6 NATURAL HAND CREAMS TO SOOTHE THAT CHAPPED SKIN
What hurts more than staying in? Dry, flakey, chapped hands. 20 seconds of lathering and buffing every time we touch a door handle, parcel delivery or every time you want to scratch an itch on your face (just don’t, OK?!!!) has left us ageing in the hand department well before our time. As someone who knows about dry skin all too well — hands up if you’re a Vata like me! — I know a hand cream all too well, and I love them even more. What makes a good one? Well, seeing as our skin is our largest organ, it helps if we’re keeping as much of the toxic stuff out as possible (no matter how good it smells or how well it helps it glide on, or how well it keeps... we definitely don’t care about this right now, since we’re going through bottles of the stuff) and if it actually does the job of both rejuvenating AND protecting.
Some of us will need hydrating lotions and some of us will need unctuous creams. And some of us need both at different times of the day — think light lotions while you’re working so that you’re not spreading greasy fingerprints and slipping around on the keyboard, and heavy-duty creams at night when all you’re going to do is allow them 7-8 hours to drink that stuff up. Then there is the question of fragrance: is that light level of essential oil a green light to stop a moment, smell the roses and turn moisturising your hands into a regular ritual to break up your day? Or is it an overly irritating smell that makes you immediately want to wipe your hands on a tea towel, or your trousers... or somebody else's 😜. Lots to consider. Here are some of my favourites:
Burt’s Bees is the best! I love that their products have a fairly low price point compared to some natural brands and that they’re so widely available. This hand cream is a fantastic all-rounder, replenishing the moisture in the skin with hemp oil, which is rich in omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids as well as vitamin E. Plus it smells lovely and fresh thanks to verbena and basil.
STILL LONDON NATURAL REGENERATING AND PROTECTING HAND BALM
This one isn’t cheap, but it’s absolutely heavenly. With beautifully nourishing ingredients like olive oil and shea butter, it’s my kind of product. And the scent… the scent!. It makes me so happy every time I apply it — it’s the little things!!!
WELEDA SKIN FOOD FOR DRY AND ROUGH SKIN
I’ve been using this one for years and beware — it’s greasy!!! But consider this an overnight treatment rather than your go-to hand cream. Friends who have eczema swear by it.
AURELIA SKINCARE AROMATIC REPAIR & BRIGHTEN HAND CREAM
Scientifically created to fight pigmentation, this one from Aurelia Skincare is great if your poor hands are looking all sorts of red, purple and grey from all that scrubbing.
INIKA PHYTOFUSE RENEW AVOCADO HAND CREAM
The new avocado oil-based hand cream from Inika has arrived just in time — Sjaniel Turrell, makeup artist and green beauty expert who is always cleaning brushes and handwashing diaper rags, swears by it for her tired hands.
Rose-scented and deeply nourishing, lanolin is the ingredient popular for anti-chapped nipple creams — highly sought after by breastfeeding mothers! This hand cream is an old favourite of mine and Sjaniel’s. Extremely hydrating, it leaves a silky veil of protection but you can go about your business straight away afterwards. This is not a vegan product FYI, but lanolin is a cruelty-free by-product of sheep wool-washing.