Alternative treatment of cracks in the hands

Treatment of cracks in the hands will be more effective if, along with the use of pharmaceuticals, use the recipes of alternative medicine. They will be especially relevant in case of drying and cracking of the skin of the hands under the influence of negative external factors (sun, wind, cold, household chemicals). Alternative treatment is actually the optimal care for dry skin. But in the case of allergic diseases with such treatment, you need to be careful, because some components of natural therapeutic compounds can act as an allergen.

The basis for the treatment of skin defects such as dry skin and  cracks in the hands  is the use of ointments and creams. Of course, the easiest way is to buy care products at a cosmetics store, where there is a huge selection on the shelves. In this case, it is necessary to carefully study the composition of the product being purchased, because the cream or mask for the hands must contain anti-inflammatory, moisturizing, emollient components, and there should not be substances irritating sensitive skin.

However, reading the descriptions for store creams, it is sometimes so difficult to understand which of the components will be useful, and which vice versa. Therefore, if possible, it is always better to make an ointment for cracks on the hands and heels with your own hands, including only useful substances. Here are some recipes for such ointments, tested by time and by people:

Recipe 1. Cream of rose petals. Fresh petals of one flower are ground into a mush, add to a tablespoon of melted pork fat or vaseline and carefully mix the composition. In order for the effect of the ointment to become stronger we give it to brew for at least 2 days. The ointment can be used several times a day depending on the condition of the skin.

Recipe 2. Herbal cream. For preparation means suitable both fresh and dried flowers of calendula and celandine. Dry raw materials will need to be pre-steamed in boiling water, and fresh to grind to a pasty state. Fresh herbs are mixed with melted pork fat or petroleum jelly, as in the previous recipe.

But with dry raw materials act differently. Pour the steamed flowers into the heated fat (you can take pork or better badger) and keep in the water bath for about 30 minutes, making sure that the composition does not boil. After removal from the fire, the composition is carefully filtered and stored in the cold (before use it is slightly warmed up not on an open fire). On 50 g of any fat you need to take 1 tsp. Flowers of both herbs.

Recipe 3. Plantain cream. We take the dried leaves of the plantain, grind them into powder, add to the composition a little of lean or olive oil, mix. To the resulting mixture, add 9 parts of vaseline and mix everything well again. This cream will have pronounced wound-healing properties.

Recipe 4. Carotene cream. Washed and peeled carrots are ground in a brand or on a fine grater and mixed with any of the fats (pork, badger, vaseline). Maintain the composition in a water bath for a quarter of an hour (the mixture should not boil, so as not to destroy vitamin A) and filter. Keep in a cool place.

Recipe 5. Cream of cracks on the heels. Heat 100 g of vegetable oil to a warm state (about 40 degrees), add a piece of wax about 3x2x1 cm in size to it and mix so that the wax can melt. Now we add 1 tsp to the composition. Glycerol and sea buckthorn oil, which has the ability to quickly heal wounds, mix well. Keep the composition in the refrigerator, using daily 1-2 times a day. It is better to carry out the procedure at night and wear simple socks on the feet smeared with cream. Ointment can be used to treat cracks in the hands.

Recipe 6. Liquid ointment for arms and legs. For its preparation, we need only 2 components: ammonia and glycerin. They need to be taken in equal quantities, mixed and applied to the skin daily. For use in the heels, the soles of the feet must first be steamed in hot water and wiped dry.

Recipe 7. Honey cream. To prepare this remedy for cracking hands, take 1 tbsp. Freshly squeezed lemon juice, raw yolk of one egg and 50 g of linseed oil. All components are mixed and add to them 2 tbsp. Candied honey. The composition should be mixed again and used completely throughout the day, lubricating the skin of the hands several times a day. Ointment should not just smear on the skin, but also slightly rubbed, which will help remove dead particles.

Recipe 8. Herbal ointment. Prepare in advance the collection of herbs, consisting of plants with anti-inflammatory, antibacterial and wound healing properties: chamomile, plantain, calendula, string, etc. All herbs are taken in equal quantities and chopped for ease of use. Now take ½ tbsp. Collecting herbs and brew it ½ cup of boiling water, leaving to infuse for 8-9 hours (you can overnight).

To prepare the ointment take 1 tbsp. Infusion, add to it 50 g of softened butter or pork fat and 1 tsp. Natural honey. All thoroughly knead and use to lubricate the skin, if cracks in the hands.

Recipe 9. "Mayonnaise" for dry skin of hands. To prepare the ointment, you need to mix (you can use a whisk) raw yolk of one chicken egg, a tablespoon of any vegetable oil and a teaspoon of table vinegar. As you can see, the components are used the same as for the preparation of homemade mayonnaise, so the ointment in appearance and texture will be very reminiscent of this product.

