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What is paraffin wax hand treatment, what are the benefits of paraffin wax for your hands and how to use it at home?
I don’t get this freezing cold weather in the beginning of October. It seems like we went from summer heat to barely 50°F in a matter of hours.
And though I don’t mind the romantic atmosphere rainy and windy days have brought, there’s no doubt what this weather does to our hands.
Especially if you’ve mistreated your hands lately (which, let’s face it – we all often do), by now your hands probably look like they are covered in scales. They are dry, and itchy, flaky and filled with calluses you don’t even know where you got.
Simply put – our hands need help and just a hand cream is not enough.
What is a paraffin wax hand treatment?
Paraffin wax hand treatment is often used in salons as a pretreatment to a manicure. It combines the ability of paraffin to deeply moisturize your hands, and the warmth which helps the oils to reach deeper into the skin.
Paraffin wax hand treatment soothes the skin, regenerates it, hydrates the dry patches and leaves your hands incredibly soft. It also nourishes your nails and cuticles. Paraffin wax makes your hands look younger and improves their overall appearance.
This time of year, when your hands turn red from the chilly wind as soon as you step outside, is a perfect time to treat them with this nice, warm, oily bath.
And if you’d rather save some money instead of spending it in a beauty salon, here’s how you can do this treatment at home.
DIY Paraffin Wax Hand Treatment
First – once you wrap your hands, you won’t be able to use them at all. So, you can treat one hand at the time. Or ask someone to help you prepare everything and wrap your hands.
Second – though paraffin wax hand treatment is quite effective on its own, there’s a way to even further enhance the results. If you use a scrub before dipping your hands into the wax, it will help the oils to penetrate even deeper into the skin.
You can also wipe your hands with a slice of lemon or orange. Then rinse your hands well and pat dry them before treating them with wax.
Melt the paraffin wax (around 4 lbs) in a double boiler. Add a little bit of jojoba oil. (You can also use coconut oil, Shea butter, olive oil…) and 1 – 2 teaspoons of vitamin E oil. Massage a couple of drops of jojoba oil into your hands.
When everything is melted and combined nicely, pour the mixture into a bowl large enough to dip your hands in. Let the paraffin wax cool down enough so that it doesn’t burn your skin.
When the paraffin wax is pleasantly warm, submerge your hand (fingers spread) into the wax. Wait for a couple of seconds, then pull it out. Wait until the layer of paraffin on your hand dries, then dip your hand again.
Repeat the process until you have a nice, thick layer of paraffin over your hand, like a glow. Put your hand into a plastic bag and wrap it in a warm towel.
After 20 – 30 minutes, peel off the paraffin wax. Don’t wash your hands; just apply your favorite moisturizing hand cream. (Here’s how you can make a nourishing DIY hand cream.)
