For children, and even for many grown persons, winter is the time for chapped hands. It requires but little care to avoid the suffering which results from chapped skin. It is essential that the hands should be thoroughly dried each time they are washed, and never exposed, when moist, either to cold or to the heat of the fire.
Women who are occupied with household cares, who paint, or are engaged in similar occupations, are obliged to wash their hands frequently, and in order to save time they are often careless about drying them ; the result is a rough, red skin. Never neglect to dry your hands as thoroughly as possible. They may also be manipulated before the fire until soft and flexible.
Rubbing the hands with amandine before retiring preserves them from the disastrous effects of cold or heat to which they may have been subjected. They must not be washed in cold water, as this predisposes them to chapping, but very hot water is not good for them either. People who have not moist skins should be especially careful to dry the hands thoroughly after washing. They may afterward be covered with coldcream or amandine, which should be wiped off with a soft towel.
Where these precautions are not taken and the hands are neglected, a cure may be effected by the following treatment: Wash the hands in hot water and anoint them well with amandine, honey paste, or cold-cream. Rub the hands together, interlacing the fingers, until they become soft and are no longer easily hurt when struck against any hard substance. Afterward it will be necessary to remove the grease by washing them in warm water with a few drops of ammonia and a pure soap. Change the water several times. Then apply to the hands the following mixture: Glycerine, cologne, soft water, equal parts. After this process the hands will be soft and not at all greasy or sticky, as might be supposed.