This spell of cold weather has played havoc with my poor hands, They feel like sandpaper and the sides of my index fingers are splitting and cracked.  I always wear gloves and try to dry my hands properly after washing, but I really need a super duper handcream that soaks in quickly.

What do you all use?

Thanks

I have the same problem.  At the moment I'm using Liz Earle handcream, I love it, and I use Liz Earle superbalm on the really dry bits (and the smell is heavenly :-)).  If you want a really rich one the L'Occitane shea butter one is excellent, but takes a while to soak in.  I hope you find something that suits you.

Try Norwegian Formula Neutrogena Concentrated.  I find this is the only stuff that works for me at this time of year.  Normal hand creams just don't cut it!

I always use handcream throughout the year and I've tried a fair few.  The best one, IMO, is Avon's DrySkinSOS hand cream.  I always buy it when it's on a 99p offer so I have a stock.

L'Occitane hand cream is my favourite too but I dont have such problems as the OP.

I do have a friend who is having real problems with cracked and sore fingers and the only thing which helped is Bio Oil, expensive but she swears by it.

For me it's the Neutrogena concentrated as well.  I have had this 75ml tube for ages, it lasts so long.

Got to be liz earle,worth every single penny,i use the hand cream,i also use the cleanse and polish for my face(no more spots heheh)and the best is the dry sensitive face cream,i use it on my back and love it,i had dry itchy excma sking for years on my back,doctors creams have thinned it,shop creams dont work,tried liz earles face cream on it and for the first time in donkeys years,i dont have one scratch on my back
jo

Ive got a L'Occitane one, Lavender, but I don't think it's  heavy duty, which is what I need right now, It's fine if my hands are ok.

2 votes each for Liz Earle and Norwegian formula,  maybe thats the way to go.

Keep your ideas coming!

Evelyn & Crabtree gardeners therapy for me. love the smell and I use all year round.

Love Liz Earle but Atrixo comes a close second! 

> Evelyn & Crabtree gardeners therapy for me.

My daughter gave me some - it's really nice :) My trouble is that I won't throw anything away (the way we were brought up :) ), even if it's not much good, so have to use all the other stuff I've got in turn :) :) :)

Daisy

if you put it into the empty dispenser you could prtend its the gardeners stuff.  (thats if you have a dispenser and not a tube!

> if you put it into the empty dispenser you could prtend its the gardeners stuff.  (thats if you have a dispenser and not a tube

Mine's in a tin ?? :) (Better go and check it's the same thing :) )

Oops :) It's Scottish Fine Soap's - Gardener's Therapies :) :) :) It's still nice tho' :)

Scottish fine soap is good too.  If anyone had told me years ago that I would get excited about hand soap I would have laughed!

Got to agree with a couple of the above posters - Norwegian formula concentrated - Neutrogena is a must for me.  It blends in well and doesn't leave hands feeling sticky when you touch the bed sheets afterwards as my other body lotion does.  As for the stuff I have in the downstairs cloakroom that matches the soap in a dispenser - it is rubbish and even makes my hands feel worse.  I can't take any scented stuff at all.

Oh but you have to massage it in well - it isn't an instant fix.

My hand are awfully dry as soon as summer is over and I'm still looking for a really good one.  I have just discovered a really cheap body cream in a tub from Lidl, it's from their Cien range and costs just £1.15, it's brilliant as a body cream, it's really thick and you can slather it on and it just soaks in.  I just starting using it at night on my hands and I have to say it's as good as Nutrogena and Clarins which are the ones I usually favour although it is a little greasy on the hands so probably best saved for bedtime. 

I haven't tried Liz Earle but will definitely give it a try. 

I use Nivea SOS Intensive Balm, I think it's similar to the Neutrogena.

Roxalex Dri-Guard, its an 'industrial' one OH used to use in garage but it is brilliant, iv'e had big splits in fingers at times and rub it in it sort of fills the split up with it so I leave it. you can get it on line but can't remember where.
Chris

I get eczema on my hands in the cold months and the Norwegian Formula Neutrogena Concentrated sets it almost on fire! Burns like mad and makes my skin bright red.

