Benefits of Aloe and EnerGel

Dry hands are a common occurrence and usual aspect of daily life. Most often, dry hands are the result of environmental conditions. Jobs that require long hours of manual labor or exposure to harsh working environments may contribute to drier hands. Frequent hand washing, exposure to harsh chemicals, or even predisposed health conditions may also contribute to having dry hands. Health conditions like eczema, which was previously discussed on this blog, should be monitored carefully as users with eczema have a proclivity for dry hands. Our skin serves as the first form of protection for our body against the harsh, outside environment – be it microbes, harsh chemicals, or harsh temperatures. It is the body’s largest organism and regulates the passage of fluids and electrolytes in our bodies. Thus, it is extremely important to maintain its health. Repeated dry skin can lead to the skin cracking, resulting in a breach between the body’s initial protection against outside agents. While severe dry skin and dry hands can lead to infections, in milder cases dry skin and dry hands can be an irritable condition for the average person.

 

Keeping the skin hydrated is the best form of maintaining healthy skin and in turn, healthy hands. The Stratum Corneum, known as the outer layer of the skin, holds water by acting as a barrier to prevent water loss and by attracting water molecules from the surrounding environment to provide skin moisture. Topical moisturizers consisting of emollients and humectants can also help the skin to reduce water loss. Emollients are used to soften and smoothen the outer layers of the skin, which help reduce rough, flaky skin texture.

They are occlusive or oily substances that provide a layer of protection that helps prevent moisture loss from the skin. A humectant is a substance that bonds with water molecules to increase the water content in the skin itself. It draws water to the skin from a humid environment, and they enhance water absorption from the outer layer of skin. A common moisturizing agent is aloe vera, a plant that has triangular, fleshy leaves with serrated edges. Each leaf is composed of three layers and has an inner clear gel that contains 99% water while the rest is made of glucomannans, amino acids, lipids, sterols and vitamins.

Aloe is often only as a humectant due to the large size of the aloe molecules. Aloe vera contains “Mucopolysaccharides that help in binding moisture into the skin….Aloe…[makes] the skin more elastic and less wrinkled….It also has cohesive effects on the superficial flaking epidermal cells by sticking them together, which softens the skin….The amino acids also soften hardened skin cells and zinc acts as an astringent to tighten pores”(Dermatol 2008).

 

The solution to dry hands and innovation in the glove industry was to manufacture gloves infused with aloe vera for workers who were predisposed to dry hands or developed dry hands from working long hours in harsh environments. SW was the first to manufacture disposable nitrile gloves with aloe vera lining, exhibited in our patented EnerGel technology. Our aloe vera lined gloves are significantly different from other brands and designed to produce the most effective moisturization for our customers’ skin.

Polysaccharides are the main active component of aloe vera gel for skin hydration but often are not small enough to fully pass through the outer skin layer. EnerGel technology converts the high molecular weight of Aloe Vera polysaccharides into specific lower weights aimed for skin penetration and hydration. Our lining has two times more skin moisturizing benefits than standard Aloe technology. SW’s patented EnerGel process allows polysaccharides to be absorbed, instead of settling on the skin surface. This prevents the moisturizing elements (polysaccharides) from being washed away compared to regular lotion moisturizers or other humectant aloe vera gels.

Delivered deep into the skin, EnerGel helps those predisposed to dry skin, contact dermatitis or eczema by assisting the skin’s healing process, soothing the skin and reducing inflammation and irritation flare ups. SW products are verified by third party organizations such as the Skin Health Alliance (SHA). They verify that our products have low dermatitis potential and affirm that SW is a company that prioritizes hand health. Our customers can always trust the quality of SW products. The comfort and hand health of our customers is our utmost priority.