The 8 Best Hand Creams to Prevent Dry Winter Skin
Specific cocktails of ingredients make these hydrating and soothing.
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Cold winter weather can take its toll on your hands, and all the hand-washing and sanitizing we’ve been doing over the past two years isn’t helping. (Well, it is, but not when it comes to dry skin.) While we certainly wouldn’t suggest that you ditch your hand hygiene routine, we can suggest some great hand creams that will help fight dryness, heal cracks, and get your hands baby smooth once again.
You could go to a drugstore and pick up any old hand cream, but it can be tough to find one that works for your lifestyle and your type. To help you find the ideal hand cream, we’ve gathered up some of our favorites that have pleasant scents, healing ingredients, and the silkiest textures. Read on for some ingredients to look out for, as well as our reviews of the best hand lotions on the market.
The Best Hand Creams
What to Look for in a Hand Cream
When searching for a new hand cream, you’ll want to look out for specific ingredients in the formula that can help—or hurt—your dry skin.
Shea butter: This is used in a lot of hand creams. Not only does it help improve the texture, it works well to lock in moisture and keep your hands soft.
Vitamins A and E: These can help reduce hyperpigmentation and plump up the skin, reducing the appearance of fine lines. They can also help combat the effects of UV damage, which is great since hands are one of the body parts most frequently exposed to sunlight and damaging rays during runs.
SPF: Most hand creams don’t have SPF, but the ones that do are great for slapping on before venturing outside for your daily run. Unlike spray-on sunscreen, hand creams with added SPF will moisturize your hands without leaving you feeling oily.
Fragrances: While some creams may smell amazing, the artificial fragrances in them may actually be drying your skin out. If you do opt for a scented hand cream, look for essential oils instead of alcohol-based fragrances, as they will dry out your skin much less.
How We Choose
To narrow down the best hand creams on the market, we looked at expert-tested reviews from trusted sources like Good Housekeeping and Vogue. We then took into account ingredients, feel, longevity, scent, and price. Finally, we consulted more than 53,000 reviews, written by people who’ve bought these creams, to determine these eight as the best hand creams.
Looking for more ways to protect your skin this winter? Check out our favorite body and lip balms.
Eucerin Advanced Repair Hand Cream
Pros
- Lasts a long time
- Doesn’t leave a residue
Cons
- Can have a bit of a funny smell
If you’re prone to severely dry skin, Eucerin could be a lifesaver. The fragrance-free formula is gentle, and ingredients like glycerin, urea, and sunflower seed oil help keep your hands moisturized for up to six hours before you need to reapply.
It absorbs into the skin quickly and won’t leave you with any kind of residue on your hands. Best of all, it’s one of the most affordable options, with three 2.7-ounce bottles costing less than $20.
Pros
- No scent
- Very moisturizing
Cons
- Greasy
If you suffer from eczema or severe dry skin, this is the cream for you. It’s made without irritating ingredients like fragrances and has plenty of glycerin, which helps to trap in moisture and create a barrier on the hands against further damage. The downside is that it can be a bit greasy, so be careful not to get it on your clothes, as it can stain.
Pros
- Soaks in quickly
- Instantly moisturizes
Cons
- Very strong scent
This hand cream absorbs quickly and won’t leave any residue behind. It has ingredients like glycerin, grapeseed oil, shea butter, and coconut oil, which help to moisturize without sitting on top of the skin. Reviewers online did note that it had a very polarizing fruity scent, and people either loved or hated it.
Pros
- Improves skin tone
- Pleasant Scent
Cons
- Sticky texture
You may already be buying anti-aging cream for your face, but you can get it for your hands as well. This Mario Badescu cream contains retinyl palmitate and vitamin E, which help improve skin tone and boost collagen production. It has a pleasant rose scent, but the texture is a bit sticky, so it may be best to slather it on before bed.
Pros
- Protects skin
- Improves hyperpigmentation
Cons
- Not as moisturizing as some others
If you’re not wearing gloves when you’re running, you should definitely be wearing sunscreen on your hands. Just like your face and arms, your hands are among the parts of your body that get the most sun exposure—and they are often one of the first areas to begin showing signs of aging.
This hand cream packs SPF 40 and helps target hyperpigmentation and loss of firmness. While you don’t need to use this all the time like you would a facial SPF, it’s a smart idea to throw it on before every run.
Pros
- Cute packaging
- Soft to the touch
Cons
- Pricey for size
Not only is this the cutest hand cream container on our list, the cream itself also smells the best. This formula is infused with Glossier’s signature fragrance, which is spicy, woodsy, sweet, and fresh, working well with any perfume. The formula uses meadowfoam seed oil and coconut fruit extract to make it smooth but not greasy.
Pros
- Very thick
- Recyclable packaging
Cons
- Expensive
L’Occitane hand cream is beloved for its luxurious texture. Super thick and moisturizing, its high percentage of shea butter lends it the creamy feel. And it’s both long-lasting and super hydrating.
This formula is available in a 5.2- and 1-ounce sizes, though the larger is more cost-effective. When you’ve finished the tube, the container is also fully recyclable.
O’Keeffe’s Working Hands Hand Cream
Pros
- Very protective
- No strong scent
Cons
- Tacky residue
If you struggle with super dry, cracked hands, a typical hand cream might not be enough to help you heal. This one is designed to provide a protective layer around your hands that will help boost moisture levels and prevent further cracking and dryness.
It works best when you apply it after bathing or washing your hands, or before bed, but you can use it all day if you don’t mind the slightly tacky residue.
Before joining Runner's World, Gabrielle Hondorp spent 6 years in running retail (she has tested top gear from shoes, to watches, to rain jackets which has expanded her expertise—and her closets); she specializes in health and wellness, and is an expert on running gear from head-to-toe. Gabi began her journalism career as a Digital Editorial Fellow for Runner’s World and Bicycling Magazine, and has since advanced to a Runner's World Editor specializing in commerce. She has a double degree in English and Media and Communication from Muhlenberg College where she also ran cross country and track.
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