Recipe 10. Ointment for cracks around the nails. To prepare the ointment, we need dry or fresh grass and flowers of celandine. At 1 tbsp. Vegetable oil take a handful of vegetable raw materials and keep on fire until there are signs of boiling. Without allowing the mixture to boil, remove it from the heat and add beeswax to the composition (piece 4.5 x 4.5 x 1 cm in size). The composition is thoroughly kneaded, making sure that the wax is completely dissolved. If necessary, it can be put back on a small fire. The cooled ointment is stored in the cold, using for the treatment and anesthesia of cracks in the hands.

There are a great many such recipes for homemade ointments from various components, so you can always choose one or two with the available ingredients. But the possibilities of alternative treatment, and in particular herbal treatment, are not limited to ointments alone, especially since the use of creams and ointments will bring the best effect if the skin is previously prepared for their application. Medicinal baths with hot water and useful components will be a good preparation for the skin of the hands.

For baths, you can use plants such as:

• chamomile (infusion of 1 tablespoon of herbs and 1 cup of boiling water),
• linden (decoction of flowers),
• nettle (1 tablespoon of the leaves of the plant is poured with 1 cup of boiling water, leave to infuse to a temperature tolerable for hands),
• collecting herbs: nettle, calendula, chamomile, oak bark, plantain leaves, bird cherry shoots (collection composition can be changed depending on the available herbs, we take 1.5 tbsp of collecting herbs for ½ liter of boiling water and leave for 20 minutes what we use as a filler baths for hands).

But baths can be made not only from medicinal herbs. Other components can be used:

• flaxseed (a decoction of 100 g of seeds and 500 ml of water, which is recommended to be mixed in equal proportions with strong chamomile extract to enhance its properties)
• oatmeal (boil liquid porridge with milk, sprinkle it with olive oil and honey for 1 tsp, and use a slightly cooled composition for steaming hands)
• soda and sea salt (we take 1 tablespoon of salt and soda per 1 liter of water, this bath will have a softening and disinfecting effect),
• potato starch (for 1 cup of boiling water we take 1 tsp of starch, stir and dilute with 0.5 l of hot water),
• water after cooking potatoes (add 1 tablespoon of starch and vegetable oil 1 liter of broth),
• milk (we dilute half a liter of milk with water 1: 1, add to the mixture 1 tablespoon of glycerin and starch),
• infusion or decoction of the herb gryzhnika (wound healing agent, also effective for dermatitis, eczema, psoriasis).

Hand baths can be made daily or every other day. Duration of the procedure is 10-20 minutes, after which the hands must be dried with a napkin and smeared with cream (suitable for pharmaceutical or cosmetic cream, as well as any ointment that can be made at home).

Another effective procedure for the problem is considered to be compresses, which are well help with a crack in the hand:

• warm mashed potatoes with milk,
• the composition of honey, glycerin and oatmeal (honey and glycerin are taken in equal proportions and add flour so that the mixture has the consistency of thick cream)
• fresh cucumber slices, in the form of a gruel of grated vegetable or cotton swabs soaked in cucumber juice (moisturizer),
• composition of honey, butter, flour and vodka (all components are taken in equal quantities).
• rye bread crumb soaked in milk,
• fresh yolk of 1 egg mixed with ½ cup of homemade sour cream and juice of half a lemon,
• chicken egg yolk mixed with 70 ml of olive oil and 3 tbsp. Natural honey,
• mix in half a glass of natural honey and vegetable oil, add to the composition of 1 tsp. Salicylic acid, mix, slightly warm and apply to chapped skin.

Compress is usually applied to cleansed skin of the hands for 15-20 minutes. The composition for a compress is applied to gauze or plastic film and tightly fixed on the arm in the area of cracks. After the procedure, the wound is washed with boiled water, milk or decoction of herbs.

Since cracks in the hands usually appear due to excessive dryness and insufficient elasticity of the skin, it is very useful to include various oils in medicinal formulations that will soften the skin and retain moisture in it.

How can oils be used for cracks in the hands? They can be added to ointments, compresses and compositions for medical baths, as well as making medicines based on them:

• Mix in equal parts olive and almond oil, wetting in the composition of the gauze, which is then wrapped areas of the hands with cracks in the skin. We place our hands in a plastic bag and warm them with a woolen cloth on top. After half an hour we remove the compress and soak up the remaining oils with a napkin.
• In the same way, it is possible to use cedar or sea buckthorn oils, which are able to stimulate the regenerative processes in the skin and accelerate wound healing.
• Prepare a remedy based on the herb of gryzhnika and olive oil (you can take any other vegetable oil). For ½ liter of oil, you need to take 100 g of crushed fresh grass, insist the composition for 7-8 days and use it for hand lubrication (the procedure is carried out several times a day). The oil has softening and wound healing properties.
• 10 drops of lemon essential oil mixed with a vial of glycerin. Lubricate hands before bedtime.
• Tea tree oil mixed in equal proportions with olive oil (antibacterial and softening effect).
• Grape seed oil (improves metabolic processes in the skin and the assimilation of nutrients, nourishes the skin with vitamin C, increases local immunity).
• Any vegetable oil helps retain moisture in the skin cells.

