Tub Thoughts
Dry Heat
7 years ago by
Do any of you ever feel like you hands are incurably dry? That’s how I feel, even right now at the peak of summer humidity. No matter how much hand cream I apply, I can’t seem to escape the parched skin that one would hope is reserved only for the deepest depths of winter. What do you guys use to keep your hands moisturized (extra points for something with sun protection in it too)? I’d love to know!
Yes, yes, yes! I have no solutions, but am definitely tuning in to hear what others have to say.
I used to get really bad winter eczema on my hands as a kid – my mother slathered on Elizabeth Arden 8 hour cream and let me sleep with cotton gloves. It really is the best!
Rub in any heavy cream, maybe put some extra vaseline or eight hour cream on if you are extra dry, and cover with cotton gloves before you go to bed. The gloves keep your sheets clean and paws moisturized! Works for feet too :-P
Yes, my hands definitely feel warm dry, especially after washing them! I’ve been using whatever hand cream I have near by with a dab of vaseline, and that seems to help. I’ve also been trying to remember to use sunscreen on my hands, but it’s so hard!
The best I’ve found, after years of trial and error research, is Glysomed Fragrance Free Hand Cream in the white tube. It’s reasonably priced and SO soothing to dry hands, especially in winter and after gardening. It is a bit greasy so use just a little, as it goes a long way. If I need to use my hands soon after applying, I just wipe my fingertips. Once it soaks into the skin, my hands stay soft, even with frequent hand washing. It’s not easy to find but every few years I order a dozen travel size tubes online (Google it) and hope they never discontinue it! Glysomed also makes a scented version and an Eczema formula but I’ve never tried either, so don’t know how they compare but I highly recommend their Fragrance Free product.
http://www.glysomed.com/products/
I use Glycolix products for my feet, my hands, and my face. Their 18% extremity cream works for my hands or feet, and they have a 10% formula in a tube for hands. Their 15% formula moisturizer is made for the body. If I want my hands to look really moisturized, I’ll use the Elite 15% facial cream (in a jar). Eucerin’s Intensive Repair lotion (in a pump) is a fragrance free alpha hydroxy formulation. Glycolic acid compounds seem to normalize my skin.
I also love the Elizabeth Arden 8 hour cream, which is more like a petroleum jelly compound – it is best, as Veronica mentioned, to wear cotton gloves (or socks) after applying.
You should use an exfoliant on your hands to remove build-up of dry skin. I like Paula’s Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Lotion Exfoliant (which I use all over my body). After that, you’ll need to address either injecting hydration into your skin (I use Drunk Elephant B-Hydra Intensive Hydration Gel), moisturizing your skin with something that contains oil and will lock in the hydration (I use Drunk Elephant Umbra for day or coconut oil from Costco at night), or both. I’ve found that this method—exfoliate, hydrate, then moisturize—works for both my dry face and hands. If you want to start cheaply to see which of those problems might be plaguing you, see what happens when you use Trader Joe’s Vitamin E Oil (https://www.amazon.com/Trader-Joes-Vitamin-Oil-Ounce/dp/B00FZPTL7S/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8&th=1), which I love!
You should use an exfoliant on your hands to remove build-up of dry skin. I like Paula’s Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Lotion Exfoliant (which I use all over my body). After that, you’ll need to address either injecting hydration into your skin (I use Drunk Elephant B-Hydra Intensive Hydration Gel), moisturizing your skin with something that contains oil and will lock in the hydration (I use Drunk Elephant Umbra w/ SPF for day or coconut oil from Costco at night), or both. I’ve found that this method—exfoliate, hydrate, then moisturize—works for both my dry face and hands. If you want to start cheaply to see which of these problems might be plaguing you, see what happens when you use Trader Joe’s Vitamin E Oil, which I love! Once it’s absorbed, which doesn’t take more than 5-10 mins for me, then you can apply any SPF product last.
I have terribly dry hands and in a recent visit to a dermatologist he told me to stop washing my hands so frequently (what?) and use Excipial Repair hand lotion. It has worked for me but I’m still struggling with the less hand wahsing situation…
xx,
E.
http://www.theslowpace.com
Clarins hand and nail cream: it doesn’t leave your hand greasy so you can use it during the day as well as at night. It’s good enough for Queen Elizabeth….
I used to have chronically dry hands and the only thing that really helped was /Caudalie creme gourmande mains et ongles/. It was recommended to me by an assistant who works at a medical lab, which means constant washing and washing of the hands and thus, well, constant dryness..
The cream is pricey and has a very intense smell (which to most people is apparently divine), but it is not greasy, soaks right in and really really does work.
Now, however, the skin on my hands has become much less dry – and I think inner hydration has to do with that. So take care from the outside, but don’t forget to hydrate constantly.
My favourite one for summer is the one from Caudalie that has a citrusy scent! So refreshing, plus they have a mini which I carry in my bag.
http://www.appelezmoiana.com
I absolutely love the Arbonne FC5 Ultra Hydrating Hand Creme. As it’s described, it’s light-weight while absorbent and hydrating. Can’t go wrong with its reasonable price-tag either.