It's officially spring in my part of the world, although my skin might beg to differ: the recent ups and downs in temperature and humidity have wreaked havoc with my face and hands, leaving things feeling a bit rough and itchy. As of today, I'm still wearing my winter coat, but I've expanded my hand cream collection so that there's a tube or bottle waiting for me in every tote bag and desk drawer. Here's a sampling of my recent good-smelling favorites.
I'll admit that I splurged on Graine de Pastel Organic Hand Cream (top right) just for the box design, but now I'm hooked on the cream inside the old-fashioned metal tube. It absorbs cleanly and smoothly into hands, so it's a perfect workday choice, and it's spiked with moisturizing botanicals. It also smells garden-like, with a soothing and somehow very French-feeling blend of lavender, chamomile, and a touch of something linden-like. ($14 for 30 ml at C. O. Bigelow and the Graine de Pastel website)
On the other hand (hah), a more affordable option is a pump bottle of &OtherStories Lemon Daydream Hand Lotion (top left). I don't care much for &OtherStories scents as perfumes, but as a lotion, this mix of pear, jasmine and cedar feels bright and fun, and the formula sinks quickly into skin. The bottle is even big enough to share with co-workers. ($11 for 250 ml at &OtherStories)
Anyone with an olfactory sweet-tooth should check out Urban Outfitters' comfortably priced Gourmand line. Pistachio Brûlée (just above) smells like a pistachio mousse topped with vanilla syrup and whipped cream. As a hand cream, it's very effective, and as a scent, it's mouth-watering. (And it costs much less than any of Laura Mercier's scented body products, which were likely the sources of inspiration here.) ($8 for 60 ml at Urban Outfitters)
As much as I love finding new favorites, I also keep repurchasing Kiehl's Coriander Richly Hydrating Hand Cream (below left). I've been trying to describe the Coriander scent for more than a decade. It reminds me variously of baking bread, fresh-cut grass, and sugar crystals, which sounds bizarre, but if you've ever tried any Kiehl's Coriander body product you'll know what I mean. Shame on Kiehl's for discontinuing the matching Perfume Oil. ($15 for 75 ml at Kiehl's)
Apparently I can't make any kind of list without including my longtime love Lush. Actually, Lush's hand creams are some of the best I've ever tried, even if they're a bit heavier than the others I've just listed. You could always save Love and Light (above right) for bedtime, but I happen to like it as a remedy for mid-afternoon sluggishness or any random moment of stress, because its true neroli scent gives my spirits a natural lift while its jojoba and cocoa butter heal my hands. (100 g for $19.95 at Lush)
Do you have any hand creams that you'd like to recommend right now? Feel free to share in the comments.
Right now I am using Missha 24 hour Manuka Honey hand cream. For the price it works well. My all time favorite hand cream is the shea butter from l’occitane.
I try to stay away from scented (lotion) body products, since I wear perfume, but I do have ton of shower foams..
There used to be a Missha store in Manhattan, but it didn’t last long, for some reason. Too bad. And yes, L’Occitane’s Shea line is classic and well worth the price!
I bought a tube of Graine de Pastel body cream years ago. I’m assuming the scent is probably similar to the hand cream, I really enjoyed it and found it very nourishing for my skin. So I was quite pleasantly surprised to find a Graine de Pastel product mentioned on NST.
Pastel was actually used for dying garments until it was first replaced by indigo and later by synthetic dyes. Apparently the oil is good for your skin.
I hadn’t heard of Graine de Pastel, or pastel oil for that matter, until I stumbled across this line in C. O. Bigelow! I’m tempted to try some of the facial care, too.
Being on a different continent, I haven’t come across most of the brands you mention, but Lush hand creams: oh yes! Love and Light is a lovely pick-me-up, I agree.
I’m happy with anything that doesn’t contain paraffin or alcohol, moisturises hugely dry skin, feels good and smells OK. In practice, that’s been only Lush, Crabtree and Evelyn Hand Therapy (especially Lavender) and L’Occitane shea butter hand cream.
Lush Helping Hands is my staple, plus Handy Gurugu in the winter — it’s great for that well-known beauty problem, dog-leash hands;)
I’m a longtime fan of C&E Gardeners Hand Therapy — excellent stuff. And L’Occitane’s shea butter is a classic! I like the original version but some of the fragranced season editions are lovely too.
I was surprised by the Gourmand line at UO too! I have the Oud Sahara candle — which doesn’t smell remotely like oud or what I remember of the Sahara. It smells like a light and diffuse warm, woody amber. It’s not a strong candle, but it’s $14 if I remember. Totally worth the gentle price tag compared to Diptyque or Cire Trudon.
I’m sort of tempted to buy the Macaron Rose eau de toilette, just for fun. It’s so cheap…I could always use it as a room spray or linen spray if I end up hating it on my skin!
I have a ridiculous number of hand creams! But I do love ’em….
My all time, hands down favorite (pun intended) is Body Shop’s Hemp Hand Protector cream. In the winter, nothing beats it. I even have a maintenance guy that works in my building that comes by occasionally for a squirt of it!
Runners up include H20 Hand and Nail cream, Lush’s Ro Argan body conditioner, and Anderson Lilley Sicilian Tangerine Beach Body cream. (The last 2 are body creams, but whatever!)
