How to treat dry, chapped skin with paraffin treatments
If your hands and feet are dry and cracked, your doctor or beautician may recommend hot wax treatments. It's a simple method that works wonders. You can also use it to treat chapped elbows. That's how it works:
Step 1: Find a paraffin wax system
You can buy paraffin bricks online or at your local health and beauty store. Fusion units can also be purchased online. Or you can melt the wax in a saucepan on your stove or in the microwave. The problem with using your stove or microwave is that you can not control the temperature. A wax that is too hot can burn you. A paraffin wax melting unit is designed to melt the wax and maintain it at an optimum temperature.
Step 2: Melt the wax
The melting of the wax can take up to an hour. Install the fuser in a safe place. This means that nothing can accidentally hit him. You will need to plug it into a wall outlet. One idea is to place your paraffin wax unit on a towel on the floor. Position it against the wall so that it is away.
Step 3 - While the wax melts
As the wax melts, take the time to hydrate and collect the rest of your equipment. Moisturizing your skin before dipping it in wax is extremely helpful. Hot wax helps seal moisture in your skin. You will also want to gather thick gloves and plastic bags. Some towels are always useful too.
Step 4: Cool and soak
Once the wax has melted and cooled to a tolerable temperature, it's time to dive. In most cases, you'll want to dip your hand or foot several times. Dip your hand in the hot wax and let the wax adhere to your skin. Remove your hand. Allow the wax to harden slightly and then re-dip in hot wax. Repeat this process five to seven times until a thick layer of warm wax adheres to your hand or foot. Place your hand in a bag and, if possible, slip into a glove. Many paraffin baths come with extra bags, gloves and paraffin blocks.
Step # 5 Rest and peel
As a general rule, you will want to let the hot wax cool on your hand for up to 30 minutes. Hot paraffin wax has the advantage of being an emollient. It is used to soften the skin. Made from petroleum products, it also transfers heat well. Heat transfer opens the pores and relieves sore muscles. Once you've let the wax paraffin exercise its magic, it's time to remove it. You may be tempted to reuse it. Just remove it and throw it away.
