I am AWFUL at using hand creams. Seriously. Just. Awful!
I apply body lotion or body oils at night, and when I’m done, I run the lotion or oil between my fingers and think to myself that its enough. During the day, despite sitting in an air-conditioned office all day, I don’t apply creams. You can just imagine how dry my hands can look!
Do you use hand creams then?
I’ve started painting my nails again after a very long hiatus and in the process, have taken a look good look at my hands… and not liking what I’m seeing! So very opportunely, I received a boatload of hand creams as gifts recently which should take care of that problem.
Other than our neck, the other part of the body that shows our age more than our faces (and which tend to be more neglected than most) is our hands. I’ve often seen ladies with unlined faces but wrinkly hands and really, I don’t want to be that lady! So its time to devise some form of routine so I maintain my hand’s youthfulness 😀
In the process of course, you could expect a couple of reviews to come up on hand creams in the near future 🙂
Your Say: Do you use hand creams? Do you have a favourite?
Paris B
I use hand creams religiously. I have very dry hands and they get all cracked and red, especially in winter, if I don’t. I don’t really have a favourite hand cream though. I just use whatever lotion I have at hand.
Ouch! Reading all the comments about winter and how harsh it can be on the skin makes me sort of glad I don’t have that problem 🙂
I was lazy before but ever since being in a hospital environment and having to wash hands many times during the day, I have been using handcreams religiously every night. I’m using neutrogena norwegian formula on hands and lips, it’s pretty good. our skin is the first barrier of defence against micro-organisms so good hand care is very important…
Thanks for the medical tip LG! 😀 Washing hands does really take its toll on the skin and I had a small tube of the Norwegian formula cream once but I didn’t like it 🙁 I know its probably good though
I’m loving Crabtree & Evelyn’s Gardeners Hand Remedy (more potent than the typical Hand Therapy), Soap & Glory’s Hand Food…and the handcream from Bliss which contains grape and macadamia oil. Yay for yummy smelling hands! 😀
The serum one right? That one makes the hands feel silky soft 🙂
I keep a tube in my bag so I can apply it when I am bored on the bus or whenever I am free. I am able to use it quite often cos sun protection is my main aim (the hand cream has spf 15) as I want to get rid of the brown spots that I got from overexposure to the sun a few years ago when I was doing water sports competitively. I love using body oil on my hands at night.
That’s a good point Mandy – sun protection! Which cream are you presently using? I sometimes mix my body oil and cream for my hands at night and wake up with super soft hands 😀
I use the one by Etude House, works fine 🙂 but I’m bad at using it in M’sia haha ;_; takes too long to dry and stuff ;_;” Used it every day in China though 😀 !
I think I heard of some raves for the Etude House hand cream once – actually I think in our weather, if you aren’t in an air-conditioned environment all the time, hand creams are quite overlooked unless you wash your hands a lot of course 😉
Yup true 😡 Etude House hand creams are quite thick I think, not that sure but mine is quite 😛
I am currently using Soap and Glory’s Hand Food, although I’ve fallen out of love with the smell 🙁 Thankfully my tube is only the travel-sized one.
I will have to agree that the scent is a bit sweet so I use it at night before bed and I don’t have to smell it at all! 😀
I’m terribly bad at using hand creams. One, I sort of have an OCD where I have to wash my hands under running water several times a day so even if I use hand creams, they constantly get washed off. Two, I can’t stand the greasy/sticky feeling as well. Three, I buy creams and lotions but I have a hard time finishing any one container. All in all, my lazy excuses! Wrinkly hands are a no-no. 🙁
Ah but because you wash your hands so often, you will need to re apply hand creams more or your skin will dry out too much 🙂 Time to take better care of your hands in 2012 🙂
I wear SPF50-100 as hand cream during the day, and various ones at night!
Wow that’s sun protection for you! 😀
I love crabtree and evelyn been using them for a decade!!!!! and people do say i have nice hands!!
That’s great to know! I used to use C&E too 😀
I have it on my dresser, in my bag, and on my work desk. But no, I don’t use it regularly. =( I thought by looking at it more, I will open and use. But I think I need a better resolve, or else, they will all just expire sitting there!
Favourite is C & B La Source and L’occitane Rose.
Aren’t we all like that? We leave it everywhere thinking it’ll make us more diligent but we just never use it 😀 Time to use them up this year!
I’ve been ODing on Prickly Pear Protective Body Lotion (if it’s good for the body, it’s amazing on my hands, seriously) though I keep falling for (and buying!!) the ones from Etude House and the Face Shop. I can’t resist the cute tubs they come in. 😡
Oh wait I have a tube! 😀 I’ll go give it a go. I’m still using that Intensive cream (discontinued) – they really have to bring it back!
