How to wash your hands in 11 steps: what the WHO recommends

Washing our hands is an action that we do daily and several times a day. Washing our hands it's a daily act that we are used doing... but did you know why it is so important in situations like the one we are living in right now, with Coronavirus to wash correctly? The World Health Organization recommends these tips to achieve proper handwashing.

Remember: washing hands is a brief 40/60- second action that can save lives.

Follow these step-by-step WHO’s guidelines to ensure hygienic and thorough hand washing

0- To start washing your hands, first damp them with water. This way it will be easier for you to spread the soap.

1- Apply enough soap to the palm of the hand to cover both hands. You can use our Citrus Nourishing Shower Gel, which is also suitable for the hands, thanks to its composition based on natural surfactants derived from coconut, which generate a soft and creamy foam that respects the skin barrier, but you can of course use any other hand soap or hand sanitisers, with alcohol. 

2- With soap in hand, rub your palms together in circular movements. See how a smooth and creamy lather is generated.

3- Next, rub the palm of the right hand against the back of the left hand, interlacing the fingers. Repeat this action in reverse.

4- To get the soap to reach all the corners, rub the palms of the hand together, this time also interlacing the fingers.

5- To continue with the correct handwashing, rub the back of the fingers of the left hand with the palm of the right hand and vice versa. To perform this step keep your fingers together

6- A hygienic handwashing requires also washing thoroughly the thumbs. Grab your left thumb with the right hand and rub in rotational movements. Repeat this movement for the other hand.

7- It is time to wash the tips of the fingers and remove any residue between the finger and the nail. To do this, rub the tips of the fingers of the right hand against the palm of the left hand in a circular motion. Repeat the action in reverse.

8- Rinse your hands with water, until there is no foam left.

9- Thoroughly dry your hands

10- If you are in a public place where you cannot ensure hygiene conditions, you can take advantage of a paper towel to turn off the tap. You can also close the tap with your elbow, avoid touching it with your clean hands.

11- Your hands are now disinfected and clean.

If you don’t have access to soap, you can do these same movements with a hand sanitiser gel that contains alcohol.

It is extremely important that you wash your hands daily. It may seem an insignificant act, but it is indeed an action that can prevent the spread and transmission of diseases and viruses. It is our responsibility as individuals to maintain good hygiene by washing our hands frequently.

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