The Best Way To Wash Your Hands
THE IMPORTANCE OF HAND WASHING
It’s one of the most important things you can do to protect yourself, your family and your community. And if you’re like us, you’ve probably been doing it wrong. We asked the experts how to wash our hands and any extra tips and tricks they had to share with us.
Things To Remember
Wet your hands with clean water.
Apply a small amount of solid or liquid soap.
Our soaps are also formulated with botanical oils, so they help to moisturise your hands at the same time.
Rub your palms together several times.
Use the palm of your right hand to rub the back of your left hand, then repeat the other way round.
Interlace your fingers to clean between them.
Rub your nails against your palms.
Rinse thoroughly with clean water.
Dry your hands with a clean towel or a hand dryer.
Voilà! In 30 seconds, you'll have soft, clean hands, enveloped in a scent reminiscent of Provence.
Extra Tips
In order to wash your hands properly, there are some little details that are very important:
- Wash your thumbs! We often forget our thumbs when we wash our hands too quickly.
- Wash your wrists too!
- Take the time to wash under your nails.
- When drying your hands, use a single-use towel or a very clean one.
How Many Times?
We use our hands all day long. So therefore you should wash your hands more often than you should wash your body. But in the current climate you should wash your hands even more a lot, for your own health.
- Before, during and after preparing and handling food
- Before each meal
- After sneezing, blowing your nose or coughing
- After going to the bathroom
- After using public transport
- After touching dirty objects, such as the waste bin
- After touching an animal
- Before and after helping someone who is ill
Best Products To Use
There are different ways to wash your hands, and the way you choose depends on your personal preference.
It best to use either a liquid soap or a bar of soap with water, to ensure they're thoroughly cleaned.
Using a liquid or solid soap for at least 20 seconds and following the advice given above is the best way to clean your hands effectively.
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However, if you don't have access to running water, you could use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer (also known as an antibacterial gel) instead.
Look for gels that contain 60 to 70% alcohol so that they're as effective as possible, and make sure you rub your hands together for at least 30 seconds. As with soap, don't miss any areas (palms, nails, thumbs, backs of your hands, wrists), to ensure your hands are absolutely clean.
Our Clean Hands Liquid is a hydro-alcoholic liquid with 69% alcohol and verbena scent to cleanse your hands without using soap or water, at any time of the day. Also available in a travel size.
After Washing Your Hands
There can be some downsides to washing your hands frequently:
- dry skin
- rough skin
- lack of suppleness
Washing the hands very frequently can strip the skin of moisture, so it's important to care for your hands every day with the right creams. Just after washing your hands, and while they're still clean and dry, apply a small amount of moisturising hand cream. Our hand creams contain Shea Butter, to hydrate the skin. They won't leave a sticky residue – but they will leave your hands feeling soft and supple, plus they'll leave a subtle scent on your skin.
It's the perfect way to finish your hand-washing routine.
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