The Best Moisturizers For Your Constantly Washed Hands
It’s pandemic season, and I have for one have become even more diligent about washing my hands. And they are DRY. I have scaly skin on the webbed parts between my fingers, which has never happened to me before. I’d also guess that I’ve never spent 30 seconds making sure I’ve scrubbed between my fingers before, so perhaps the two are related. All this goes to say, I have been dipping into my lotions and potions and making sure that for every hand wash, I’m also doing a little hand moisturizing. Here are my MVPs. There are a lot of them, and they all play a vital role in keeping these paws lookin’ good.
The Everyday Moisturizers
These are the go-tos, the ones I keep close at hand. I have a bottle of Mrs Meyers Clean Day Rainwater Hand Lotion on the windowsill above my kitchen sink. It’s easy to just take a lil’ pump after I wash my hands. I also have a tube of the Trader Joe’s Rose Oil Ultra Moisturizing Hand Cream in my den. When I’m watching TV or reading and realize that my knuckles feel like sandpaper, I can just grab some of this and continue my lounging. The smell of this one is pretty strong, so if you’re a person who thinks rose smells like an old lady in a BAD way (I think it smells like an old lady in a GOOD way) then I’d pass on this one.
The Heavy Hitters
These are the ones I bring out when I really need something that packs a punch. Usually I’ll layer these moisturizers, either over each other or over one of the everyday ones. They’re also great for spot-treating. I particularly like the Vaseline All Over Body Balm (I’ve talked about this before) for when I want to be very specific with application. I’ve been swiping this over my finger webs a lot lately. My old reliable, favorite hand cream is The Body Shop’s Hemp Hand Protector. I’ve been keeping this one in my purse, to combat all the hand sanitizer I’ve been using. Then there’s this old reliable: O’Keeffe’s Working Hands. I wrote about both Working Hands and Healthy Feet lotions here, but they are really, really good. I apply both before bed and it makes a huge difference when I wake up in the morning.
The Greasy Bois
These are the messy, goopy, don’t touch anything mega moisturizers. I talk about this a lot, but Eucerin Original Healing Creme truly is diaper rash cream, but for your whole adult body. It will leave a grease stain on your pillow, but if you put this on a dry patch before bed it will be vanquished by morning. It is super messy, but when you need it, you don’t care. If my scaly hands reach the point where they’re beyond hope, my plan is to coat them in this stuff and sleep in gloves. Another product I have mentioned one million time? Weleda Skin Food. My first greasy lotion, and still a winner. Weleda saved my skin from MANY a picked pimple when I was in middle school (fifty years ago). I actually have some Weleda cotton gloves, because they KNOW this stuff will mess up your whole life, in terms of greasy lotion stains. But it will keep you skin looking lovely. A new -to-me is this tiny tin of Whipped Shea Butter from Mother’s Shea. I got this tin at Target, but it is not on the website just yet. It comes in rose or vanilla scents, and is just the perfect size for keeping at hand, wherever you are. It’s natural shea butter, and the company provides their employees in Ghana with fair wages, and puts 15% of their profits into an education fund for their workers. So you can have supple, gorgeous skin while supporting a great cause!
