Hand & Body Skin Care

Hundreds of products to choose from. Too much information to sort through. Finding the right products and regimen steps for your skin type can feel overwhelming. Where should you start to make your skin touchably soft all over? Begin with your skin.

Dry Skin

Dry skin needs more moisture – pure and simple. Without ample moisture, skin loses its natural plumpness and suppleness. What causes dry skin? Many of us have inherited it. Or, it can be our skin's response to the environment, including extreme weather, air pollution, or the heating and cooling systems in our home or office. Harsh cleansing with hot water or soap, or the natural aging process, also can lead to dry skin. Dry skin is the most common of all skin types.

What steps can you take to stop robbing dry skin of moisture and get rid of flaky skin, visibly fine lines, and cracks?

Start by cleansing with a soap-free moisturizing lotion or cream formula that is labeled "For Dry Skin." It doesn't contain the harsh ingredients that strip away too much oil and dry the skin. Although a long steamy shower can feel luxurious, it leaves the skin even drier, so try to limit your time to fifteen minutes and keep the water temperature lukewarm.

An exfoliating cleanser – used once or twice a week – removes dead surface cells that smother the skin, reducing its ability to absorb and retain moisture.When exfoliating, avoid harsh and gritty scrubs or body loofahs that roughen the skin and strip away oil. An exfoliating cleanser can be used once or twice a week to slough off dry, dead surface skin. Use a gentle exfoliant or body scrub that contains ingredients like glycerin to attract moisture, and an ingredient like salicylic acid to eliminate dead skin cells and make way for new cells to surface.

Moisturize every day with a moisturizer rich in emollients that boasts "Healing," "Quenching," or "Relief" from dryness. A good time to moisturize is right after a shower or bath, when skin pores are open and can absorb emollients. If your skin is mildly dry, a good choice is a moisturizing lotion. If your skin is very dry, consider moisturizing creams or ointments – they're heavier than lotions and provide more penetration and protection. Ideal moisturizers for dry skin are rich in emollients, like glycerin. They also contain antioxidants, like vitamins A and E, aloe [ah-low], and green tea. To make sure you're protected from the sun, your moisturizer should provide "broad spectrum" sun protection with an S-P-F of at least 15.

Oily Skin

No matter what the cause, the end result is red and rough skin that flakes, itches, and feels tight. Over time, the fine lines on skin become more visible, and can crack and become painful.

Oily skin can seem simple to treat –strip the oil, and problem solved. But oil is beneficial – in fact, essential to our skin – so we don't want to strip it all away; just the excess. What causes oily skin? We can inherit it, or it can be the result of a poor diet, hormone levels, or even pregnancy. And humidity and hot weather only make matters worse. Whatever the cause, we end up with a coarse, uneven texture, prone to enlarged pores and distressing acne breakouts.

How can you remove excess oil, but not strip away all the oil?

Start with a mild, oil-free cleanser that won't clog your pores, but be sure it's alcohol-free so it won't dry your skin. And regular use of an exfoliating cleanser will even-out skin tone and texture. Cleansers with exfoliating microbeads can be a good choice for oily skin. The extra-fine granules in these products won't harm oily skin and will gently remove dead surface skin. When exfoliating, avoid harsh, gritty scrubs or body loofahs that roughen the skin and strip away too much oil. To even skin tone and texture, exfoliate with microbeads and salicylic or glycolic [glih-KAH-lik] acid once or twice a week.

After cleansing, or any time your skin needs it, apply a lightweight, oil-free moisturizing product. It will soothe your skin and minimize the shiny look. Be sure to use a moisturizer formulated for the body – facial skin care lotions usually aren't heavy duty enough for other parts of the body. It may sound counter-intuitive, but even though you have oily skin, you'll get the best results by moisturizing your skin every day. Select a lightweight and oil-free lotion that won't clog your pores. And always use a moisturizer with "broad spectrum" sun protection of at least S-P-F 15.

Sensitive Skin

Sensitive skin reacts to most anything. Reactions can be sparked by temperature changes or stress, detergents, soaps, and cosmetics, and fabrics like wool or linen. When it does encounter an irritant, sensitive skin can become red and blotchy, and feel burned or itchy.

What can you do to protect your sensitive skin from irritants?

