Words: Jonathan Wells
Damnit, dry skin! When will you give it a rest? Because, if we’re honest, we’re fed up of this whole dehydrated, sun-baked business. We’ve come to expect dry hands and cracked knuckles during wintertime — when the temperatures are low and our hands have to fight against the elements. But summer? Come on. It’s like dry skin is trying to itch and scratch its way into every corner of our calendar.
And, frankly, we’ve had enough. So, equipped with the best balms, creams, lotions and liniments, we’re tackling the problem head-on — or should that be hand-on? Whatever you want to call it, here are the best hand creams and most innovative, effective moisturisers to see your hands safely through summer.
To tackle the city streets, try Heath’s Hand Salve
Here’s one for any city-dwellers emerging back into the real world this summer. From Heath, the English brand whose bottles and tubes are splashed with a hint of British Racing Green, comes this handy hand salve formulated with powerful Pollustop, an ‘anti-pollution weapon’ created to protect us from toxins and noxious substances in the air.
And this salve’s talents don’t end there. It is also crammed full of shea butter and pro-vitamin B5 to soften and moisturise your hands, whilst allantoin will both soothe and protect. But the best thing about our mint and lavender-fragranced first choice? It’s one of the least greasy on the list.
For a touch of luxury, try Floris’ Chypress Hand Treatment Cream
Your hands won’t know what’s hit ’em. This decadent offering from British perfume house Floris is so luxurious, so fancy — that we can’t even pronounce it. And yet that’s not because it’s chock full of multisyllabic chemicals and compounds. Far from it, in fact. This ‘Hand Treatment Cream’ is 100 percent vegan, and created using chiefly natural ingredients.
Sweet almond and jojoba oil will nourish your skin and prevent dryness. Babassu oil softens hands, and aloe vera soothes and calms dry skin. There’s even natural oils, from bergamot to creamy orange flower, that will wrap your damaged skin in a warm, enveloping musk. Like we said, opulence in a foil tube.
To soothe labour-wearied hands, try Aēsop’s Resurrection Aromatique Hand Balm
Don’t let that delicately-coloured tube fool you — this is the toughest, roughest and readiest hand cream on this list. Or ‘Ressurection Aromatique Hand Balm’, if we’re to use its full title. Sound a little over-blown? Perhaps. But it may as well have ‘Lazarus’ written in place of ‘Aēsop’ — because this balm knows a thing or two about bringing stuff back to life.
Blended with fragrant botanicals — including mandarin rind, rosemary leaf and cedar atlas, this life-giving liniment swirls together skin-softening emollients with greaseless, hydrating compounds to deliver rich moisture to labour-wearied hands. Its woody, herbaceous scent is delightful; but comes second to its incredible properties. Your cuticles can thank us later.
If you want a natural formula, try Le Labo’s Hinoki Hand Pomade
This one needs a little bit of background. Out in Japan, on the slopes of Mount Koya, many Buddhist temples were built high in the hinoki forests — hinoki being a type of tree that gives off an incredibly mystical, profusely warm and mesmerising aroma. The temples have become synonymous with the scent — and it’s one you’ll also find in Le Labo’s most effective hand cream.
Or should that be ‘pomade’? Like the balms and salves above, Le Labo seems determined to elevate this above your usual hand cream. But it needn’t have resorted to semantics. Instead, with a plant-based formula made with nourishing shea butter, moisturising almond and restorative peony, this cream speaks for itself.
If you want to seduce your own hands, Byredo’s Suede Hand Cream
You know those slick city bachelor pads — all dark wood and low lighting? This is the hand cream equivalent of that. It’s called ‘Suede’, and it’s even smoother than it sounds, with a light yet nourishing texture and softly hydrating formula to keep you feeling fresh from noon til night.
It smells good, too. Like really good. Like an aftershave, Byredo‘s offering has actual notes — a base of crisp amber, soft musks and velvet plum; a heart of violets and lily of the valley; top notes of bergamot and fresh aldehydes. You might not clock them all as you’re slathering it all over your hands, but they’re there — working their magic…
Still worried about your skin this summer? We’ve rounded up some of the best SPF moisturisers on the market…
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