Winter Hand Care

Winter Hand Superheroes

Winter, you say the word and you mind conjures up images of grey skies, snow, rain, chunky knits, hot chocolate and warm fireplaces. However for many people it also means dull, dry, and for some unlucky people painfully cracked hands.

My skin is dry all year round, however it intensifies in the winter months. While I managed to control my skin and face early on, I never realised that proper hand care can help to alleviate the discomfort caused by dry hands. I now religiously follow a quick and easy hand care routine a few times a week which has left my skin glowing and feeling all baby soft. 

While the products I use are pretty pricy I justify the cost because a) I spend way more on my face care, and b) just like your face and neck, your hands are one of the first body parts to start ageing if you don't look after them properly. 

The easiest way to combat dry winter skin is to hydrate it. L'Occitane's Dry Skin Hand Cream with 20% Shea Butter is a cult favourite and a beauty award winner many times over, just try it and you'll understand why. At first I was very very hesitant to drop a whopping $39.00 on a hand cream, even though I knew this was a good one I spent years looking around trying to find something cheaper that would be just as good. While there are many fantastic hand creams out there that did hydrate my hands nothing would ever keep them hydrated as long as this one, so in the end after using up and loving a little sample size one I bit the bullet and purchased this bad boy. Well let me tell you what a difference it has made! I have gone from having to moisturise my hands every few hours to only twice a day (morning and night), my skin is smoother and the blotchiness and discolouration has evened itself out. 

If moisturising your hands is the Batman in the fight against dry hands then this little guy is the Robin. L'Occitane's Shea Ultra Rich One Minute Hand Scrub is a divine hand scrub that contains 15% shea oil. I use this scrub twice a week, massaging it into my hands and cuticles. The brown sugar softly removes any dead skin, while the shea oil moisturises my hands so well that I don't always need to use hand cream afterwards. This exfoliation of my hands not only brightens the skin and makes my hands all glowy looking, but it also creates a smooth surface for my hand cream to sink into allowing it to absorb quicker and hydrate longer. 

Nails and cuticles should never be forgotten when looking after your hands, why put in all the hard work for the rest of your hands if you're going to have ragged cuticles and dry nails? OPI's Avoplex Cuticle Oil to Go is a quick and convenient solution to caring for your cuticles. Not only does it smell divine, but this little tube of oil makes your cuticles super soft. I apply this to my finger tips every second night and massage it in to my cuticles and nails before finishing up with hand cream. I find that this not only helps to keep my crazy out of control cuticles neat and tidy, but it also helps to strengthen my nails (which is always an added bonus).

So there you have it, my quick and easy method for beautiful hands all through the cold winter; moisturise morning and night, massage your cuticles every two days, and exfoliate twice a week. Obviously there are other ways to to keep your hands in tip top shape, like maintaining your nails...but that's a whole 'nother post for a whole 'nother day.

Have you tried any of these products, do you love them or loathe them, or do you other products you could recommend? Let me know in the comments below.

x Stacey

Products Mentioned 
L'Occitane Shea Ultra Rich One Minute Hand Scrub - $29 online here
L'Occitaine Shea Butter Hand Cream - $39 online here
OPI Avoplex Cuticle Oil to Go - $26.95 online here
*Note all prices in AUD, may be found cheaper elsewhere online :)