Foot blisters get all the attention, but there are actually a lot of sports out there that have athletes wondering how to prevent blisters on their hands. Rowing, tennis, cycling, baseball, CrossFit, gymnastics, golf and using some hand tools…these are just a few of the sports that can cause blisters on your hands!
Step One
Wearing protective gloves when using tools, such as a shovel or pickaxe, and when doing manual work, such as gardening, will help prevent blisters on your hands.
Step Two
Make sure you have a sport - or task-specific glove. Don’t wear anything under your gloves, like rings. And make sure your gloves fit. You don’t want the glove to be too loose since loose gloves will just rub your skin more. And you don’t want your glove to be too tight. You want it to fit like, well, like a glove—snug. And make sure there are no seams where pressure is being applied or between areas of high friction, such as the curve between your thumb and forefinger.
Step Three
Unfortunately, gloves alone may not stop blisters. Why? Because gloves can still rub the skin (even if they fit well) and because gloves may make hands sweat. Moisture and friction is a great combination for a blister. Try sprinkling some moisture-absorbing powder, such as 2Toms BlisterShield, in the gloves before putting them on to help prevent blisters from forming on your hands. Moleskin or adhesive medical pads can also be used under gloves.
Step Four
Anti-chafing powders that absorb moisture and don’t soak into the skin, such as 2Toms BlisterShield mentioned above, can be sprinkled into gloves to help prevent blisters on hands. The powder helps keep hands dry since wet skin becomes soft and is more susceptible to rips from rubbing and chafing. Baby powders may work for a short time, but they can soak into the skin and lose effectiveness, or even mix with sweat and turn into a messy paste inside gloves.