

Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!
Thank you for signing up to Marie Claire. You will receive a verification email shortly.
There was a problem. Please refresh the page and try again.
- A new video challenge, the Safe Hands Challenge, has been going viral on social media this week amid the coronavirus pandemic.
- The challenge, started by the World Health Organization and promoted by the United Nations, aims to educate the public about best practices for hand washing.
- Several celebrities, like Selena Gomez, have participated in the challenge.
If you've been scrolling through social media lately (so, you know, if you're a human with access to the internet), you've probably been witness to the early stages of a new viral video challenge: The Safe Hands Challenge. If you're wondering why the challenge is going viral, how it got started, who's participating or just about anything else about the Safe Hands Challenge, keep reading.
What is the Safe Hands Challenge?
The Safe Hands Challenge (which you can find on social media under the hashtag #SafeHands and #SafeHandsChallenge) is a public health-focused viral challenge aimed at educating people around the globe about best practices for hand-washing.
As with past viral video challenges (like the Ice Bucket Challenge), participants are asked to film a specific video, post it to social media, and nominate three other people to participate in the challenge after them.
Who started the Safe Hands Challenge?
The Safe Hands Challenge is the brainchild of the public health experts at the World Health Organization (WHO). The United Nations shared a video explaining the challenge and kicking things off on March 13.
In the video, WHO Director-General, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, walks us through the proper technique for our hands—a pivotal, frontline defense against spreading the coronavirus.
"There are several practical measures you can take to protect yourself from the new coronavirus," Ghebreyesus explains in the video. "One of the most important is regular, safe, and effective hand hygiene using soap and water or alcohol-based hand rub.
How do you participate in the Safe Hands Challenge?
You don't have to wait for someone to "nominate" you if you're looking to get in on this viral trend. To participate, film a video of yourself demonstrating proper hand-washing techniques, and post it to social media. If you do decide to participate, be sure to follow all of the steps outlined in the WHO video and to wash your hands for a full 40 second, as recommended.
Here are the WHO hand-washing steps listed out for reference—but be sure to watch the video for visual instructions if any of the steps don't make sense.
- Wet hands with water (but then turn the faucet off until it's time to rinse to conserve water).
- Apply enough soap to cover all hand surfaces.
- Rub hands palm-to-palm.
- Scrub with your right palm over left hand and fingers interlaced. And then vice versa.
- Scrub palm to palm with fingers interlaced.
- Rub the back of your fingers against the opposing palm with your fingers interlocked.
- Practice rotational rubbing of your left and right thumbs (do this by gripping you thumb with the fingers of the opposite hand and rotating).
- Do rotational rubbing with clasped fingers.
- Rinse your hands with water.
- Dry thoroughly with a towel.
- Use the towel to turn off the tap.
Which celebrities have participated in the Safe Hands Challenge?
On Sunday, Selena Gomez became the most high-profile celebrity so far to participate in the challenge, with a video shared with her 171 million Instagram followers. The singer, who was nominated by Ariana Huffington to participate in the challenge, called on Cardi B, Gigi Hadid, and Olivia Wilde to take the Safe Hands Challenge next.
A post shared by Selena Gomez (@selenagomez)
A photo posted by on
Wilde quickly rose to the challenge, posting her own Safe Hands Challenge video and nominating Margaret Qualley, Florence Pugh, and Dakota Johnson.
A post shared by Olivia Wilde (@oliviawilde)
A photo posted by on
For more stories like this, including celebrity news, beauty and fashion advice, savvy political commentary, and fascinating features, sign up for the Marie Claire newsletter.
RELATED STORIES
Marie Claire Newsletter
Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!

Kayleigh Roberts is a freelance writer and editor with more than 10 years of professional experience. Her byline has appeared in Marie Claire, Cosmopolitan, ELLE, Harper’s Bazaar, The Atlantic, Allure, Entertainment Weekly, MTV, Bustle, Refinery29, Girls’ Life Magazine, Just Jared, and Tiger Beat, among other publications. She's a graduate of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.
-
Leighton Meester Just Went Full Blair Waldorf in Milan
And her dress is in stock!
By Iris Goldsztajn
-
Gordon Ramsay Is Actually "Quite Sensitive," Says His Wife
Well put me between bread and call me a surprised sandwich!
By Iris Goldsztajn
-
The Chicest Makeup Bag Is Coming Your Way
It’s vegan, too.
By Sophia Rivka Vilensky
-
Selena Gomez Replaced Kylie Jenner as the Most Followed Woman on Instagram, Even Amid Social Media Break
That's quite something.
By Iris Goldsztajn
-
Sarah Hyland and Adam Devine Play 'How Well Do You Know Your Co-Star?'
The 'Modern Family' stars reunited for the 'Pitch Perfect' spinoff series.
By Brooke Knappenberger
-
The 78 Best Celebrity Couple Halloween Costumes of All Time
Honestly, we're impressed.
By Charlotte Chilton
-
Super Rare Photos of Queen Elizabeth as a Young Woman
From childhood snapshots to portraits as a young princess, beautiful and rare photos of the late Queen Elizabeth as a young woman.
By Mehera Bonner
-
King Charles III and Queen Consort Camilla's Relationship: A Timeline
With the passing of Queen Elizabeth II, Charles has ascended to the throne as king.
By The Editors
-
Who Is Next in Line for the British Throne, Explained
And yes—Harry and Archie are still in the line of succession.
By Andrea Park
-
Who Is Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's Fiancé Riley Roberts?
AOC's husband-to-be is an "easygoing redhead" who lives with her in D.C.
By Katherine J. Igoe
-
Kanye West Has Been Banned From Instagram for 24 Hours Over Harassing Posts
He attacked Kim Kardashian, Pete Davidson and more on social media.
By Iris Goldsztajn