Olive oil is lovely for hands at night. A few years ago, I used to use it on my face at night and would leave use the rest on my hands. No oily feel at all! You would expect it to, but it sinks in so wonderfully, that my face wouldn’t feel the slightest bit greasy in the morning! My skin was also quite blemish-prone and not dry at that point in time. Anyway, back to using it for hands, it’s perfect, soft hands in morning and good for the nails and cuticles too. You can use more for a more intense treatment and wear cotton gloves until it does it’s job.
I do have a lot of handcream around, I bought one with a pump dispenser (so hard to find handcream in those!) to place by the bathroom sink so that everyone could use it at least a few times when washing their hands that day. This is good if you wash you hands a lot, but make sure that if it’s for by the sink, that it’s something light and will sink in quickly. Very moisturizing isn’t too important for something kept by the sink, the idea is more to replace that barrier on your skin that is removed after washing hands. I use something more moisturizing the rest of the time.
Atrixo is the classic and cheap one, although some of my family prefer nivea at home (personally, it’s too greasy for me and doesn’t sink in fast enough for day use). Neutrogena Norwegian Formula and Dove’s are quite nice too, and there was a Johnson’s one in a pink tube I used to keep in my handbag. Pretty inexpensive stuff, but that’s enough for me.
I haven’t tried any of the more natural ones mentioned by everyone else here, but they do sound nice, especially rose-scented. Maybe when I run out. I think more handcreams should incorporate sunscreen though, so few seem to contain it. I think this might become more frequent in the coming years.
Wow, long comment about hand creams, I wonder if anyone will read through it all!
Thank you for sharing Leila! I can’t imagine slathering olive oil on my hands all the time although I have heard of wearing gloves so the hands remain soft. I do agree with you that there should be more hand creams with SPF because our hands need sun protection too!
I’m already pretty terrible with using body lotion, let alone hand creams with the humid climate we’re in.
I still have this tube of Acca Kappa hand cream that I’m trying to finish, so I don’t go crazy buying them.
I’m really bad with body lotion too and I find that lotions tend to leave a sticky residue (as with most hand creams) so I really prefer using an oil. That said, I’ve also found that mixing the oil and cream does yield a better result 😀
I love hand creams and my favourites are L’Occitane, Kiehl’s, Crabtree & Evelyn and The Body Shop. I use them pretty often because otherwise my hands get yucky (too much alcohol hand gel at work).
Sounds like a hazardous job 😉 But its a wise move using hand gels after alcohol sanitizers because those are crazy drying!
I really, really want to try Soap & Glory! I swear I’ll put in my Amazon cart next time I shop online 🙂
LOL! Its relatively affordable and if you have anyone coming to Malaysia or Singapore, its available at Sephora! 😀
I love hand creams/lotions & use them everyday but there r days when I’m lazy to use them. Oh, my poor hands 🙁 Tried a lot of brands. Liked a few. Still like some of them but my current fav wud b Crabtree & Evelyn Lavender. Wud luv to try L’Occitane soon. Happy New Year Gorgeous!
Happy New Year Rin! I do like Crabtree & Evelyn too. It is a bit oilier than I like, but it leaves my hands feeling much softer than others 😀 I too want to try L’Occitane after all the raves here 😀
I’ve hand creams everywhere – in my bathroom, in my purse, on my desk at work, in my craftroom… *lol* I can’t live without them especially in colder months. My favourites are from L’Occitane. Currently loving the rose one. I also have some Crabtree & Evelyn ones.
Yet another endorsement for L’Occitane! I really have to take a look, and I can imagine how dry it must get with heating and the cold!
the ‘greasy’ feeling happens if a hand cream has glycerine in it – it attracts water to the skin. The worst handcream for that was The Body Shop’s Hemp Cream for me. I’ve started to use handcream on the backs of my hands only, that way I don’t leave greasy fingerprints all over the place.
My fav (if and when I can afford it) is Jurlique’s rose hand cream, all natural ingredients but PRICEY.
Very much a handcreams person! My hands get awfully dry without it. I think I must have pampered my hands way too much that without hand creams, they don’t feel good. LOL! Favourites? I love MOR, but there really isn’t a particular brand I stick to, but I use unscented ones for the day and those really fragrant ones at night. 🙂
I have very dry hands and my fav is Neutrogena Hand Cream, I always keep one in my car and my purse.