This $3 Ultra-Nourishing Hand Mask Is the Solution to 20-Second-Washing Dryness

Chances are, over the past year your hands have spent more time getting soaped up than ever before. And while all of these 20-second hand washes are critical for fending off all kinds of germs, they’re not exactly great for your skin. Soap is known to disrupt the pH balance of your skin, and too much of it—especially in combination with aggressive toweling off—can leave your hands dry, cracked, and uncomfortable. Since ditching these all-important lather-and-rinse sessions certainly isn’t an option, we found a fix for their pesky side effects in the form of a $3 nourishing Aveeno hand mask.

Think of Aveeno’s Nourishing Hand Mask ($3 per or $10 for a 3-pack) as a sheet mask for your hands. The single-use, disposable masks are chock-full of skin-nourishing ingredients—and in this case, those ingredients were specifically chosen to combat the effects of washing-induced dryness and irritation. They’re made with prebiotic oats, which not only help to soothe skin, but also strengthens your natural moisture barrier. This, in effect, works to lock in hydration, keeping hands smooth and healthy.

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“Oats are the ultimate skin caretakers—for balancing the pH levels, soothing irritations, or calming sensitive, itchy skin,” Negin Niknejad, an aesthetician and the founder of JustBe Skin, previously told Well+Good, adding that the ingredient is rich in vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and lipids. “[They’re] the perfect ‘meal’ to replenish skin in a most gentle way. Because oat is an emollient, it will not deplete our skin’s acid mantle—the natural film that acts as a barrier protecting our skin from the penetration of bacteria and pollutants.” So not only do these oat-infused hand masks help to calm the irritation and dryness you’ve already got going on, but they can also help protect your hands from having these issues pop up in the future.

After you’ve washed your hands, simply pop on the gloves and wait 10 minutes to allow them to work their magic. When you take them off, give your hands a mini-massage to ensure any excess product from the Aveeno hand mask is absorbed into your skin. Then, your hands will be prepped and ready to stand up to every 20-second wash in their future.

Dealing with dry skin elsewhere? Check out the video below for everything you need to know on how to treat it. 

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