Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Style and beauty

Looking for style advice? Chat all about it here. For the latest discounts on fashion and beauty, sign up for Mumsnet Moneysaver emails.

Best budget hand cream

70 replies

CrikeyNumpty · 05/01/2026 08:57

Currently use L’Occitane Shea Butter, which I love. I cannot justify the price anymore, it’s £20 plus depending on offers at the time.

Any really good budget hand reams for £10 and under? Not been a fan of O’Keefes.

Don’t want highly fragranced or sticky.

OP posts:
FairViewRosie25 · 16/01/2026 19:59

Romney Marsh Wools hand & body lotion. Non greasy i can knit & crochet after applying. Have to buy it from their website unless you live in Kent.

suki1964 · 16/01/2026 20:06

Floisme · 05/01/2026 09:05

I like Neutrogena although I'm not sure whether you'd find it sticky. They do an unperfumed one. I agree green tub Atrixo is also good.

I have to also go for Neutrogena

Its not posh, its not luxury , but it does what it says on the tin

I worked with NHS dermatologist's who would recommend that to builders ( cement hacks can put you off work ) it seriously is good

Use it for as long as you need to get your hands and nails where you want them, then switch to luxury if that what you want, but use Neutrogena at least once a week

muddyford · 16/01/2026 20:08

Aveeno with the dark blue over cream colour scheme on the tube. I found Neutrogena sticky.

ChiaraMontague · 16/01/2026 20:09

I like Nursem - the Caring Skin Fix (in the tub) is a bit more intense and good for my hands when they are really sore - it’s over your budget at £14.99 but a little goes a very long way.

The Caring Hand Cream (in the blue tube) is more of an everyday one but still really effective, that one is £9.99

bigbandofwif · 16/01/2026 20:13

CrikeyNumpty · 16/01/2026 17:58

Guys I bought the Lidl dupe. I happened to be parked near a Lidl and remembered. It was under three quid, 2.69 or something. Whilst it isn’t the 10/10 of the original L’Occitane it’s a solid 8.5/10. @bigbandofwifIt is called D’Avignon. Grin

It is in similar packaging to the original in looks (plasticky not metal which is better for squeezability) but is 100ml which is 50ml less than L’Occitane. Smells not quite as lush but inoffensive. It’s a blooming bargain. Thanks for the recommendations.

Oh amazing, thank you! Really appreciate you looping me in to this post.

I'll have to try and seek it out next time I'm in Lidl. 🙂

Paperwhite209 · 16/01/2026 20:16

Calm from the Apothecary range at M&S (there are other variety but that's my favourite). About £8 for either a tube of cream or a large pump of lotion. I have the cream at the home and the lotion at work as I use it a lot (school medical room so lots of handwashing and antibac gel). Even the teenagers comment on the smell!

louderthan · 16/01/2026 20:45

Boots own brand coconut and almond is my favourite, they do an oat one which is very good too.

LuxuryWoman2020 · 16/01/2026 23:24

I love the Nivea Intensive with Shea Butter. It's cheap and wonderful. If any of you get the Ovestin cream as part of your HRT prescription you'll be amazed at what a little dab on the back of your hands a couple of times a week does for you. I mean, if it plumps up your lady bits, you can imagine!

TumbledTussocks · 16/01/2026 23:38

Coffeeishot · 05/01/2026 09:51

Honestly O'keefes working hands is great.

definitely this.

MerylSqueak · 16/01/2026 23:41

LuxuryWoman2020 · 16/01/2026 23:24

I love the Nivea Intensive with Shea Butter. It's cheap and wonderful. If any of you get the Ovestin cream as part of your HRT prescription you'll be amazed at what a little dab on the back of your hands a couple of times a week does for you. I mean, if it plumps up your lady bits, you can imagine!

This one is my second favourite. My favourite for during the day is LIDL's L'occitane Shea butter dupe. It's great. I prefer it to the original.

At night, Dr Lipp's BFF. It's the dogs bollocks. Better than Elizabeth Arden's 8 hour cream by a country mile.

Sunshineandrainbow · 16/01/2026 23:47

CrikeyNumpty · 16/01/2026 17:58

Guys I bought the Lidl dupe. I happened to be parked near a Lidl and remembered. It was under three quid, 2.69 or something. Whilst it isn’t the 10/10 of the original L’Occitane it’s a solid 8.5/10. @bigbandofwifIt is called D’Avignon. Grin

It is in similar packaging to the original in looks (plasticky not metal which is better for squeezability) but is 100ml which is 50ml less than L’Occitane. Smells not quite as lush but inoffensive. It’s a blooming bargain. Thanks for the recommendations.

Is it with the other hand creams in Lidl? Thanks

Jugendstiel · 16/01/2026 23:49

Palmers cocoa butter. DH's hands used to be like sandpaper. Now they are not.

crumpetswithcheeze · 16/01/2026 23:54

Aveeno - the blue lid is more moisturising than the green lid, but not sticky or greasy.

TheWibble · 17/01/2026 00:20

Aveeno. The pharmacist recommended it for dd's dry, chapped hands. I used some and have converted to it. Sinks in nicely too.

GarlicSound · 17/01/2026 00:26

Hand cream's the only skincare I'm obsessive about! I've many favourites - the current winner is Face Facts, which has ceramides and is so good I use it on my face as well. It's a creamy lotion. 400ml for around a fiver.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0D63FHQ99

Amazon.co.uk

Amazon.co.uk

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0D63FHQ99?tag=mumsnet&ascsubtag=mnforum-style-and-beauty-5470614-best-budget-hand-cream

CrikeyNumpty · 17/01/2026 02:07

@SunshineandrainbowI don’t normally go into Lidl, purely because there isn’t one near to where I live, so not familiar with their layout. I just happened to be parked near one when I went somewhere. I didn’t see any other handcreams. But I was focused on finding a cream like the L’Occitane. I think it was in a section where there were lots of other designery dupes - like handwash that might have played homage to Aesop. And some Candles that looked like Jo Malone.

OP posts:
MarxistMags · 17/01/2026 02:10

The Lidl own make is really good. Well worth a try.

Sunshineandrainbow · 17/01/2026 09:13

CrikeyNumpty · 17/01/2026 02:07

@SunshineandrainbowI don’t normally go into Lidl, purely because there isn’t one near to where I live, so not familiar with their layout. I just happened to be parked near one when I went somewhere. I didn’t see any other handcreams. But I was focused on finding a cream like the L’Occitane. I think it was in a section where there were lots of other designery dupes - like handwash that might have played homage to Aesop. And some Candles that looked like Jo Malone.

Thankyou I will look again. I only looked in the general toiletries section, saw other hand creams but none in the metal tube.

CrikeyNumpty · 17/01/2026 09:24

It’s a sort of plasticky stuff made to look like the L’Occitane one @SunshineandrainbowIf you are familiar with the L’Occitane one you won’t fail to recognise the dupe on the shelf.

OP posts:
Ineedanewsofa · 17/01/2026 12:43

Just back from Lidl, it’s this one and is with all the fancy soaps and reed diffusers

New posts on this thread. Refresh page
Swipe left for the next trending thread