A manicurist dips your hands in warm paraffin several times and covers them with plastic gloves. Then, warmer mitts are put on for 15 minutes, says Winograd. That way, moisture from the skin cannot escape. The treatment is usually every other week. Wear plastic gloves when you're washing dishes and cloth or rubber gloves for all other household chores, she suggests.
Gloves protect hands from harsh household cleaners.
Moisten your mitts. If you wash your hands a lot during the day, keep moisturizer by the sink and reapply lotion each time. Even better, don't dry your hands completely. Apply the lotion while the skin is still damp, which helps to lock in moisture. Siegle advises her clients not to use petroleum-based products such as mineral oil.