Hand care for you and baby
- Mums Tips
- Fashion & Beauty
- Published on Tuesday, 30 April 2013 11:00
- Last Updated on 30 April 2013
- Rosha Nutt
- 0 Comments
You can tell a lot from a persons hands – Manicured, they have time & money; tired & cracked, probably a mother like you or me; age spots, are they older than they look?
Yes that’s right, hands are often a tell-tell sign of someone’s age, if you suspect a face-lift or Botox, or are just unsure of someone’s age, then check out their pinkies for glimpse of their real age. There’s no such thing as a hand-lift yet!
Children’s hands are all different too. Babies are born with long fingers, oversized hands for their size that they need to grow into, like a puppy or kitten. If they’re like my kids their fingers swell at the base just before a growth spurt. And then there’s the never-ending need to cut their nails. Oh when will the torture end? I normally leave them until the threat of having my face scratched off outweighs the screaming opposition of my son. But there are a few tricks that make the process easier.
With babies the easiest thing is to just gently bite their nails off. They are very thin and nail clippers/files can be a bit overpowering and cause more harm than good.
As the nails strengthen, invest in a proper pair of baby nail clippers. Smaller than adult ones, these have been made specifically for little fingers. When your child is calm, after a bath is good, as the warm water will also make the nails softer, gentle snip away. Don’t be over-zealous as it’s easy to cut to far and draw blood (!). Don’t worry if you do though, it’s normally short-lived & everybody does it once or twice. Be careful to round off the nails properly and, if your child will let you finish with a baby nail file, any sharp edges will grow out into scratching weapons.
As a mother you will probably find your hands are bearing the brunt of all the extra work and where you can cover-up your eye bags and moisturise your dry skin, your hands will always tell the real tale. The extra hand washing after changing nappies, encouraging little ones to wash they hands, anti-bacterial sprays and then bath time too, takes it’s toll. All the soap & water strips the skin of its natural balance and leaves you with dry, cracked skin and can also lead to eczema. Once your hands are in this state is difficult to fix. One solution is to wear gloves for everything, washing up, nappy change, bath time, and cotton gloves at bedtime. Coupled with some good moisturiser, Neutrogena comes highly recommended amongst mummies; this should get you back on the road to recovery. But it’s like I always say prevention is better than cure, so when your hands are back in shape, don’t cut corners, wear those washing up gloves & cotton night gloves whenever possible. Keep your fingernails short and before long you’re hands will reveal nothing but beautiful skin.
Further reading:
Top tips for perfect pedicure
https://londonmumsmagazine.com/2012/twinkle-twinkle-little-toes
Cut crocodile nail clippers & I’ve seen Penguins ones in the shops:
Dolphin nail clippers & Kangaroo Set:
Neutrogena Hand Cream:
Photo credit: Galveston.com via photopin cc
Written by mother of two, Rosha started her career making television & print commercials for well-known cosmetic brands such as Rimmel, before moving to luxury beauty house Parfums Christian Dior. She has worked with many of the industries top make-up artists, stylists, models & photographers.
This has given her a wide range of experience and knowledge, which along with her passion for being a mum, no nonsense attitude and two beautiful kids has brought her to write this blog.
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