Yahoo Finance 12 best hand creams
Cold weather is no friend to hands that are prone to dry skin, cracked cuticles and general signs of ageing. So we’ve tried and tested some of the best hand creams about, so you know which ones truly deliver and are the best value for money.
{1} Nivea Hand Age Defying Q10 Plus: £2 for 100ml, Boots
This is one of those instances when the marketing blurb is true because Q10 (the energy enzyme naturally found in our skin) works to de-age us both from the inside out and the outside in, as this tube of hand cream proves. It’s rich, yet easily absorbed, and offers good UV protection too.
{2} L’Occitane Shea Butter Hand Cream: £8 for 30ml, Marks & Spencer
On first application, this can feel a bit too rich, but give it a moment because it hydrates the driest of skin without making it feel sticky and is one of the most luxurious of the creams we tried. Trust us, this one will become a firm staple.
{3} Hand Chemistry Intense Youth Complex Hand Cream: £20 for 100ml, Boots
This became an instant best-seller in Boots and with good reason. It targets eight signs of hand aging – from elasticity to hydration – and can take years off you if you use it regularly. Better for night-time, though, as it’s a bit sticky.
{4} Aveeno Skin Relief Restore and Protect Hand Cream: £4 for 75ml, Boots
If you have sensitive skin, here’s a cream for you. This is free from all those perfumes and chemicals that might smell lovely, but can irritate angry skin. Plus, the triple-oat complex formula helps to repair dry, chapped skin and eases itchiness and eczema.
{5} Neutrogena Norwegian Formula Hand Cream: £3 for 50ml, amazon
If your skin’s often chapped and peeling, this is your go-to cream. Not only is it reasonably priced, but it’s well known for relieving skin dryness and protecting the skin barrier even in really harsh conditions like constant wind and cold. But only use a dab or it can feel greasy.
{6} Crème de la Mer The Hand Treatment: £70 100ml, John Lewis
Yes, this is seriously pricy, but is by far the best hand cream we’ve come across – as good as any top face moisturiser and it gets the same results. It banishes dryness and fine lines, as well as fading pigmentation marks. It smells heavenly and you need only a tiny bit.
{7} Palmer’s Intensive Relief Hand Cream: £4 for 60g, amazon
Overworked hands need suffer no longer with this wallet-friendly cocoa butter hand cream. It does away with dry patches and rashy marks thanks to the thick formula, so is best used at night as a mask.
{8} Eve Lom Hand Cream: £22 for 50ml, John Lewis
A little goes a long way with this luxe cream. Don’t expect a strong fragrance but do expect hands to feel instantly soft and hydrated, as well as brighter and healthier in the longer-term. Plus, it deflects sun damage. Texture-wise, it’s thick and rich, but absorbs quickly.
{9} Trilogy Ultra Hydrating Hand Cream: £11 for 75ml, amazon
Here’s another certified natural, ultra-rich cream that sinks rapidly into the skin. Oat extract soothes dry or chapped skin, while antioxidant-rich white tea extract rejuvenates and helps protect against damage. It smells gorgeous, too.
{10} Madara Protecting Hand Cream: £10 for 75ml, Love Lula
This smooth and velvety cream, with fruity and floral extracts, is just the ticket for dry hands and brittle nails. Madara’s products are all certified as natural, so there are no synthetic ingredients here. The packaging’s recycled, too.
{11} Melvita Apicosma Hand Cream: £17 for 150ml, amazon
This rich, smooth cream blends a three honey complex with nourishing shea butter, instantly rejuvenating dry patches without a trace of grease. The fragrance is on the sweet side, but it’s not overpowering and it’s another cream where you only need a smidgen to achieve super soft hands.
{12} Elemis Pro-Radiance Hand and Nail Cream: £24 for 100ml, John Lewis
This is heaven sent for dry skin, while also working on the hands’ aging effects when used over time. It has a feeling of pure luxury and we also like the fact that it conditions nails at the same time. Apparently, it’s the combination of white flowers, milk protein and omega 7 that locks in moisture.
Verdict:
If you have the money, Crème de la Mer The Hand Treatment is like no other hand cream we’ve tried, ticking every box and lasting a really long time. Hand Chemistry Intense Youth Complex Hand Cream comes in at a close second, genuinely keeping its marketing promises, whilst Nivea Hand Age Defying Q10 Plus is our favourite in the budget hand cream market.
