Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, many of us have been washing and sanitizing our hands more than ever. Additionally, we’re using harsh cleaning products to keep our homes clean and free of the virus.
This can wreak havoc on our hands, making them dry and irritated. And if you live in an area where you deal with brutally cold winters, you know the cold, dry air can do a number on your paws pretty quickly.
That’s why an effective hand cream that hydrates and soothes skin is a must-have for smooth, pain-free hands. If your search for a superior hand lotion has been fruitless so far, keep reading.
We’ve listened to what the experts had to say about what makes an excellent hand cream and pored over several products that meet their criteria. So whether you’re a hand cream newbie or a hand lotion junkie, we have you covered with our buyer’s guide. These four hand lotions in our buyer’s guide will help you combat dryness.
Why Is Moisturizing Your Hands Important?
Moisturizing your face after washing is second nature to most of us. However, when it comes to our hands, we all too often neglect them, leaving them dry and unprotected from the environment.
Everyday tasks, constant hand washing, chemicals from cleaning products and extreme weather are all causes of damage to our hands. This is why your hands are one of the first places to show signs of aging. If the skin on the back of your hands is dry, cracked, and irritated it will leave your skin looking older.
Using hand cream is the best way to heal dry, damaged hands. It improves moisture levels in the skin and skin elasticity, while countering dehydration, premature wrinkles, and pigmentation issues.
What To Look For When Buying Hand Cream
Hand creams are more advanced these days, treating a multitude of conditions that require more than moisture. Whether you’re looking to tighten skin, fade dark spots, or soothe severely dry skin, chances are there’s a hand cream available for you.
When deciding which hand lotions may suit your needs, there are certain ingredients that are more effective than others. Seek out moisturizers that contain humectants, emollients, and occlusives. These work together to improve your skin’s moisture, heal and protect your dry skin.
Humectants increase the water content in the outer layers of the skin. They’re typically paired with occlusives to aid in trapping moisture in the upper layer of skin.
According to the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD), some of the best humectant ingredients to look for in your hand cream are:
- Glycerin*
- Hyaluronic acid
- Lactic acid
- Urea*
Occlusives are typically oil-based and they prevent loss of moisture from the surface of the skin by trapping the water humectants draw up and preventing it from evaporating. Beeswax, lanolin, and petrolatum are common ones used.
The AAD recommends the following occlusive ingredients:
- Shea butter*
- Lanolin*
- Petrolatum (aka petroleum jelly)
- Dimethicone (type of silicone)
- Mineral oil*
*Ingredients also considered an emollient.
Emollients soften skin, enhance smoothness, and provide a protective layer over the skin. Shea butter, cocoa butter and coconut oil are popular emollients used in moisturizing formulas.
Some other ingredients such as vitamins A, C, and E, minerals, antioxidants, and alpha-hydroxy acids are very popular as well. Vitamins and minerals give skin a radiant, healthy glow. And antioxidants and AHA’s help increase collagen production, making skin firm and plump.
If you have sensitive skin, choose fragrance- and dye-free options, as they’re often less irritating to the skin.
Lastly, keep in mind that consistency matters when it comes to hand moisturizer. Lotions are typically thinner and don’t pack as big of a punch as a thick cream or ointment when it comes to staying power.
Now, onto the products that stood out to us!
L’Occitane Butter Hand Cream
L’Occitane Shea Butter is a creamy, decadent balm made with 20% shea butter, honey, almond extracts and coconut oil. It has an incredibly rich texture that leaves hands feeling soft and smooth.
This effective formula protects by forming a protective barrier on hands that lasts through several washes. Shea butter is rich in fatty acids, making it a perfect beauty ingredient for nourishing and protecting skin. Organic spring honey and sweet almond oil also soothe and nourish dry and sensitive skin.
Lightly scented and fast absorbing, this magical cream doesn’t leave a greasy feeling behind. Simply warm desired amount of cream between your hands, gently massage into your palms and back of your hands and enjoy the luxurious softness.
We also love that the packaging consists of an aluminum tube, which is fully recyclable! This earned them the Good Housekeeping Sustainable Packaging Award in 2019. L’Occitane also claims they don’t test active ingredients, raw materials or products on animals, which we can absolutely get behind.
Between the high quality ingredients, nearly instant results, and sustainable packaging, it’s easy to see why L’Occitane Shea Butter has received over 7,000 five-star ratings on Amazon! If you’re looking for a truly indulgent hand cream experience, treat yourself today with L’Occitane Shea Butter!
Jack Black Industrial Strength Hand Healer
Jack Black Hand Healer ingredients pack a punch of lasting relief for seriously dry, cracked hands. They include vitamins A and E, macadamia nut oil, glycerin, certified organic green tea, and lavender.
Vitamins A and E are powerful antioxidants that help to protect skin from free radicals produced by toxins in the environment. Vitamin A is also known as Retinol. The very same stuff you see in all of the anti-aging products on the market. It’s essential for healthy skin cell growth and can help reduce skin inflammation. Vitamin E also contains anti-inflammatory properties and helps reduce UV damage to your skin.
Macadamia nut oil is rich in fatty acids and Vitamin E, which nourishes the skin, deeply soothes, locks in moisture, and is well absorbed by the skin. Macadamia nut oil is similar to your skin’s natural oils (sebum) and hydrates without clogging pores.
