It's fairly safe to say I have an obsession with hand cream, and I usually have several on the go at any one time. I thought I would share some of the ones I have found most effective when my hands are really chapped and sore. All of these need a little longer to absorb, but are worth taking their time over. For maximum benefit these are really good slathered over your hands at bedtime with a pair of cotton gloves over them
My first choice is Weleda's Skin Food I love the bright and cheerful citrus fragrance. It is made with chamomile, calendula, and organic sunflower oil. The fragrance comes mainly from the sweet orange essential oil. This is a very rich and thick cream. A very small amount gives much softer skin.
The Bakewell Soap Company have some wonderful multi-purpose pocket balms. The one I have is the May Chang Citrus. This is a lovely soft balm that melts into the hands. It has a much more zesty fragrance than the Skin Food, smelling more like lemons. I find this really helpful when my hands are chapped as it helps soothe inflammation.
I have reviewed Gauntlet by Bathing Beauty before here and can't speak highly enough of it. It has a lovely rosemary fragrance and helped my hands hugely over Winter.
My final choice is Badger Balm Hardworking Hands Balm. This is made with olive oil, caster oil, beeswax, aloe extract, wintergreen and birch oil. The fragrance is immediately recognisable as wintergreen is commonly used in preparations to soothe sore muscles. This does a very good job of soothing sore hands.
Have you trued any of these creams and balms? Would you recommend anything different?
