leighton Denny cuticle oil or almond oil to condition the cuticle. The results? It's as though the 'hang nail' never existed."
Never wash-up or clean without gloves
"Luckily I have a dishwasher, so washing up isn't a huge issue. Having said that, I would never wash up pans, or clean without gloves, they may not be the nicest of things to wear, but they're great for your hands and nails."
Be careful when cooking
"It's particularly important for me not to get scarring or burns on my hands. Invest in a good set of oven gloves that can withstand the heat and keep you protected. I've got 'glovens' that I wear when I'm cooking. And then tight 'No Cry Gloves' that you wear them when you're using knives and chopping, and you can't get cut."
How to treat cuts and sores, and prevent scarring
"When accidents to my hands do happen, it can be hard to cover up scratches, cuts or burns for TV commercials. My ex-boyfriend's mum introduced me to Sudocrem and I swear by it. It heals my cuts, spots and burns at a ridiculously fast rate, and no scarring.
"My new thing though is Manuka honey. I had a sore on my hand, I think it was a scratch that got infected, and it was the only thing that got rid of it. I put it on my hand before bed and then the next day it cleared it up. It looked like it was scabbing and I thought, 'oh god, I'm going to get a scar' and then nothing, absolutely nothing. The skin sort of peeled off but no scar left."
"The Green Balm is amazing for scaring and I use it all the time for any dryness or blemishes."
Avoid over-washing and stripping santisers
"I try not to use sanitiser too much. This Works do a really nice one, it smells really good. I use ordinary Dove soap, because I've always used that, I just love it. I shouldn't be giving away all these secrets because they'll never be in stock, but there's a £5 Aldi hand wash that smells exactly like Jo Malone pomegranate Noir."
Protect your hands from sun damage
"I love the Ren clean screen Mineral SPF 30. I like the fact that it hasn't really got anything nasty in it. I just keep that in my handbag and if I feel like the sun is too hot, and I'm covered up, but my hands are out, I'll just I'll just top it up on my hands every couple of hours, depending on the heat. "
Minimise shellac and over-manicuring
"As hand models we just won't have shellac. Manicurists have said to me, 'I can remove it as safely as possible.' It's still never going to be as safe as not having it. Because our nails are our livelihood, we just can't afford to damage them even slightly."
"I just have regular polish. When you have an experienced manicurist that you've worked with before, then you can just relax. If it's someone new just make sure that that they're not going to cut away your cuticles and don't buff too much. When I do numerous jobs in one week, I'll tell the manicurist they've been done the day before. If you're buffing you're taking away that that layer of nail, and if you do that too much it damages and weakens the nail."
Avoid anything that can damage or stain your nails
"I noticed that black and navy blue polish and even some deep reds sometimes can really stain the nail, but that's what the nail scrub's good for. I find it's better to soak the cotton wool with nail polish remover, and then just press it onto the nail, soaking it keeping it still, and then you swipe it away. That avoids bleeding, and then you scrub."
"I'm that annoying person that'll ask you to open their can of drink, I even have a tool for opening cans and tins. I also tend to steer clear of touching fruit like pomegranate and raspberries, or beetroot as it can stain my nails."
A hand models favourite nail polishes and bases
"To enhance a natural nail look I love Undercover by Leighton Denny, it's a base that helps grip colour, but is a matte finish so looks like you've got nothing on. He also does lovely colours as well, so do Essie and OPI.
"Leighton Denny Stunning is a good natural one, and Essie Mademoiselle which is a whitish one where Stunning is pinker. I'm always going on about Leighton Denny but his nail colours just go on so well, I love classic red 'Viva la diva'. And for a finish his crystal finish which can go over colour or on a natural nail."
"I also really love Seche Vite's Dry Fast topcoat, it sort of smoothes over a colour and allows it to dry quicker, if you're in a hurry, or on set."
Tip: I also keep all my nail varnishes in the fridge it just allows them to keep a colour for longer and longer shelf life.
Switch to a glass file
"I aways trim the length with clippers before filing, and I use a glass nail file, I find it's better for the nails."
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