Good news for gardener's hands

If you love gardening but hate the effect of the elements on your hands, here’s some helpful hints to see that your hands return to their soft, smooth former selves.
Wind, water and sun all take their toll on gardening hands, resulting in cracked, sore and callused skin. Team this with the dirt and grime that gets under the fingernails and lodges itself in every crease and crevice on your poor hands and you have yourself some pretty ‘unshow-worthy’ hands indeed.
Tips for gardening hands
Thankfully, I have some hand-protecting tips and tricks to help return your hands to their former glory.
Slather for soft hands
Whether or not you intend to use gardening gloves, be sure to smoother your hands with moisturiser before setting to work in the garden. This will give your hands a protective barrier allowing the dirt to wash off easier. Try Vaseline Petroleum Jelly or Vaseline Intensive Care Healthy Hand & Nail Conditioning Hand Lotion.
Wear gloves
Apart from the fact that there are all kinds of nasties living in the soil (not to mention the spiders), gardening gloves will help protect your hands from the elements and keep them cleaner.
If gardening gloves are too uncomfortable (they do tend to get in the way), try using surgical gloves. Find the thickest pair you can and sprinkle your hands with cornstarch or talc before putting the gloves on. This will help with sweaty hands. They won’t provide as much hand care and protection as gardeners gloves but they will help keep dirt from getting under your fingernails.
Ditch the dirt
Are your post-gardening hands a sight for sore eyes? Ditch the dirt with a handy scrub. You can either use a face scrub from your bathroom or make you own all-natural hand scrub by combining two to three tablespoons of olive oil and three to four tablespoons of sugar or salt. Rub the mixture into your hands for a few minutes and then rinse off with warm water. To get rid of stubborn stains like berry and grass stains, try rubbing baking soda into the stain, leave for a minute or two and then rinse off. Alternatively soak hands in vinegar from your pantry.
Try: L’Occitane Shea Liquid Soap
Try: Billie Goat Soap
Clue up on how to clean nail properly
Post-cleanse care
Once you’ve scrubbed and rubbed your hands clean they may be feeling a little battered, dry and in need of some comfort. Try rubbing some warm olive oil into the cuticles and then slather some Crabtree & Evelyn Gardeners Rejuvenating Hand Remedy into your hands to replenish lost moisture.
Now you have some hand care tricks up your sleeve you can go from gardening guru to glamazon in a few simple steps!
Have you tried any of the products mentioned above?
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31 Member Comments
I always use garden gloves. I keep them in a screwtop plastic tub so they don't get spiders in them.
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Gardening is stress relieving and with all sorts of animal and insect droppings I always wear gloves
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Gardening is such a great workout
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Using a barrier hand cream to protect hands when gardening is always a good idea.
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No matter what, I always must moisturize my hands and use gloves before even looking sideways at the garden, because I will get rashes on my hands and my hands also get really dry from the contact with the dirt-and can say goodbye to nails as well if I don't have gloves on.
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wow these are great ideas. I will try the vaseline trick next time I am gardening. nothing like dirt getting into all the cracks in your hands and you cant get the dirt out!
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I've heard that Vaseline is very good! I have a friend who never leaves the house without it!
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Good tips. But easier to just avoid gardening in the first place, lol.
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A nailbrush is a must, and I love the Crabtree & Evelyn Gardeners Hand Cream that was recommended.
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Great tips - thanks
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Handy ideas here, I think beauty wise i'm covered but gardening wise could use some help :) Love to garden in my small space but just don't get enough sunlight here.
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I live in a unit and only have two pot plants, but I still loved the article.
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Great tips. Will try these out soon!
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greta tips!! i always end up with sore hands and wrinkly fingers after gardening. now i know why!
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I love gardening it make a difference to any place even my hands, with dirty hands( I hate wearing gloves) love the tips we all have these products in the pantry I will use these tips better than bleach I know that is a sin!
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ooh Alicerose, I love the sound of your floral gardening gloves!
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Unfortunately i don't get out in the beautiful sunlight, in my garden all that often, but when i do, i love sporting my pretty floral gardening gloves i picked up from DJ's! My mum however is out in her garden every weekend, i will have to pass these tips onto her!
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My garden gloves totally save my nails!
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Great tips! My mum's always in the garden, so I'll have to show her this :D
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