Taking Care of Your Hands
I get asked a lot what a person can do to help heal a rip, or help prevent a rip. I know that CrossFit makes a lot of creams and balms for rips, but I thought I would ask Emily what she does, and did do during all the years she dealt with rips. Here is her response:
Use a pumice stone on a regular basis to help treat callus build up. If you do reach the point of tearing, I swear by using black tea bags. Maybe this is a 90’s gymnastics thing, or just not something a lot of people know about, but I’ve done it since I started ripping around age 6. Tea bags help reduce the pain and speed the healing of the rip. Prepare a cup of hot black tea, then take the tea bag and put it in the fridge or freezer for about 2 min to cool it down just a bit. Place the tea bag directly on the ripped area. Yes, it burns quite badly. Leave it on for a minimum of 20 minutes. The tannic acid that is in the tea acts as a natural pain reliever. The skin will discolor, but it won’t last long. Over the course of the next few days keep the rip moisturized so it doesn’t start to crack. You don’t need to buy some fancy, specific hand balm. I simply use bag balm or vaseline. You should be as good as new in 3 days.
Hope that helps for those of you who struggle with rips!
Coach Poppa