5 ways to look after green fingers

Planting, digging, cutting and cultivating can be hard on our hands.

We caught up with Kellie, The Manicured Gardener, on 5 ways to help green fingers look and feel their best after gardening.

1.    Glove up

Gardening gloves are your first line of defence. They protect your hands from germs, cuts, splinters and any skin irritants you come into contact with while working.

You can pick up a practical pair from as little as £1.50, or treat yourself to a pretty pattern if it’ll encourage you to wear them more often.

2.    Wash hands

Whether you wear gardening gloves or not, you should follow up any gardening activity with a thorough clean.

Washing hands (and forearms) for at least 20 seconds will help to remove excess dirt and bacteria and have your hands looking and feeling fresh again in no time.

Kellie said: “I have just switched to Ineos liquid soap for it's anti-drying properties because frequent hand washing takes its toll.”

3.    Moisturise and hydrate

Busy hands that engage in manual labour can often feel dry and rough. You should follow your hand wash up with a nice hand lotion to reintroduce and lock in the moisture. Kellie’s go-to is The White Company.

She added: "I'm currently using Verveine but I also have Peony on standby. It's a free-standing pump action tube and sits nicely on my desk for frequent application."

For an extra oomph, give yourself a relaxing massage while applying the cream to revive tired hands.

4.    Nail maintenance

Dirty undernails are the French manicure you don’t want. Keeping nails well-trimmed and filed can limit the amount of buildup underneath.

But if you can’t give up the long nail look, Kellie suggests investing in a soft nail brush to make cleaning your undernails and cuticles easier.

She said: “I work in a professional environment, and grimy fingernails would not be a good look. I go for a manicure every three weeks to keep my nails looking their best - and to get a sparkly new colour usually.”

5.    No to skipping sunscreen

You should always wear sunscreen while gardening – it protects your skin from harmful UV rays. But a lot of people forget about the hands.

Regularly applying sunscreen to hands and forearms can help to look after them during their long days in the sun.

Hands in need of a little extra TLC? Follow @the_manicured_gardener for inspiration.