Your hands do so much in a day: typing, cleaning, cooking, comforting — and the list could go on. Despite being one of the most useful parts of the body, they are also the most neglected. Unlike your face and body, the hands often receive step-motherly treatment. Some people will just wash their hands and that’s it.
No one likes dry and chapped hands, but do we really give our hands the care they deserve?
That’s where a good hand cream comes in.
Hand Creams: Why Bother?
Contrary to popular belief, the skin on the back of your hands is different to the skin on your palms. The surface on top of your hands possesses less sebaceous glands, which means it dries up quickly. The skin on the palms, on the other hand, is thicker and requires stronger products to absorb moisture.
Exposure to everyday tasks and different environmental factors are damaging to the hands. If you don’t use creams, you’ll suffer from cracked, dry, and painful hands.
Moisturized hands are pretty and also one of the top reasons to start using hand creams. Keeping the skin moisturized is also helpful if you suffer from eczema or dry skin on your hands. By promoting hydration through hand creams, you enjoy the benefits of healthy and young looking hands. These creams get rid of wrinkles and encourage fading of age spots.
The Perks
Still, need more convincing? Here are the benefits of religiously using hand cream:
- Love your supple skin: hand cream gives you softer hands — thanks to the oils that replenish lost moisture. It also restores damaged skin while leaving a subtle fragrance.
- Relieve stress with a mini-spa treatment: including the hand cream routine in your schedule is one of the best ways to blow off some steam during school or work. When you need a break, look for a comfortable spot, close your eyes, and just massage the cream in your hands.
- It’s good for the nails, too: a good hand cream also benefits your cuticles. A daily massage promotes longer, stronger, and healthier nails.
- Comes in handy and quirky packages: it’s a decent addition to your skincare collection. Some hand creams come with themes. Fans of the Korean idol group EXO enjoyed Nature Republic’s range of EXO hand creams.
Choosing the Right Cream
“So I’ll just pick any hand cream and I’ll be good to go?” you might ask.
That seems like the go-to option, but if you want the best for your hands, it pays to pick the right one. Not all lotions are created equal, which means your chosen product may not address your hands’ needs. With a broad selection available, how do you pick out the right one?
Start by mapping out skincare concerns. Take into account your hands’ common struggles: are they dry? Does skin flake off fast? An exfoliating hand cream should do the trick.
Also, decide on how much moisture you’ll need. It’s tempting to buy the biggest and greasiest cream from the supermarket, but it’s not always the best. Instead, look for hydrating ointments to address severe cases of hand dryness.
Personally, I’m a big fan of The Face Shop’s hand creams. Apart from the cute concepts and designs (they’ve hand Pokémon, The Simpsons, and Kakao Talk ranges), their products really moisturized my hands. The scent combined with the non-sticky feel of the lotion encourages me to apply cream every now and then.
Do not brush off your need for a good hand cream. Impress the next person you shake hands or intertwine your fingers with by religiously applying a good product today.
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