Irritants can come from the environment, cosmetics, fabrics – from most anywhere, and they can leave sensitive skin red and blotchy, and trigger an annoying burning and itching sensation. So begin with a cleanser that's mild and does not contain abrasives. Their labels identify them as "For Sensitive Skin," fragrance-free, and hypoallergenic. Sensitive skin is the one skin type that should avoid exfoliating products – they can irritate your skin.

Although a long steamy shower or bath can feel luxurious, it leaves the skin even drier, so try to limit your time to fifteen minutes, and keep the water temperature lukewarm. Hydrated skin is healthier and less likely to be irritated – so drink plenty of water. Moisturize every day to maintain a protective layer against all the potential irritants you face, including pollution, toxins, and indoor heating and cooling. To reduce the possibility of irritation, moisturize your sensitive skin with a fragrance-free, hypoallergenic lotion, cream, or ointment.

Normal Skin

We call it normal, but really normal skin is ideal. Most babies are born with it, but keeping it can take some effort, like encouraging good blood circulation and maintaining a healthy diet. Those fortunate enough to have "normal" skin enjoy smooth and supple, even-toned, blemish-free skin.

How do you protect your smooth and supple skin to keep it free of blemishes?

To keep your skin smooth and supple, cleanse with a mild, soap-free cleanser labeled "For Normal Skin" and, once or twice a week, use a gentle exfoliant wash to slough off dead skin cells and bring healthy ones to the surface. When exfoliating, avoid harsh and gritty scrubs or body loofahs that roughen the skin and strip away oil. To keep your skin looking radiant, a lotion or cream moisturizer provides the right consistency.A good time to moisturize is right after a shower or bath, when the pores have opened and can absorb emollients.

Dry Hands

Whatever we're doing, we're usually doing it with our hands. And for many of us, it shows. Here's why. Every day we expose our hands to the elements –dry air and chapping wind. We wash our hands repeatedly, sometimes with moisture-stripping detergent, soap, or antibacterial solutions. And, if you work outdoors or in the health, food, or beauty fields, your hands are working overtime! The result? Our hands can look dull, and feel perpetually dry, rough, and calloused.

For mildly dry hands, a non-detergent cleanser is potent enough to clean, but gentle enough not to roughen skin. But if the skin on your hands feels tight and stretched, or if it looks dry, with rough, red skin that's cracking, then use a cleanser that contains added moisturizers. And once or twice a week mix an exfoliating cleanser – one with fine grains or microbeads – into your cleansing step. Even for dry hands, using an exfoliating cleanser periodically – once or twice a week – will remove dead skin cells and bring healthier, supple cells to the surface where they can absorb and retain moisture. When washing your hands, take off your rings so soap and moisture won't get trapped beneath the band and irritate your skin.

After every wash, hands that are mildly dry need a rich moisturizing lotion or cream. If your hands are very dry, rub on a heavy cream or ointment moisturizer for greater penetration and protection. Keeping a container of moisturizer nearby will encourage you to treat your hands after every washing and before exposing your hands to harsh weather and other elements. And moisturize from the inside out. Drink plenty of water – even during winter and cooler weather – to keep your skin and body well hydrated.

Dry Feet

Ever wonder how you hold up some days? Thank your feet. But even though they support our body's total weight during most of our waking hours, we tend to neglect them and make matters worse by cramming them into poorly fitting shoes. Is it any wonder that our feet are rough and have thick, calloused skin?

What steps can you take to smooth the rough, thick, callused skin that develops on dry feet?

Begin softening feet that are rough, with thick and callused skin by cleansing with a mild, soap-free product labeled "For Dry Skin." You can use the same dry skin products you use on the rest of your body on your feet.

To gently smooth away calluses and hard spots, regularly use an exfoliant, such as a foot scrub, or a pumice stone. But remember to rub a pumice stone very gently over toughened skin – while showering, or just after – when feet are soft and damp. An exfoliating cleanser – such as a foot scrub – once or twice a week on clean, wet feet works wonders on calluses and hard spots. Whether you use a foot scrub or a pumice stone to tackle roughened skin, always rub gently or you may accidentally remove healthy, soft layers of skin.

Treat your feet to a couple of daily rub-downs with a thick cream or ointment. The moisturizer does not have to be labeled as a foot cream, though foot creams do contain ingredients that remove dead skin cells. To maximize your moisturizing experience, put socks on your feet immediately after applying cream or ointment.

So what's next?

We have lots of resources to help you achieve touchably soft skin. You can match your skin care needs to product solutions or view information about your skin type, or you can go directly to our "explore products" page and find products to meet your specific needs.