Recommend me a handcream please!!!

[goodenoughmum88]

I'm 36 and have a 3 year old and 7 month old. Had dry skin in last pregnancy which is now ok but my hands are that of an old crone and despite lathering plenty of cream on as often as I remember they're not improving! Live in a hard water area but also think that washing hands often (as usual with small ones) is playing a part.
Budget of around £10 - willing to give most things a go! Thanks!

Body shop hemp smells weird but works well. Neutrogena Norwegian formula is excellent and a bargain but a bit greasy. L'occiatain Shea butter is fab but pricey!

Aveeno. Away from home just now so can't check in bedside drawer, by kitchen sink, in desk drawer, in car to give you it's full name. It lasts through hand washes.

I vote neurogenic Norwegian but agree it's on the greasy side, I've gone on to use oilatum which is brilliant though a bit heavier (soaks in like a dream though).

I would also recommend aveeno. I have very dry, excema-prone skin and some handcreams can bring me out in a rash, but aveeno is lovely.

Body shop hemp or l'occitane Shea I work outdoors and get really dry hands and these work for me.

Silcocks base.

Body Shop Hemp, but you'll stink like a pot head for ever after.

I have some Apothecary Lilac and Sage handcream. It isn't my favourite cream ever, nor is it the most moisturing but it does help my hands to feel comfortable and, best of all, it has a completely matt feel. So I can still open jam jars etc. without slipping about.

What I'm trying to say is that it might suit you for use during the day when you want/need non-slippy hands and then mix with a really rich cream when you have time to let it absorb fully.

Sudocrem care and protect its an everyday nappy rash cream! Works a treat on dry hands!

I have BodyShop Absinthe (LOVE the smell ) for day at work (NHS soap and vinyl gloves + relentless handwashing do not make happy hands)

L'Occitane Shea Butter for night time
L'Occitane Almond or Verbena for summer

If my hands are really dry and painful (can get splits if I use the alcohol gel) then good old Vaseline well rubbed in + cotton gloves

Soap and glory hand food and hand glove (?) are great too.

I have amazingly soft hands, if I do say so myself. I hate scented hand cream, a lot of those mentioned above have strong smells. I love Nivea Q10 which is cheap and very good. I think the key is frequent application, so I have a tube in every room, in the car, in my bag, etc. I apply 5-10 times a day, with a really generous one at night.

Also try not to get your hands wet. Easier said than done, but certainly NEVER wash dishes without rubber gloves.

O'Keeffes Working Hands is really good and unscented. I nicked a bit from dh one day and got converted. Only a fiver or something.

Aveeno.

Something I occasionally use is warm paraffin wax. I find that can make a huge difference too. At one point I would use it daily, I was complemented on how lovely my hands were!

www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/4179322.htm There are several manufacturers of this type of machine, even with daily use I only needed to replace the wax every six months or so.

Aveeno is really effective, I also keep tubes all over the place and use it all the time. If I'm feeling fancy the l'occitane shea butter one that comes in the big paint tube, but really I just love the aveeno!

If you're washing your hands a lot, try putting some bepanthan on your hands as well as moisturiser. It acts as a barrier cream, so will help protect them from water. Works surprisingly well!

I would second a barrier like Bepanthen. Currently I am using Boots No. 7 protect and perfect intensive night hand cream. Which is really good.

For really in need of a miracle hands Flexitol very dry skin cream doesn't smell great but it does work

So if you are putting on hand cream many times a day....do you take your rings off each time? i hate the thought of cream getting caught in the claws of the rings, but worry i might forget to put them back on if i take them off to apply...

Aveeno or epaderm, but I do find them greasy. I had Keihls hand cream as a maternity present and it is lovely, but I suspect expensive!

Rings - I have a 3yo and 2m old, I don't think I have worn my engagement ring for about 3y (other than special occasions) and eventually the wedding ring spends more time on the ring tree than my finger since #2 arrived. I hate cream in rings.

CFS foot cream is great. Use at night with gloves. Boots have it.
L'Occitane is so overpriced- tiny tube almost €10.
They do smell nice though.
I've used Body Shop Hemp, O' Keefes and Aveeno.
CFS is better.
I mightn't have the name wuite right- not at home to check.

Could you wash your hands less often as well as using hand cream? I know you have little ones but unless you're drying your hands on a clean towel every time you might as well not bother. After a nappy change or other bodily-fluid-related clean-up then obviously do, of course.

Agree with lateforeverything. Okeeffe's has worked for me, where nothing else was helping. I was sobbing at times, with cuts and nicks on the tips of my fingers. For the first time in almost a year, a couple of days ago I cut up an onion without gloves on!

And it's very cheap.

I can be a bit of a brand snob but have found Lidl's Cien cocoa butter hand cream absolutely better than a lot of pricier ones! It's under £2!

I hate anything that feels greasy or tacky or too perfumed and this one is easy to rub in, nice light smell and makes hands feel comfortable. It's an ideal one to use if you are washing hands a lot.

I've just bought the Ragdale Hall one from M&S, and that's nice.

Whatever you do, don't buy the Burts Bees almond one in the jar - it is the greasiest cream I have ever used, you coukd rub and rub for hours and it would never sink in.

I like Nivea Q10 because I love the Nivea smell and it's cheap.