Any human activity, be it housework, sports or professional duties, takes place with the most active participation of the hands. Hands experience a lot of stress almost every day.

For most people, hand care comes down to daily cleansing, but this is not enough to withstand external and internal negative factors. Self-massage is an effective and simple procedure that improves not only the appearance and performance of the hands, but also has a beneficial effect on the entire body as a whole. Thanks to massage, blood circulation improves and venous blood stagnation in the hands decreases, lymph movement is activated, as well as the work of the sebaceous and sweat glands – this is very important, since there are very few sebaceous glands in the skin of the hands and their poor performance leads to skin insecurity. Self-massage of the hands regulates the work of all internal organs and systems of a person (reflex zones are located here). This procedure can be used as an effective tool to eliminate fatigue and prevent various diseases.

Self-massage of the hands is convenient because it can be used in the absence of a professional massage therapist: at home after morning exercises, in the sauna, on trips and camping trips, while playing sports. Usually, hygienic self-massage is carried out in the morning (after sleep or gymnastics) and in the evening (before going to bed), and its individual elements (massage of the hands) are also carried out during the day in order to tone the body, relieve fatigue and tension, improve mood ..

Before starting self-massage of the hands, it is necessary to take a position in which maximum relaxation of the muscles of the massaged area would be achieved. During self-massage, you can use cream or massage oil as lubricants.

Contraindications to this procedure: abrasions and cracks on the skin, pustular and inflammatory skin lesions. During self-massage, care must be taken to avoid discomfort, pain and bruising on the skin. It is necessary to start this procedure with minimal effort, gradually mastering the technique of movement. In the morning or to invigorate the body, you need to do a short (1-3 minutes) energetic massage, and in the evening – a longer one (5-10 minutes) with a strong effect on the muscles. Special lubricants for self-massage of hands do not need to be used, but if you first apply the cream on the brushes, then it will not hurt.

The most comfortable position for massage is sitting, but it can be done both lying down (in the morning or in the evening) and standing, the main thing is to make sure that the muscles of the hands are as relaxed as possible.

1. We start the massage with rubbing – the movement should be like when soaping and washing hands. Pay special attention to rubbing the palm of one hand with the back of the other hand.

2. We develop joints: sharply clench your fingers into a fist 10 times and slowly unclench, and then slowly clench your fingers into a fist 10 times and unclench with force, throwing them to the side.

3. After that, knead each finger 2-3 times from the tip to the base from all sides. It is better to do this with the thumb and forefinger of the other hand.

4. Next, knead the palm from the fingers in straight lines to the wrist. The thumb massages the hand from the side of the palm, and the remaining 4 from the back.
5. Rub your palms together for 30 seconds.

6. It is necessary to perform a complete self-massage of one hand, and then the other.

7. We firmly press the right palm to the left, while the thumb is directed in the same direction as the fingers of the left hand. We perform a stroking movement with the right palm along the inside of the left arm to the armpit. Then the right hand moves to the outside of the left hand, the thumb looks towards the shoulder. We perform a stroking movement from the shoulder to the back of the hand. Perform 10 such movements on each hand. When the palm moves up on the inside – we inhale, on the outside down – exhale.

8. We perform tapping along the same massage lines. We beat the inner side of the left hand with the right hand from the side of the thumb pressed to the palm. On the outside of the hand – the edge of the palm. Perform 10 movements on each hand. Follow the breath, when moving towards the shoulder – inhale, when moving towards the hand – exhale.

9. Observing the same rules, it is necessary to perform pinching. The thumb wraps around the hand on one side, and the other four on the opposite side. We capture not only the skin, but also the muscles, pull them a little from the bone and move from the palms to the armpit and from the shoulder to the back of the hand. Perform 10 movements on each hand.10. We perform muscle stretching. The technique for performing this technique is like pinching, only now we press the muscles to the bones and move from palms to the armpits and from the shoulder to the back of the hand. Perform 10 movements on one and the other hand. After kneading, lower both hands down and shake them several times, thereby helping to relax the muscles as much as possible.

The duration and intensity of massage techniques should be adjusted individually, depending on the state of health, mood and goal.

Massage will be more pleasant if you use essential oils as an aid, choosing a suitable complex of them.