December ends with our best intentions. We are going to take better care of ourselves this year. Then sometime in mid-January, we start experiencing winter's bite. Soon we find our once smooth skin is now dry, cracked, and inflamed. We've undone all of our positive efforts at skin care during the first next eight weeks of winter.

The reason for painful winter hands is simply a lack of moisture. Winter skin is thirsty skin. Hard working hands quickly become dehydrated in winter. While drinking plenty of water in winter is a good idea, it can not restore our hand tissue when it has become so dry that it cracks. Prevention is the best cold weather policy.

The simple act of washing your hands can accelerate dry skin conditions. We have to wash our hands, and good hygiene dictates we wash hands dozens of times each day; however, do not allow your hands to stay wet. If possible, perform tasks such as dish-washing, bathing babies, and pet cleaning while wearing household gloves to minimize the effects of water. Moisturize as often as possible to prevent broken skin.

During the winter months, we need to make some simple yet practical changes, like swapping our harsh detergent based soaps for creamy soaps. Avoid all of the alcohol-based cleansing gels, as these gels are hard on skin tissue, and the anti-bacterial ones may aid resistant bacteria to thrive. The best tip is to always follow hand-washing by moisturizing. Do this after each contact with water. If you want beautiful hands, treat them as well as you treat your face or neck.