Not all hand creams are equal. It’s pretty easy to take the sniff test – wow it smells beautiful I must have that one – but your hand cream can be as targeted as a facial moisturiser. Do you need an SPF to protect your skin and prevent age spots? (Of course you do!) What about ingredients that will firm the skin and prevent wrinkling? Does the hand cream need to protect your sore or chapped skin in the worst of the winter? Or are you looking for an everyday cream that will keep your skin soft and supple?
Choosing the right hand cream for your skin is important if you want results. Some of the principles of body and facial moisturisers apply equally to hand creams.
If you are looking for an everyday hand cream, ingredients such as shea butter, avocado oil and almond oil are all great for keeping your hands supple and soft, but they’re not likely to be so greasy that it takes an age to ‘sink in’. Lotions and hand creams should suit you perfectly.
If your hands are really chapped and sore, you may want to look for more heavy duty ingredients including petroleum, lanolin and glycerine. They will also help build a barrier between your skin and the outside cold. Look out for concentrates, balms, emollients and ointments – they tend to be more heavy duty.
The Spa Spies have tried, tested and compared our favourite creams to come up with our top five hand creams to get you through the winter months.
Perfect for cracked and dry hands.
"This hand cream is a great treat for the hands; it smells beautiful and feels lovely on the skin. It would make a great gift for a friend or female relative – especially if they are rose lovers!" Read the full review now!
Perfect for normal to dry hands.
"There is nothing worse than a hand cream so cloying you just want to wash it off. This hand cream is light and easily absorbed, but you can also see a difference straightaway. My skin had a healthy glow to it and my hands were left feeling soft and nourished." Read the full review now!
Perfect for dry to rough hands.
"It felt very silky and my hands were immediately softer. It really feels like there is a barrier between your hands and the winter elements." Read the full review now!
Perfect for normal to dry hands.
"My hands felt smooth and soothed immediately after using the cream." Read the full review now!
Perfect for dry hands and damaged nails.
"Any dry or cracked skin is instantly healed. I think this cream is a great every day solution." Read the full review now!
Summer Spy
11th February 2015
Spy Likes:
Warmth and sunshine; spas which take me away to another country; fruit infused waters; beach-worth pedicures; deep tissue massages.
Spy Dislikes:
High footfalls; treatments that over promise and under deliver; heavy lunches; loungers drapped in used towels.
