Handy Tips to Moisturise Your Mitts!

Isn't it funny, the minute October appeared today the nip in the air got just that bit little sharper and the feeling that winter may well be on its way, sadly, became a little more of a reality. In the same way we will have to get our hats and scarves out, an essential skincare addition heading into the colder months has to be a good hand cream to battle the effect the sharp drop in temperature has on our much-used mitts. After many years trying and testing dozens of hand creams, these three by Clarins, L'Occitane and Kiehl's are my favourites by miles.

Hand creams are a dime a dozen and I'm sure most of you have received many over the years as part of Christmas presents or picked up one after the other over the years; I certainly have. But, like a moisturiser for your face or body, a lot of hand creams are just so blah and mediocre and don't really ever do much to change the moisture of your hands or are any better than water when your hands face the biggest challenge of the year: bitterly cold temperatures one minute followed by central heating or open fires the next.

For all of the reasons above I decided to finally compile this list of hand creams I've really noticed make a difference and are a real treat to use.

L'Occitane

Starting off with my all time favourite, I've had tube after tube of L'Occitane's 20% Shea Butter Hand Cream for Dry Skin in my bag at all times for years and have squeezed so many to the limit and I've also bought this cream for so many friends so they could feel the effects too.

With 20% Shea Butter, along with coconut oil, honey and sweet almond extract, this hand cream is one of the brand's most popular products for years because it's just so basic and effective. The cream itself almost feels like an indulgence; it glides on and absorbs in so easily and I've definitely found that using this on a regular basis, as your should when you're trying to find the effectiveness of any skincare products, greatly improves both the softness of your hands and their ability to combat the cold and chapping effect of winter. It also smells so soothing and relaxing, thanks to the above ingredients along with the addition of jasmine and ylang-ylang essences.

I love this hand cream, I think I've used it longer than any skincare product ever and it will always be a favourite for myself and as a gift for friends and family.

L'Occitane's 20% Shea Butter Hand Cream for Dry Skin comes in two sizes: 30ml for €10.50 and 150ml for €23

Clarins

Another hand cream I've been using for years, Clarins Hand and Nail Treatment Cream is both extremely effective to combat dry skin and toughen up nails, but it also feels like such a luxury to use; much like most of Clarins' products in fact.

I've actually gotten this maybe three times as part of Clairns gift packs for Christmas or birthdays which was a great way of trying this out, since it's a little pricey I may not have been as naturally inclined towards seeking it out.

Containing Sesame, Japanese Mullberry and Myrrh, this hand cream smells so amazing and really helps both maintaining soft hands during the winter but is also great to treat slightly chapped and dried out hands the winter presents us with each year as well as keeping nails strong. Another classic.

Clarins Hand and Nail Treatment Cream is available for €21 for 100ml and €30 for 200ml from most department stores and bigger pharmacies.

Kiehl's

And now to bring out the big guns. Kiehl's. as I have mentioned many times before, has a wonderful habit of producing products that do things I've never seen any brand do and this Ultimate Strength Hand Salve is by no means an exception.

This is a hardcore hand cream which, as the brand describes, is "for the driest, most active hands". Since I must confess I never had either, I never thought to buy it but then I was given a trial size last winter. For the first time ever the extremes of the coldest part of last winter, combined with central heating and open fires, lead to the skin starting to peel from my hands and they became the driest they'd ever been. I tried all my usual fail-safes, especially the other two reliables mentioned in this post, but for once to no avail. I even tried Vaseline and Elizabeth Arden's 8 Hour Cream and nothing worked... Until I remember I had this. It was the ultimate hand cream test and in no time my poor hands were back to their former selves!

So, for hands that have a tendency for dryness, or if you use your hands outdoors or in any extreme conditions, Kiehl's Ultimate Strength Hand Salve is an absolutely must have. Another bonus is that it absorbs quicker than any cream I've come across and even when you wash your hands it seems to lock in the moisture so it lasts that bit longer and protect them from becoming chapped in the first palce.

Ultimate Strength Hand Salve is about €18 for 75ml and about €25 for 150ml from Kiehl's stores in Wicklow Street, Dundrum and Arnotts.