Hand Creams the new Essentials

 

Over the last 18 months we have acquired new habits or maybe we have just perfected what before was already a well-established habit: washing our hands very frequently. Also the use of hand sanitisers and latex gloves has given our hands a lot of strain. Our skin is dry and it doesn’t feel right, so even if before carrying had cream was something that I was doing just for the sake of it, now it is essential that my hands are soft after being “attacked” by continuous soap lathering and sanitising. I have pick some of my favourites.

I will start with this classic, the Shea Butter Hand Cream by L’Occitane. It will leave your hands supple and hydrated and its small size is perfect to be carried in your handbag. It is made of 20% of Shea Butter and also a range of fragrant essential oils and natural extracts like sweet almond, honey, rosemary and coconut. This year it has received the Silver Award for Best Hand Cream by the Beauty Bible. It is available in 30ml and 150ml sizes. www.uk.loccitane.com

This is another French brand and I love this fluffy white Cherie Cherry hand cream by Merci Handy with its smooth and creamy texture.  Also it contains tiny colourful beads to exfoliate your hands while putting the cream on but they are not microbeads so they won’t harm the environment. It is also vegan and among its ingredients there is Almond Oil.  30ml is the size available so perfect for your handbag. www.uk.mercihandy.com

With the Eight Hour Cream by Elizabeth Arden we are talking of another classic product that has been around for 90 years. The size is 75ml so not really for the handbag but for example I always have hand cream next near my computer so when I work I can apply it freely. This hand cream is not greasy at all and it absorbs quickly leaving your hands soft. Great for dry and cracked hands due to weather and also aggressive products like washing up liquid if you clean your dishes without rubber gloves. The name Eight Hours doesn’t mean that you can apply it only every 8 hours but according to the story of this product, a client used it for her son’s grazed skin on his knees and after 8 hours the skin was much better and recovering. www.elizabetharden.co.uk

I love Molton Brown products and its hand creams are deliciously fragranced and the 40ml size means that I always have a tube in my handbag. They are 5 different types, my favourite is Fiery Pink Pepper and we are not talking about a spice but it is a berry. Also you will smell tangerine, jasmine, nutmeg, ginger and patchouli. For a fresher aroma the Orange & Bergamot has orange oil, bergamot, lemon and mandarin. Also you will the scent of cardamom as well as a base of neroli, ylang-ylang and musk. I will give you a tip. There is this fabulous website where they host sample sales either online or in store in Regent Street. By registering ( it is either free or premium membership) you will receive emails from future luxury sample sales and Molton Brown has been featured in the past, so it is likely that in the next few months  it will be again the guest of Showcase.co where you can shop at fantastic prices. For now visit one of the stores that are nationwide. Just entering one of them is fantastic with all the fragrances welcoming you. www.moltonbrown.co.uk

 

It looks so vintage this little tin box by Burt’s Bees containing a hand salve made with 100% natural ingredients like botanical oils and beeswax. It moisturises rough, dry hands and with no scent it is perfect for everyone.  No more dry hands because of harsh cleansers and sanitisers. Available in a 85 grams tin. www.burtsbees.co.uk

 

My favourite fragrance is Angel by Thierry Mugler and I had the privilege to meet one of the people who created this perfume when I went to Paris. When I wanted to treat myself I couldn’t help it and I have bought this fabulous hand cream which is not greasy and absorbs easily leaving that wonderful fragrance on my hands. I think that everyone knows by now the fantastic notes of Angel, chocolate, vanilla, cotton candy, jasmine and other delicious fragrances.  Available in a 100ml size it is perfect to have it next to your computer while WFH. Available nationwide in stores and online. www.mugler.co.uk

This hand cream has got so much going on. It will soften your dry hands, it has 76% of organic ingredients and by buying a tube of Bee Lovely hand cream by Neal’s Yard Remedies, 3% of the sale goes to the Save the Bees campaign that refers to the main charity Bees for Development which has introduced bee colonies into cashew orchards in Ghana to boost harvests, after low yields were found to be a result of poor pollination. Among the ingredients there is fair trade Mexican honey and Italian and Mexican oranges. It comes in a handy 50ml size.  www.nealsyardremedies.com