Nowadays, people in Australia are already more aware of the importance of handwashing. Good hand hygiene should always be practised when you are around babies, sick people, or the elderly. They are susceptible to diseases because their immune system is not well-developed. People take for granted the common flu, but it is a deadly infectious disease that claimed the lives of 1,255 Australians in 2017. Another disease you can get from dirty hands is pneumonia, which was responsible for 563 deaths that same year.

Even without the risk of coronavirus, however, handwashing is very important to help take out all the dirt, dead skin, transient organisms, and other organic material from your hand. Often, people tend to forget that they are already touching their eyes, mouths, and noses with their dirty hands. As a result, germs can get into the body and result in diseases.

However, Australian hand wash products can be quite harsh on the skin. After disinfecting your hands, it is best to use a product that moisturises your skin. 

Why You Need to Moisturise

You need to moisturise your hands to keep them hydrated. While frequent hand washing is recommended to guard against diseases, you also put them at risk because the harsh soap and alcohol can strip the skin of its protein and natural oils. They serve as protection of your dermis and epidermis. Once the protection weakens, it can result in dry, sensitive, and cracked skin, which will make you more prone to bacterial infection. 

It is the principal reason why you need to moisturise your hands often. But what type of ingredients should you look out for in your hand moisturiser?

1. Eucalyptus and lemon myrtle — Both ingredients contain anti-inflammatory properties, which would help treat a viral skin infection, insect bites, and itchiness. 
2. Pink grapefruit — It is high in beta carotene and antioxidants. It will help slow down the onset of wrinkles and cell mutation due to the harmful UV rays.
3. Aloe Vera — The ingredient is excellent for dry skin because it contains vitamins A and C, antioxidants, and other crucial enzymes. Apart from dry skin, it is also great for burns.
4. Citric acid — The ingredient will promote clear and smooth skin due to its anti-aging properties. It will correct and reverse the clear signs of photodamage.  It will also help exfoliate the dead skin cells and also clean the pores.
5. Coco-Glucoside — Coco-Glucoside is a natural cleaning ingredient and is compatible with all skin types. It is the material that is added to organic liquid soap to increase the volume of foam.
6. Glycerine — The ingredient will help trap the moisture in your skin to help ward off dryness. As a result, your skin would have a more healthy and youthful glow. It also helps slow down the appearance of wrinkles on your hands.

You want to look for botanicals and essential oils, which would make the product gentle on your skin. Also, the product must be 100% organic because it would be counterproductive to use a hand moisturiser with harsh chemicals to care for your hands that are subjected to harsh soaps and detergents.

Finally, when you use an Australian hand wash moisturiser, you need to apply it on the back of your hands because that is where the dryness and sensitivity would be more pronounced. The moisturiser contains emollients that will help protect your hands against the harsh soaps and alcohol.