I have a confession to make; I'm 35 and I've never looked after my hands before. I never saw the point, my skin has always been on the oily side and my job involves using my computer all-day. I'm more at risk for RSI than cracked or dry hands. 

That was until around April/March and we all began to wash and sanitise our hands many times a day. Using mall/shop/cafe sanitisers that smell like I've just rubbed nail polish remover all over my hands means my hands need some more love. So I've invested in some less drying sanitising bottles for my car and handbag that don't strip the bejezzus out of my hands (a big shoutout to our Manuka Honey Sanitising Spray here!). 

I've also added something new to my bedtime routine that probably sounds silly but I would highly recommend it to anyone with hands. 

Hand massage. I have a much more embarrassing confession to make; I watched a few episodes of 'Goop' on Netflix. I don't endorse it for scientifically-supported information but one episode involved women giving each other hand massages. I memorised a few of the techniques and here is the hand massage I give myself each night (and you should try too!).

1. You'll need a hand oil or in my case a hand cream, I use a generous squirt of my Manuka Blossom Hand Cream.

2. Begin by kneeding the inside of your palm with the thumb from your other hand. Don't be shy to get in there, it shouldn't hurt at all but it should feel like you're really moving the muscles around a bit. 

3. Move to the top of your palm and kneed your thumb around your knuckles. You'll feel the outside of each of them, you want to get between each one. Again, if you feel any pain or discomfort don't continue. 

4. Turn your hand over and begin to stroke the back of your hand with your thumb, moving in motions from your wrist to your knuckles. This one for me is where I feel a little discomfort as I often have some swelling in my hands. Take it easy and make sure you're doing what feels good for you. 

5. Then kneed your thumb into the top of your hand where your big opposable thumb muscle sits. Keep to circular motions. 

5. If your hands are dry, just get a little more oil or hand cream, you want there to be some friction so you can actually feel something but not enough so you're dragging your skin. 

6. Now for my favourite bit. You pull each one of your fingers away from your hand. I make my other hand into a fist and with some pressure I pull from the knuckle to the finger nail. I repeat this three times on each finger and then I do the whole lot again. 

7. Done! I know it sounds a bit silly but I do this when I get into bed, take my supplements and am about to read my book or watch some Neon or Netflix. It doesn't take long and it honestly makes such a difference to my bedtime routine. 

Let me know if you have any night-time routines you've found recently that have been a life changer.