Tips and Tools: Hand Care for Potters Kara Leigh Ford

Appears in the January 2023 issue of Ceramics Monthly.

Between the tasks in the studio and exposure to cold air outside, your hands are probably in need of some TLC. Try these tips for caring for your most important tools, based on the experience of a full-time potter. 

Split nails, cracked and sore skin, achy joints, a permanent pale coating of dust that emphasizes every crease and line—sound familiar? These are classic signs of a potter’s hands.

Being a full-time potter for over seven years, continuously having my hands in water and in contact with an absorbent material like clay (in all its forms) has certainly taken its toll.

And it’s not just the clay that is the culprit. Constant touching of packing materials: cardboard boxes, eco peanuts, tissue paper, all have a massive drying effect on my skin. Not to mention cuts from cardboard and the deadly metal kidney rib—they’re the worst! And then there’s the cleaning! Need I go on? 

As potters, our hands are our biggest asset and we need to take care of them as a priority. I’ve put together some handy (pun very much intended) tips to help you keep your hard-working paws in tip-top condition and feeling good. I only share products I use myself or fully believe in.

Rest and Breaks

Pottery is physical. It is so important to have breaks. Not just for our hands, but for the rest of our body and general health too. It’s no wonder our hands get sore and nails get weak when we have them immersed in water for sometimes hours a day. Take a scheduled break every 30–40 minutes. Remember to dry your hands thoroughly every now and then. Try to alternate your activity in the studio from day to day. I know that can sometimes be difficult when we are batching work, but it’s worth trying to mix it up to relieve the constant battering our hands are taking. Maybe alternate between throwing days, administrative days, and packing days.

Hand Massage 

Paired with the above, there is nothing quite like a massage to ease achy hand and arm muscles at the end of a long making session. You can do this yourself of course, but it’s much nicer and probably more relaxing to get someone else to do it. Ask a partner, friend, child, or if you need more than a 10-minute half-hearted rub, go and see a professional massage therapist.

Hand Creams

There are so many different hand creams on the market; I reckon I’ve tried a fair few. I get gifted hand creams a lot by friends and family. I have at least one in my car and handbag, as well as several in the bathroom, the kitchen drawers, and in my studio. 

Here are a few of the products that work well for me. O’Keeffe’s Working Hands is probably the best hand cream I’ve tried. It’s not greasy and absorbs easily. I also slather my hands in DermaGuard Skin Protector before a prolonged making session. It creates a barrier between skin and clay. But, the best product I’ve found for my terribly dry, cracked potters hands is Sanctuary Spa Foot Balm. Yep, I have resorted to putting foot cream on my hands. It’s thicker than most hand creams, smells lovely, and it really works at soothing my skin.

Stretches

If you have sustained an injury while potting or if you find pottery irritates an existing issue, you must get checked out by a healthcare professional before following any of this advice, especially the stretches. If something is hurting, it’s probably a sign that something is not quite right. A close friend of mine, Naomi Rudge—a certified yoga instructor with over 10 years’ experience—guided me through some stretches especially chosen for us potters. Do these daily to help keep your hands and wrists feeling good. 

Start with your hands in a praying position, elbows together, hands in front of your face (1). Slowly lower your hands, keeping them together but parting your elbows (2). Feel the stretch in your wrists and fingers.

Stretch out one arm in front of you, palms facing away from you, fingers pointing up (3). With your other hand gently pull back on your fingers. Do this with both arms. 

As suggested by Faye Deane (Clinical Pilates Instructor) thread your fingers and thumb through a hair band or an elastic band, making a duck-mouth shape (4). Slowly open and close your fingers, keeping the band in place. Repeat this for 2 minutes on each hand. You can do this while watching TV. 

Start in a seated position. Have your arms positioned on your lap, palms facing up. Gently stretch out your fingers as wide as they will comfortably go (5). Slowly curl up your fingers into fists. No need to clench tightly. Bend at the wrists and pull your fists towards your body to feel the stretch down the backs of your forearms. 

If you found this article focused on hand care helpful, you may also enjoy the Pilates for Potters series of videos created especially for my Pottery Club. In this series of three videos, Faye Deane, one of the UK’s top chiropractors and clinical Pilates instructors, talks us through simple exercises especially curated to help potters protect themselves against injury. Faye covers the lower back, neck, shoulders, and wrists. 

the author Kara Leigh Ford creates pottery inspired by the South West Coast of England. She lives and works from her studio in Somerset, UK, and she teaches potters worldwide via her online Pottery Club. To learn more, visit karaleighfordceramics.com/community.