Are you a competitive athlete with rough hands and calluses?
My name is Zoe Grooms, and as a female competitive athlete, I have always faced the fact that my hands would never be soft. “Rough hands” was a fate I thought I was destined to live. As a competitive cheerleader and gymnast, my sport required a lot of hands-on work. Whether tumbling on hard, abrasive surfaces or tossing girls in the air, my hands were often my tool. I had never considered my hands to be something I could or needed to take care of but I always had calluses on my hands and fingers. Looking back, better hand care could have helped keep my everyday “tools” much happier and healthier. This is true for many of us, athletes or not. Our hands are our daily instruments! They grip, squeeze, rub, and interact with many things throughout the day. Proper hand care helps keep those calluses at a healthy size, making for happy hands!
Taking it one step further is the SandBar branded salve. Made from scratch, and with the highest quality of ingredients, this salve is the cherry on top of my newfound hand care routine. After a few minutes of sanding, I’ll rub this decadent salve across the sanded calluses on my hands. It acts as a waterproof seal, giving nutrients through its shea butter and beeswax base, filled with calendula, moringa, tea tree, and Vitamin E oils. It smells amazing and nourishes my hands, adding that finishing touch to an ideal hand care routine. I like to keep the salve in my backpack and will often apply it throughout the day, just as I would chapstick to my lips. I cannot emphasize enough its wonderful smell.
Being introduced to SandBar and the salve has changed the game for me. To have had a SandBar as a cheerleader would have been a considerable advantage. I would have been less concerned with the thick and rough hands I had built over the years. Callus on hands are impossible to avoid, but now with SandBar you can have healthy callused hands as opposed to nasty callused hands. As a retired gymnast and current CrossFit athlete, I take preventative measures to keep my hands happy, healthy, and callus free. It is as simple as 2 minutes per day of light sanding to keep my hands fresh and in good shape. It is no different than the preventative care I take for the rest of my body, including quality sleep, healthy foods, and enjoyable movement. As athletes and active humans, we put considerable thought into these pillars of wellness yet neglect proper care of the surfaces we actively use daily (our hands and feet!)
What is a Callus?
Calluses are a collection of dead skin that builds up, typically on the fat pads of your palms. They often rip because that dead skin lacks blood supply and the nutrition to keep it alive because the callus has built so thick and it separates from the new healthy tissue. With force, this skin can be pulled off, often taking the healthy skin underneath along with it, causing those pesky tears that haunt you for weeks. In contrast, if you manage to keep them intact, they just continue to build thicker, causing your hands to be rough and crusty. Why have nasty thick calluses on hands when you can take a few short measures to keep them smooth, pliable and functional?
Why does it matter?
Hand care is important. Ever had that pesky tough spot on your hand that, with repetitive action, ripped wide open, causing you to live the next week with a painful open wound on a hand you use every day? It’s no fun. I can promise you that.
Often we think of calluses as “bad” or “unwanted.” However, calluses are a protection mechanism for our hands! Eliminating calluses entirely can cause a host of compilations, yet thick calluses can be burdensome, eventually leading to ripping and tearing. You need calluses present to an extent; the key is to keep calluses on hands at a healthy level.
SandBAR works to keep your calluses at an even level before ripping or tearing becomes a concern. With smooth hands, you can continue performing all your normal daily functions, sports included, without worrying about damaging your hands.
It is pretty simple. Just a few minutes a day of light sanding will shed the layer of dead skin evenly without taking any of the fresh skin underneath. SandBar is designed with a round, barbell-like shape that serves as a natural grip. This rounded design allows excess callus to be removed to the level of the rest of your hand, leaving a healthy amount of callus to protect your hand properly.
It is painless, mindless, simple, and quick! Wrap your hand around the bar for an even and easy sanding experience. No more are the days of stretching your fingers to get the perfect angle for that flat sanding tool. No more are the days of picking and peeling your calluses off. Just as you would preventatively care for your face, just as you would use the proper tool to remove a pesky hangnail, SandBar is your tool for effective, preventative hand care!
Keep your hands smooth and your calluses fresh with SandBAR.
Written by:
Zoe Grooms, PA-S at Rocky Mountain University - Provo, Utah
IG: @food4fuel__