Winter Skin Prevention and Repair Guide: All About the Hands

Don’t forget the hands! Because we are always using our hands for something, they tend to be exposed and never kept away from the harsh elements of the day, including the weather and dry air.  Some of us (cough, me) are compulsive hand-washers, which can lead to overwrought skin.  This is a guide to several different remedies for dry, cracked hands (but some of the products can be used on other body parts like elbows, knees, and heels).  So fear no more, your bear paws will be turned into silky soft baby hands with these quick fixes!

Elizabeth Arden 8-Hour Cream for Hands ($17.00) is an amazing hand cream that is beyond perfect to toss in your purse throughout the winter season.  You need to apply only a sparing amount to soften hands instantly, because this product not only stretches out, but it sinks into the skin quickly, within minutes.  No sticky or greasy residue is left behind once it dries, either!  You’ll wonder how your hands survived before this!

LUSH Lemony Flutter ($12.50) has a longer absorption rate than Lush’s Helping Hands (see below), but it is also much richer and thicker in the texture and feel of the cream.  It’s almost a semi-solid in the tub, rather than the viscosity of a cream.  It has a delightful lemony citrus scent, which might be a tad overpowering, but overall, I liked the scent, especially when applied to the skin.  If you take a whiff from the tub directly, the lemon might read too synthetic, but on the skin, very subtle and light.  I love this as a cuticle treatment, too, because it’s quite a heavy “cream” that just gets into those dry spots.  Anyone with crackled elbows or knees would love this, too!

Sweet Grass Farms Super Duty Hand Care ($6.95) is a salve, meaning it comes in a solid-form.  It comes in a handy tin with a layer of paper surrounding it; you’ll want to make sure you keep the paper, so you can easily lift out the salve out.  I found I had better applying results when running both my hands around the salve than trying to use my fingertips to get some and then applying it.  To me, the drying time on this is just too long for everyday for day time usage.  It is incredibly moisturizing, so the results could be justified, but this is more of a moisture-and-glove treatment.  There are plenty of people who do this any way, and I think this is a great product to use with gloves.  This is also really good for those who have incredibly cracked and dried out hands–think those who work with their hands; mechanics, painters, etc.

LUSH Helping Hands ($15.95) sinks into skin within 5-10 minutes of applying a liberal amount.  Apply more sparingly for even faster drying time.  It left my skin moisturized and super soft to the touch.  The scent is quite organic/natural, nothing really off-putting, but it’s not something I’d put my nose to and take big whiffs of for fun.  I find the tub is a bit too big to carry around everyday, but it’s great to keep by the sofa or on your night stand for quick moisturizing.