Choosing a cream of the best brand is a guarantee of quality and efficacy, but among the many products available in the vast cosmetic panorama, which is the most suitable for your skin? Please review our guide, which compares the best hand creams’ prices and characteristics to find the most valid market.
Table of Contents
Guide to buying hand cream.
Having your hands cared for and perfectly hydrated is not only an aesthetic issue – although the eye always wants its part – but also of health: cold, temperature changes, wind, and prolonged exposure to UV rays are all phenomena that can weaken our skin, and it is essential to regularly use a hand cream that allows you not to have them constantly dry and chapped.
Since those available on the market are not all the same, carefully reading the INCI and avoiding some ingredients are the first steps to choosing a good hand cream that best meets your needs. So let’s see the main features to consider when making an informed purchase.
What do they contain?
Like most cosmetic products, those for the hands also follow a precise process of action: the fatty substances contained form a thin protective film on the skin which acts as a barrier against external aggressions and on the other limits the water loss by skin tissues, while the wetting active ingredients take care of incorporating the water particles and retaining them in the different layers of the epidermis.
Precisely for this reason, most of the hand creams present in the cosmetic sector, in addition to having water as the main ingredient, are made up of a good percentage of moisturizing substances which can be of vegetable origins, such as oil, almond, or Shea butter; organic, such as glycerin and urea; and synthetic, including acids and fatty alcohols such as Cetearyl alcohol and petrolatum.
Almost all the formulations on the market ensure the right amount of hydration. This means that any cosmetics will bring appreciable benefits regardless of the personal preferences that lead to choosing a cream for its fragrance rather than the feeling of comfort it leaves on the hands. The only task left to the consumer will be understanding which formula best suits your skin type.
A cream for every need. As mentioned, the creams are not all the same but different in formulation and effectiveness. For example, the hands’ skin tends to become very dry and chapped during the winter months, so it is advisable to moisturize and repair products regularly.
In these cases, essential oils, such as Argan, are preferred, which can accelerate micro-injuries healing and fissures. In addition, Shea butter is ideal for softening and regenerating dry skin. And Aloe Vera, thanks to its anti-inflammatory power, can prevent and mitigate the damage caused by excessive skin dryness.
It is good to protect the skin from harmful UV rays adequately, the main ones responsible for skin aging because of the summer. Many people used to take care of their faces by applying good sunscreen before exposure to the sun, but who knows why – or almost everyone – forgets about their hands, which age faster than the rest of the body.
That’s why in summer, it is important to choose a cream that also contains SPF protection and apply it, especially when you plan to spend the whole day outdoors or at the beach.
Finally, we recommend an anti-aging cosmetic for mature age groups based on antioxidant vitamins A, C, and E, which contribute to giving elasticity and firmness to the skin while counteracting free radicals’ harmful action.
Attention to the INCI
In the vast cosmetic panorama, no shortage of attractive proposals promises to bring real benefits to the hands’ skin and identify the most suitable product for your needs. However, you must also consider the ingredients list, origin, and manufacturing process.
Since, by law, cosmetic companies must make the INCI of their products public, and it is good to read the labels carefully to understand if the strict quality and safety protocols provided by current regulations have been respected.
It is essential to choose a product without “uncomfortable” ingredients and formulated in such a way as to guarantee perfect tolerability by the skin without attacking it or causing dangerous skin rashes.
Among the substances to be avoided, we find artificial perfumes which, although they make the user experience more pleasant, could cause many problems for those with susceptible skin or suffer from allergies; preservatives and parabens, as substances capable of altering the hydrolipidic balance of the dermis; and all derivatives from oil refining, including paraffin liquid and petrolatum.
Frequent questions
How to make hand cream at home?
If you are passionate about DIY cosmetics, on the net, you can find many recipes on how to prepare at home an excellent hand cream rich in nutrients and free of substances harmful to health. We recommend one suitable for all skin types and easy to make.
To prepare it, you need 40 grams of Shea butter, 25 grams of sweet almond oil, and 20 drops of lavender or orange essential oil.
After softening the Shea butter in a bowl, add the almond oil flush and mix well until a thick, lump-free mixture, to which you will add lavender essential oil.
You can keep the cream for up to three months in a container with a lid, provided it is kept in a cool place and protected from light.
Why use hand cream?
The main business card of one’s person, the hands, requires the same care and attention that we usually reserve for the face skin since they are more exposed to external aggressions and aggressive chemical products and detergents.
This is why it is important to regularly apply a good hand cream, which protects them from chapping and dryness. Choosing a product suitable for your skin type is essential, paying attention to the ingredients that make it up.
When to use hand cream?
Simple question, dry answer: protect your hands from the cold and wind at any age, especially during winter. Applying a product with high moisturizing and emollient properties in summer is preferable, containing a protection factor against UV rays.
How many times is it a day to use hand cream?
To prevent the hands from becoming dry and chapped, applying the cream three to five times a day after washing them with soap with a neutral pH and drying them with a soft towel is recommended.
How much does a hand cream cost?
It mainly depends on the formulation and the ingredients contained. Despite what one might think, the hand creams on supermarket shelves are similar to those sold at a much higher cost in pharmacies or perfumeries. This shows that not always spending more means guaranteeing oneself a superior quality product.
