When people are outside and it’s cold, no matter how much they try and cover them up, it’s hard to avoid the impact of the wicked, winter weather. That means people’s hands and fingers feel, “dry and cracked and sore and they are red, and they hurt.”

Most know that when people come in from the cold they need moisturizers and a few hand products. There are a few other steps people might want to take. It’s not just about rubbing lotions or gels on the hands, it’s getting underneath the skin and getting something to absorb to avoid those dry cracked hands.

“There’s tons of things that you can do, either with product or at home care,” said licensed esthetician Jamie Pettigrew.

Pettigrew is a skin specialist who said in the season of sickness people need to wash your hands a lot. So after they do, she recommends using a gentle brush or a sugar scrub to exfoliate the cells on the surface of the skin. It not only helps hands better absorb products for moisture, but Doctor Jon Mendelsohn says it’s one of the things people can do to help reduce the signs of aging that show up on the hands as people get older.

After the exfoliation, Jamie suggests a product that has jojoba oil, “The lotion sometimes is not enough and the oil does absorb more into the skin.”

It’s available at most drug stores. The oil is made from a seed that comes from a shrub that grows in dry areas. It is said to have a long-lasting effect against dryness, that leads to cracks at the end of your fingertips. Those tips are important for flattering fingers.

“They are very important, I love to wear my rings and my jewelry, have my nails painted. But the more you do that, the more attention you draw to your hands, and my hands are just in terrible shape.”

Finally, Michelle Marksberry can turn around what’s in terrible shape with the help of hot mitts that sit on the hands, “It’s a nice treatment to have, kind of sits on your skin for 10 or 15 minutes.”

People can use them right after they soothe with the oil, to help it sort of soak in the skin.