Skin type

Your skin type affects how you climb. What type are you?

 🫴Sweaty Palms

You definitely know if you have sweaty palms. You use a lot of chalk, and during climbs, your fingertips often feel slippery.

🫱Regular Skin

No problem with the skin, you just climb → pssst. You are lucky!

🫳Dry Skin

You rarely use chalk and sometimes you feel as if your hands were made of sandpaper.

There isn’t a perfect skin type, but there are ways to help your hands be less sweaty or dry. That’s why I present you:

Hydrate→Healthy→Happy
Fingers Framework

The core idea: know how you can help your fingers with hydration (you add or limit it). Each step includes tips that work around your skin type.

🧩Prepare: Before the climbing

1. Trim your nails (really?) → Prevent painful situations

   Yes, broken nails can lead to disaster !!

2. Apply thin layer of antiperspirant cream → Reduce Sweat

   Use products that reduce sweat and improve grip! (like Rhino Skin Dry)
   [apply it the night before for best results]

3. Moisturize your hands 1-2 hours before climbing → Hydrated & elastic skin

   Hydrated skin = elastic skin, meaning it’s less likely to crack or split.

   [don’t use wax-based creams as they’ll make your skin slippery]

💥Ascent: During climbing

1. Tape sensitive fingers/fingertips → Avoid unnecessary skin damage

   Apply tape on fingertips/splits/cracks in the skin. *You can tape during warm-up to reduce damage later.
   *This however might be a double-edged sword… If you rush into hard boulders with fresh sweaty hands, the tape can trap moisture and make your skin tear faster. Be mindful here!

2. Don’t over-chalk → Avoid hardcore drying your skin

   It increases the risk of cracks and splits

3. Mix liquid and powder chalk → In case of really sweaty fingers

   It might sound crazy but it works (just be aware that it can really dehydrate the skin)
   

🫧SPA: After the climbing

1. Moisturize your hands if they feel dry → Help your skin recover

   Your skin is telling you what it needs! If your hands feel stiff, dry or sound like a sandpaper when you rub them = IT’S TIME TO MOISTURIZE

2. Trim any excess skin carefully → Avoid future flappers!

   Use razor, sandpaper or nail file and get your skin. Ofc you can also do this before climbing!

3. Wash you hands in hot/cold water → Reduce swelling & Boost blood flow

   You wash your hands after climbing anyways right… ? Try washing them in hot then cold water.

Quick Giveaways:

✅ Know your skin type (be mindful about that, don’t over-chalk & )

✅ Keep your hands clean (trim the nails & excess skin)

✅ Give your hands a SPA treatment (Keep your fingers hydrated→ so they’re healthy → so they’re happy)

So, what’s your skin type—sweaty, regular, or dry? And how do you deal with it while climbing?

I’d love to hear your go-to tips or favorite products—you might just inspire my next article! Drop a comment or shoot me a reply, and let’s chat.

Until then, keep climbing strong and treating your hands like the heroes they are.

Fingers crossed for You 🤞

Aleks

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