How to use a hand cream
Constantly applying a good hand cream is essential not to have them dry and chapped. In the following lines, we will explain why and how to use these wonderful cosmetics that should never be missing in our beauty cases.
Why do our hands get dry?
Having a chapped hand is a problem that has always afflicted men and women of any age. To resolve it upstream, it could help identify its causes and prevent it from reoccurring by choosing the best hand cream for your needs.
Perhaps no one has ever noticed, but the high concentration of limestone in our taps’ water can promote dry skin. If the water we wash our hands is tough, the minerals contained, depositing on the skin, will absorb much of its natural humidity. And that’s why sometimes, after a shower, we find that annoying sensation of itching and pulling the skin.
On the other hand, the house water is not so calcareous, but we feel that the hands are drier after washing them, the cause could be the use of too aggressive soap.
The fault can often be ours: it seems trivial, but a diet low in vitamins and essential fatty acids reflects on the conditions of our skin, promoting dehydration and loss of elasticity. And let’s not forget, finally, the external factors.
The cold and the sun are the hands’ main enemies since they deprive their natural hydration skin. Therefore, if you live in places characterized by a dry and low-humidity winter, it is even more important to apply a protective cream two to three times a day capable of supplying the dermis with the nutrients it needs to return soft and elastic again. At the same time, choose one that also contains SPF protection against UV rays during the summer or when you tan.
Which ingredients to prefer
Choosing a cream that does not contain harmful chemicals, such as parabens, formaldehyde, preservatives, and silicones, is essential to making the right purchase. Still, it is equally important to know the moisturizing ingredients that can bring real benefits to the hands’ skin.
In addition to water, a good cream should contain the following ingredients in a greater percentage than the synthetic chemical elements:
- Essential oils, capable of retaining moisture inside the connective tissue, are often used to formulate anti-aging creams for their moisturizing and antioxidant properties.
- Humectants or substances that encourage skin cells to retain water particles, including glycerin, glycol, and urea.
- Emollients are personally responsible for the hydration and softness of the dermis; and finally, vitamins, whose presence proves fundamental to prevent wrinkles, scars, and micro-injuries and encourage the natural production of collagen.
Useful Tips
To make the most of your hand cream’s potential, many experts recommend regularly exfoliating the skin to remove dead cells and impurities that prevent the active contents from penetrating deeply and doing their job better.
Finally, if you are used to applying the cosmetic at night, perhaps before going to bed, it is preferable to wear a pair of cotton gloves to facilitate the absorption of the wetting substances and prolong their effects, as well as prevent the lotion from staining the pillow and the sheets.
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- INCLUDES: One (1) 3-oz. tube of Gold Bond Ultimate Healing Hand Cream
- NOURISHING MOISTURE This hand cream contains 7 intensive moisturizers, plus vitamins A, C...
- LASTS THROUGH HAND WASHING: Gold Bond Healing Hand Cream repairs dry, problem hands, even...
- SHEA BETTER HAND CREAM: Whipped vanilla, soft musk, and cozy caramel create our luxurious...
- 24-HOUR HYDRATION FOR YOUR HANDS: eos 24-hour hydration hand lotion lasts through hand...
- SMOOTH ON LOTION FOR DRY SKIN: Apply this fast-absorbing, non-greasy, and deliciously...
- Hand cream for dry to very dry rough hands leaves skin feeling soft, smooth, and hydrated....
- It provides up to 48- hour hydration for dry hands damaged by aggressions at home and work...
- Immediately soothes damaged and dry to very dry hands, fast-absorbing, non-greasy hand...
- Hand Treatment: O’Keeffe’s Working Hands Hand Cream is a highly concentrated and...
- Dry; Cracked Skin Relief: When used daily; it is clinically proven to create a protective...
- Extra Strong Hand Cream: Hardworking skincare that provides guaranteed relief. Experience...
- Protects, nourishes and moisturizes hands
- Leaves hands soft and smooth with no oily traces
- Massage this silky treatment into hands to counter dryness as often as needed
- [ SKIN PROTECTANT ] Non-greasy, fast-absorbing daily hand cream to help prevent and...
- [ MOISTURE-RETAINING INGREDIENTS ] Formulated with hyaluronic acid to help retain skin's...
- [ NEA SEAL OF ACCEPTANCE ] Accepted by the National Eczema Association. To help soothe...
- Strengthens skin's moisture barrier for soft, smooth skin
- Dermatologist developed
- Fragrance Free
- Dry Hand Repair Cream: O’Keeffe’s Working Hands Hand Cream is a concentrated hand...
- Dry Hands Treatment: Creates a protective layer on the skin's surface that locks in...
- Dry; cracked Hands Repair: O'Keeffe's Working Hands dry hand cream provides guaranteed...
- REPAIRS ROUGH SKIN: Eucerin Advanced Repair unscented hand cream helps to repair dry,...
- FAST ABSORBING FORMULA: This dry skin hand cream is fast-absorbing and non-greasy, and...
- ENRICHED WITH: This Eucerin dry hand cream is enriched with buffered Alpha Hydroxy,...
- BURT’S BEES HAND CREAM: With Burt’s Bees almond and milk hand cream, give your hands a...
- MOISTURIZER CREAM: Burt's Bees almond and milk hand cream is formulated with emollient...
- NATURAL ORIGIN LOTION: With Burt's Bees almond and milk 99.0% natural origin hand cream,...
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