And as we learned earlier, glycerin is a humectant and emollient and is one of the ingredients the American Academy of Dermatology recommends for the effective treatment of dry skin. As a humectant, glycerin helps to increase skin hydration levels, relieve dryness, and refresh dull skin. As an emollient, it helps soften skin and provides a protective layer over the skin.
This macadamia nut lotion is marketed towards men but it works well for anyone who has severely dry, damaged skin. It has a pleasant, light herbal scent. It’s non-greasy and absorbs quickly. Many reviewers claim almost instant relief and that it works well on skin issues such as eczema.
In addition to being our top pick for working hands, we love that this Jack Black hand lotion is cruelty-free and Climate Pledge Friendly as part of Amazon’s Compact By Design sustainability certification program.
AHAVA Dead Sea Mineral Hand Creams
AHAVA Mineral Hand Cream is a luxuriously rich cream made with 21 nutrient-rich Dead Sea water essential minerals, including magnesium, potassium, and calcium. Their proprietary blend of minerals, Osmotor, increases skin’s moisture levels by activating it’s own moisture reserves.
Witch Hazel extract helps tone and smooth skin’s texture.
Allantoin offers multiple soothing benefits to skin such as anti-inflammatory, hydrating, and protective. It can actually shield skin from chapping and assist in healing minor wounds.
AHAVA Hand Cream is available in 4 formulas: Original, Cactus and Pink Pepper, Sea Kissed and Spring Blossom. Cactus and Pink Pepper has a warm, spicy aromatherapeutic scent. The scent of Sea Kissed is like a fresh sea breeze, with gentle marine and floral notes. And Spring Blossom has an almost magical, light floral aroma that makes it perfect for spring time. We recommend the original formula for those sensitive to fragrances.
This gentle but effective formula nourishes skin and locks in moisture to ensure soft, supple skin. All of AHAVA’s formulas are clinically-proven, vegan, hypoallergenic and paraben-, GMO-, and phlathate- free. It absorbs quickly and doesn’t leave skin greasy.
To use, simply apply a small amount to hands as needed and massage into your palms and back of your hands. Then sit back and enjoy as your hands drink in the deep nourishment and relief.
AHAVA Mineral Hand Cream has over 3,000 five-star reviews on Amazon. Users sing the praises of this amazing hand cream and its effectiveness, with most reporting immediate moisturizing, soothing, and softening effects. Some even claim that with regular use, they’ve noticed a significant reduction in dark spots on their hands.
Goldfaden MD Hands To Heart Oil of Grapefruit
Goldfaden MD is a dermatologist developed, plant powered multitasking treatment for the hands. It’s fast-absorbing, making dry, cracked hands feel more moisturized and smooth while reducing the appearance of dark spots.
This grapefruit lotion formula is packed with powerful ingredients like Retinol, Hyaluronic Acid, Niacinamide,
and Glucosamine, providing skin with a youthful appearance. Here’s a brief break down of each of their benefits:
Retinol is the most active form of Vitamin A and helps rejuvenate skin, improve skin’s texture and reduce the appearance of fine lines.
Hyaluronic Acid is naturally produced by your body and it’s main function is to keep your skin, connective tissues, and eyes well lubricated. It helps promote healthier skin that’s more supple.
Niacinamide is a powerful form of Vitamin B, which protects skin against environmental pollutants and other irritants and may help reduce the appearance of hyperpigmentation.
Glucosamine works as a humectant, providing improved moisture and skin brightening benefits.
Naturally sourced ingredients such as Grapeseed Oil, Avocado Oil and Red Tea Extract leaves skin feeling hydrated and soft. Here we’ll break down their benefits:
Grapefruit Peel Oil has powerful antibacterial and antimicrobial effects, helping to keep skin bacteria-free and aiding in the healing of acne.
Grapeseed Oil is known for it’s antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial properties. The fatty acids and Vitamin E contained in grapeseed oil make it a popular topical skin treatment. It’s been shown to make skin softer and improve elasticity, even out skin tone, and protect skin from sun damage.
Avocado Oil also contains antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties which promotes smooth, hydrated skin, improves skin’s elasticity, shields skin from UV rays, and protects against damage.
Organic Red Tea Extract is another source of natural antioxidants, including Vitamin C, E, and Carotene, which helps to maintain skin health and appearance.
Simply massage desired amount of this grapefruit lotion into your hands until absorbed to experience softer, brighter, more hydrated skin. The thick, creamy formula absorbs quickly, isn’t greasy and the light citrus scent is delightful!
We love that Goldfaden MD is committed to making natural plant-based, safe, yet effective products. This hand cream is free of parabens, gluten, alcohol, mineral oil, and silicone. And it’s vegan and cruelty-free! If you’re looking for a great multitasking hand cream, give Goldfaden MD a try today!
Conclusion
Choosing the right hand cream may mean trying out several before you find the perfect one for your needs. Be sure to keep your skin type and concerns in mind when making your selection. You’ll see much better results from your hand cream or hand lotions when you’re using one that is formulated to address your specific needs. We have reviewed bargain lotions for you as well.
The products in this guide will leave your hands hydrated, smooth, supple, and looking more youthful overall. We’re pretty excited about the amazing creams and hand lotions we’ve highlighted here and we think you will be too!
Last update on 2023-04-02 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API