Applying a hand serum normally takes about ten seconds. A drop on the back of the hand, a quick rub, done. The moisture still arrives. But spend a minute or two working the same amount in, and both the feel of the hands and the mood that follows are a little different.
This article follows the gesture of working in a serum step by step, from the back of the hand to the area around the nails. No special technique is needed. Use no force, use the whole palm, and do not hurry. Keep to those three rules and the daily act of applying becomes a small massage for the hands.
Why take the time
The warmth, colour and softness of the hands are said to depend on fine blood circulation. When the hands feel cold after long hours at a computer or in air conditioning, dullness and dryness are thought to advance more easily. The act of spreading a serum is considered to encourage circulation in the hands, and Soie places this gesture at the heart of the time spent applying it.
The other reason is scent. As the hands move and the skin warms, the fragrance rises. When the gesture and the scent are joined, a minute of care becomes a boundary that shifts the mood. The massage aims at both: the circulation of the hands and the loosening of the mind.
Preparation: quantity and the state of the hands
The right amount is one or two pearl-sized drops, applied to clean, dry hands that have been washed and patted dry. After washing or wet work, before going out, before bed: the turning points of the day are the natural moments.
Place the serum on the back of one hand, lay the other palm over it, and spread it across the backs of both hands. At this stage only spread; do not rub. Once a thin layer covers the surface, work it in, in order.
From the back of the hand to the nails, in order
Step 1: the back of the hand
Using the whole palm, stroke the back of the hand slowly from the wrist towards the fingers. With little sebum and a tendency to dryness, the back of the hand is the area that deserves the most time. Use the flat of the palm rather than the fingertips, and no body weight.
After a few passes, change hands and repeat on the other side. You may notice a difference between left and right. Discovering that the dominant hand is the drier one is not unusual.
Step 2: the sides of the fingers and the knuckles
Next, one finger at a time. Hold the base of the finger lightly between thumb and forefinger and slide towards the tip, stroking the sides. The sides of the fingers are easily missed, both when washing and when applying.
The skin over the knuckles has room to move because the joints bend and straighten so many times a day, and when it dries, fine lines show there more readily. Stroke each finger lightly so that moisture reaches into the creases of the joints. No pressure is needed; sliding is enough.
Step 3: between the fingers
Interlace the fingers of both hands and slowly open and close them. The skin between the fingers is thin and is often left unwashed and undried. Simply rubbing the interlaced fingers together carries the serum into these spaces.
The posture resembles clasping the hands to take a deep breath. Use it once as a signal to let the shoulders drop.
Step 4: fingertips and nails
Finally, massage around the nails, where the skin dries easily, by pressing lightly with the thumb of the other hand. The base of the nail, the cuticle, the sides of the fingertip. One finger at a time, a few seconds each. The area around the nails shapes the impression the hands make, and Soie treasures it as the last step in using the serum.
Pressing means only the slightest pressure. Nothing approaching pain is needed. If the fingertips feel faintly warm, that is enough.
To finish: palms together, and the scent
When everything has been worked in, bring the palms together and hold for a few seconds. The warmth of the hands lifts the fragrance; take one deep breath here. All of this takes one to two minutes. It may sound long, but in practice it is shorter than expected.
With a serum that leaves no stickiness, a keyboard or a phone can be picked up straight away. When the moment of care is over, the next scene can begin at once.
Small ways to keep it going
There is no need to complete every step every time. Back of the hand and fingertips during the day, the full sequence at night: dividing it this way makes it easier to sustain. At night, take the time, as a ritual that closes the day. In the morning, keep it short, as a signal that the day has begun.
The basics of application are described in how to apply a hand serum, and the whole sequence in our hand beauty guide.
How Soie approaches it
Soie designs the very gesture of working in a hand serum to be a ritual of beauty that encourages circulation. Enlight Hand Serum melts into the skin the moment it touches the fingertips, releases its fragrance while it is being worked in, and leaves no stickiness when the minute is over. Applying, touching, offering: making every one of these gestures beautiful is what Soie calls the aesthetics of the hands.
Somewhere in the day, one or two minutes. Taking time for the hands is also taking time for oneself.
