Heal Those Hands

For those whose hands become uncomfortably dry after washing, applying hand cream is more an act of necessity than vanity. Over the years, I have learned to keep a tube, pot, or bottle of hand cream inside my handbag and on my office desk. Here are a few of the best I have tried so far.

From top right, Vaseline intensive rescue healing hand cream, Avalon Organics hand & body lotion in peppermint, The Body Shop body butter in moringa, L'Occitane hand cream in honey & lemon, and Baume de Dalmatie spotted hand cream (for velvety paws - it really says this on the tube). All the hand creams above have thick consistency and are easily absorbed by the skin without making hands feel greasy and slippery.

Vaseline lotions are one of the best and most affordable lotions available in the supermarket, so it's not a surprise that their intensive rescue hand cream works like magic on extra dry hands. The only downside, this scentless cream can get a little dull and boring sometimes.

According to its tag, Avalon Organics products are "vegetarian and hypoallergenic," and the brand promotes "consciousness in cosmetics." Hoorah for this environmentally friendly brand! Not only is its hand cream really effective, the peppermint flavor smells like a relaxing spa treatment. Avalon Organics products are available at Healthy Options.

The Body Shop's Body Butter is a fantastic body cream but only during cold weather. Applying this thick and heavy cream all over the body during the summer is certainly not recommended. To treat myself to the sweet scents of body butter all year round, I use it as a hand cream instead.

Tiny tubes of hand cream like L'Occitane in honey and lemon and Baume de Dalmatie are perfect for stashing in handbags, whatever the size. I love all things L'Occitane and this hand cream is no exception. Baume de Dalmatie is a luxurious French hand cream given to me by Queen J. A small dollop of this is enough to moisturize dry hands. Another upside of this, it really has tiny black dots inside. Its small opening is perfect for targeting specific areas such as cuticles; it also ensures minimal wastage since a tiny 15mL tube of this costs around HKD 150 in Lane Crawford.