Hand Saviours!

This time of year I get addicted to handcream. The sudden colder, sharper weather can cause my skin to become very dry, very quickly. Near the end of September I rediscovered my loyalty card from The Body Shop. I completely forgot that they give you €10 off your purchase during your birthday month! (They also give you 10% off any purchase, any time when you use your loyalty card!) As my birthday is in September I made sure to get in before the month was up. What I intended to get was the Hemp handcream as I have heard a lot about it. However, I hated the smell of the Hemp handcream but next to it was the Almond handcream so I gave that a sniff and fell in love with it.

It’s one of those amazing handcreams that is thick yet sinks in to your skin with ease and without leaving a greasy residue. There was also a nifty little cuticle oil pen in the range so I got that as well.  It is quite a thick oil yet like its’ handcream counterpart, it sinks in easily. This duo combined is perfect for popping into my handbag and using on the go.

There is also a creamy handwash in the range which I passed on at first but a few days later while washing my hands at home I felt that the handwash left my hands quite dried out after using it – cue a trip back to The Body Shop! 

I love this trio of handcare items. They leave my hands feeling soft and cared for. The smell that lingers is divine but not overwhelming. After using the items for well over 6 weeks I know I will certainly be repurchasing each of the items.

If you’re on the lookout for some items to treat your hands to in this harsher weather, definitely check these out!

Overnight Hand Treatment

I don't know about you but the winter weather always causes havoc on my hands. This year hasn't been as bad as others (one year my knuckles cracked and bled - em, eww) but they have felt dry, including my cuticles. (I've learnt so much this past year, before I would have been like - dry cuticles? you wha?) 

When this occurs I like to carry out what I like to call my intensive handcare routine....overnight. I've actually done this every year during the winter but before it only would have involved a thick hand cream as I wasn't as protective or knowledgeable of my cuticles back then. I tend to do this once a week but if I feel they need an extra quick-fire treat, I'll do it for a few nights in a row.

So what does the Intensive Hand Care Treatment involve? The original counterparts are the white MJ style gloves and hand cream. Newer additions include cuticle oil, cuticle cream and a hand salve.

Step 1

I use this hand salve as an extra intense hydration/soothing balm. I dig my finger into the tub and smear a decent amount over my knuckles. I don't rub it in properly yet.

Step 2

My chosen cuticle cream is the Burt's Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream. It is a lemon scented one and not too greasy.  I run each nail through the cuticle cream until there is a good blob of it at the tip of each nail. I don't rub it in just yet.

Step 3

My current night hand cream is a Crabtree & Evelyn Hand Therapy one. It is 'specially formulated with natural shea butter to soothe and help protect hands.' I adore the smell of this and while it is thick you could still get away with using it as a day hand cream as well. Another bonus of this hand cream is that it comes with a pump style top (which I somwhow managed to cut out of both pictures?!)

I pump 2-3 pumps on the back of each hand. Again I let it sit there and move on to the next step.

Step 4

Next we have the 2 cuticle oils I use. The first one is my main one. It's an Oro Gold one that I got in a giftset. It's a thicker oil than the China Glaze one. I really just use the China Glaze one for the smell. Again it could probably be used during the day or in the evening if you were just watching tv. It's not greasy enough to cause too much damage. Firstly I paint a thin strip of the China Glaze cuticle oil around my entire cuticle/nail bed. The I add a drop of the Oro Gold cuticle oil to the base of each nail.

Finally I am ready to mix it all up. I begin by massaging the cuticle cream and oils into my cuticles and nail beds. Then I rub in the salve and hand cream. Finally, I put on the white cotton gloves to help it all sink in and moisturise throughout the night. 

So there we go. When you type it out step by step it seems like loads to do, but in reality it is done in a minute. This is just the way I like to keep my hand soft and well conditoned during the winter time. 

Anybody have any other tips or suggestions?