Oh man, that Body Shop hemp stuff is a classic. I’d almost forgotten about it! They also used to have a lighter almond oil hand cream that I liked.
Ro Argan is amazing. I use to use it as body lotion and not rinse it off. But then a sa told me that was bad for my skin. I felt like an idiot. ????????????
Bad for your skin why??
She said over time it would be very drying to the skin. Who knows!????
Strange. According to another Lush SA, it’s ok to use without rinsing it off.
The SA (a manager) told me that over time it would be very drying to the skin. One of the ingredients is not meant to be left on the skin. Who knows?!
I bought a large (250 g) Lush Love and Light cream to use as a body moisturizer – it smells lovely (love neroli and orange blossom here) and feels great. Definitely a spring moisturizer. And, talking about Lush hand care, Salted Coconut hand scrub has been on my buy list since I tried it, although it’s more suitable for winter than spring.
Also, a year or two ago I was gifted a pack of three The Body Shop hand creams: Almond Hand & Nail Cream, Hemp Hand Protector and Wild Rose Hand Cream SPF15. I do not normally use hand creams, so they were just lying around until this winter. Then I started using the almond one because I needed something for my cuticles and was quite impressed with it: a great scent, sinks in well and takes a good care of nails and cuticles. Now I am using the hemp one. It’s thicker, and the fragrance is just ok, but it moisturizes well and absorbs quickly. And the Wild Rose should come in handy in spring/summer because of the SPF.
Oh, Jessica, just read your answer to JadainGA’s comments. So you already know almond and hemp hand creams.
I have a difficult time with hand cream. I have yet to find one that sinks all the way in and doesn’t make everything I touch a little greasy. (Even an hour later!) On top of that I’ve had more than one experience where I’ve either eaten something with my hands or prepared a meal after applying…and end up tasting the fragrance in my food. Soooo, I don’t use hand cream as often as I’d like (although I love to buy them!), but when I do my favorite is Crabtree and Evelyn Summer Hill. Something about the texture of the cream makes the scent better than in other products. It’s hard to explain, but it is awesome. I do have padded hangers in that scent too though. It’s really lovely when the sun comes in through my closet window and heat them up.
If you don’t mind a light vanilla scent, I recommend Carmex Replenishing Cream. It absorbs really quickly and keeps slin hydrated. The only downside is it is dicontinued but still available via Amazon.
Thanks for the tip! I’ll keep it in mind next time I order from there.
I’m enjoying the new Almond Milk & Honey hand cream & body butter from The Body Shop lately.
I sort of hate putting on hand cream because of the greasy feel, but this hand cream absorbs quickly, the scent is soft & nice, and the body butter is great for my cuticles.
As i get older i realize i can’t be blase about my skin maintenance any longer.
I also like the alba botanicals unscented lotion. We have it in the office bathroom and i can put a bunch on, rub it in, then paper towel the excess from my palms. Works like a charm
Hand creams! I am now lemming the Graine de Pastel.
My favorite night time hand cream is actually an ointment – Yu-be. It has a pleasant menthol smell. Available at Sephora in tube or tub (online only).
On my commute in to work, I haul out my humongo tube of O’Keeffe’s Working Hands Cream. Fragrance Free. Available at drugstores; probably cheapest at Bed Bath & Beyond if you use the 20% off or $5 off coupon OR if you are chasing points at Walgreens, it is worth foregoing the BB&B discount.
During the day while in the office, I use Carmex Replenishing Cream because it is emollient and absorbs well. Light vanillic smell. Available via Amazon or evilBay as it is discontinued (why Carmex, why?).
For fun – Frederic Malle Iris and I just got as a GWP Byredo hand creams (I chose Gypsy Water and Blanche).
L’Occitane Shea Butter smells too strong to me.
When I use EL Advanced Recovery Ampoules, I usually leave a little of the serum and rub it on the back of my hands.
Yea to hand cream!! I’m constantly applying hand cream and lip balm (bordering on ocd!????) My long time love and HG is L’Occitane Ultra Riche Body cream-divine! But my newest cheap thrill is Soap & Glory Smoothie Star buttercream. It’s smells truly delicious and the longevity is impressive.
I’ve been using Body Shop’s Wild Argan Oil hand creme because it’s one of the very few that sinks right into my skin. It conditions well without being greasy.
Not scented, but First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream is what I have been using since December, when I confessed to the Sephora SA who is, I am convinced, my spirit twin (just in really badass makeup), that L’Occitane shea butter, my go-to for almost 20 years, wasn’t working for me any longer.
No scent to the FAB cream, but as I sit here after breakfast, not having used any for about 12 hours (and having washed my hands at least four times in the interim), the skin on the back of my hands feels like silk. And it is March 31 in West/Central NY (known to outsiders as “upstate”). It is surprisingly light — all the more surprising because, for me at least, it works so darn well. I have the jar on my nightstand and tube in my handbag.
I am curious about the new Soap & Glory mentioned above…I used their Hand Food for a couple of years, then it, like L’Occitane, just kind of stopped helping me.
Gosh, I am chatty this morning.
I have a couple of sample size tubes of the Ultra Repair cream. You’ve motivated me to get busy and try them!
Also, the S&G Smoothie buttercream is highly fragranced. I generally use it at night, bc the scent doesn’t play well with others! And if you don’t like the scent of almonds (or gourmands in general) don’t try it. It’s really strong!