Alas, the appearance of cracks in the skin is not just an external defect. Often behind his appearance are internal problems. Some of them can not be solved only through alternative methods of treatment, while others (such as lack of vitamins and minerals, metabolic disorders) can be easily corrected with the help of nutrition and alternative recipes.

Alternative medicine with the appearance of cracks in the hands recommends to pay attention to your diet and replenish it with foods rich in vitamins A, E, C, etc., fatty acids, trace elements. Particular attention should be paid to cereals, fish, vegetables, fruits and berries, natural freshly squeezed juices.

During the treatment of cracks on the hands you need to eat a lot of onions during the week (1 onion per day in different dishes fresh). Onions are rich in vitamin C, biotin, promoting regenerative processes in the skin of the hands, folic acid, acting as an anti-inflammatory agent, potassium (it is not only food for the heart, but also moisture for the skin), cobalt (disinfectant action). For dry skin, it is also useful to make onion masks.

To saturate the body with carotene (vitamin A) the composition of carrot and vegetable oil is most suitable. Washed and cleaned root must be grated and pour oil so that it barely covers the carrot, heat the composition to a temperature of no more than 80 degrees and roast for three hours on low heat, put in a cold place. Eat carrot oil should be at least 1 month.

Gelatin also has a strong moisturizing and softening effect; therefore, with dry problematic skin, masks with this substance are recommended. If you use gelatin inside, it strengthens the nail plate, eliminates dry skin and makes it more durable and elastic, because it is a component involved in the synthesis of collagen. For cracks in the hands, it is recommended to prepare a mixture of 1 tsp twice a day. Gelatin and ½ cup of cool water (the mixture must be infused, stirred and drunk). Such internal treatment is also recommended to continue for a month, but it makes it possible to cope even with deep cracks between the fingers, on the palms, on the heels.

Homeopathy for cracks in the hands

By the way, the task of treating cracks in the hands caused by negative external and internal factors is not alien to homeopathic science. Since this is a fairly common problem, many homeopathic remedies have been developed that can help in solving this problem. But the variety of reasons for the appearance of such a defect on the skin and the accompanying symptoms, which may indicate pathologies in the body, impose certain restrictions on the choice of drugs.

For example, when the tendency to the formation of cracking of the skin in the area of the fingers and nails, the homeopathic doctor may prescribe drugs:

• Petroleum (useful for burrs, cracks and itching on fingers and interdigital space, with cracks in the skin under the influence of frost), 
• Graphites (for cracks in the fingers, deformation of the nails, for persistent damage, the drug is taken as an ointment prepared from 1 g of the drug substance and 10 g of vaseline),
• Natrium muriaticum (especially effective for burrs and cracks near the nails, stubborn recurrent and difficult healing cracks),
• Ranunculus bulbosus (treats cracked fingertips),
• Acidum nitricum (useful for deep bleeding cracks of any location)
• Arundo (prescribed if cracks appear on the heels and fingers)
• Sarsaparilla (with cracks on the sides of the toes and hands)
• Manganum aceticum (cracks in the joints on the fingers).

If, on the background of dryness and cracking of the skin of the fingers, the patient has sweating of the palms and slow healing of wounds, Silicea is more suitable.

To fight cracks in the palms of your hands, it is better to choose Calcarea fluorica and Oleander. But Sepia will help with cracks on the back (outer) side of the brush. If there is no clear localization of cracks, then the following homeopathic medicines can be prescribed: Lachesis mutus, Natrium carbonicum, Acidum fluoricum, Zincum metallicum (cracks from cold), Sulfur and Calcarea carbonica (if cracks are caused by winter cold or prolonged contact with water) , Cistus cannabilis (with thick, rough skin with deep cracks).

It must be said that it is very difficult to choose an effective drug by yourself, and even calculate the required dosage. Doctors homeopaths when choosing drugs are guided not only by the symptoms and diagnosis, but also by the constitutional and neuropsychic features of the patient. If such moments are not taken into account, even the drug, in the pathogenesis of which there are cracks in the hands, may be ineffective. And if we are talking about skin defects associated with certain disorders of the body, in the treatment regimen should also be included those homeopathic remedies that will help to cope with the underlying disease.