I like Skin Food by Weleda.

I like all of the ones mentioned but at night I now use vaseline, inexpensive & works well.

L'Occitane one is the best handcream I have ever bought. It is expensive , you can get it cheaper on QVC but debenhams are selling it on offer in a christmas gift pack for £25.

After my last litter my hands were in a terrible state, after puppies had gone I went to debenhams Origins counter and asked for advice ..the girl gave my hands a treatment which was a scrub and a hand cream I couldnt believe the difference when she had finished , never had a cheaper handcream do the same job , so I would also recommend Origins but that is also a bit pricey... good if you want to treat yourself.

Virgin vie do a hand care in a tub which is really good for dry hands. You put it on under gloves and leave it on overnight. I used to do vie and had one lady who used it buy loads from me because her hands were really bad and it was the only thing that helped.

Superdrugs own hand cream cheap and does the job give it a try :-)

I've had real problems in the past with my hands and the skin breaking and the best cream ever is Aveeno.  You can buy it in Boots (although I managed to get it prescribed from my doctor when I'd just had a baby and my hands had become cracked and infected).  It's now in with the other creams and it's amazing.

este laude(sp) Mani pedi is fantastic - its a dual cream for hands and feet. Was about £17. The other good one is origins.

Neutrogena doesn't do a thing for me.  I quite like Origins rejuvenating hand treatment. 

But the best of all time has got to be Clarins hand and nail cream.  I did try the one that is just hand cream, but prefer the hand and nail.  I love the fact that, used daily, it makes my hands look much younger than they really are.  Smells gorgeous, and the best thing since sliced bread.

Hemp from the body shop for me the hemp foot cream is really good as well.
I also keep a large tub of atrixo on the go incase I run out of hemp.

L'Occitane for me as well they have a dry skin one but I can't remember what it is called.

While staying as my Mothers I bought a tube of hand cream 79p from Aldis, ( my clarins was at home). The Aldis is the best I have ever used, my hands (and elbows) are lovely and soft !

Clarins junkie here too :-D

I really like the L'Occitane Shea butter hand cream, but as I've recently run out, I ducked into our local supermarket and bought Palmers Shea Butter formula with Vitamin E.
I have to say it's pretty good.  Leaves your hands feeling really soft, and no stickiness.

Nuetrogena works well the norweigan formular.

I use Luberderm with the Shea Butter and also Aveno

Compeed overnight cracked heel cream, works great for cracked sore fingers and knuckles as well as heels.

I use The Body Shop Hemp handcream-very very rich but really soothing, and softens up and moisturises my hands no matter how dry. It's got a love of hate aroma though!

Have you tried putting on lotion or even vasaline and put some rubber gloves on for over night for a couple of nights- suppose to help if really cracked :-)

Hubby works in town so very kindly got me some of the Bodyshop Hemp cream yesterday.  I slathered it on last night and already my hands feel much better.

I don't somehow fancy wearing 'me marigolds' to bed ;)

Can anyone recommend a good lip salve/balm? My lips get very dry in cold weather and if I'm not permanently putting Chapstick on them they get sore & cracked. Does anything work better than Chapstick?

Virgin vie's guardian angel again lol. I get chapped lips when horse riding, never have them if I apply vie!

> Virgin vie's guardian angel again

Where is it available from? Bear in mind we only have a Boots here!

Vaseline for cracked lips. You can get it in small round tins that fit in your pocket/handbag.

I think the bodyshop hemp hand protector is fab. Best handcream I have ever used.

Ailsa

Palmers lipbalm's good-I've used it since I was at school (I'm 31). They do a brilliant and divine smelling/tasting dark chocolate and mint lip butter in a tube-it's about £3 I think. I love it-got one in car, one by the bed and one in my bag.

> Palmers Shea Butter formula with Vitamin E.
> I have to say it's pretty good.  Leaves your hands feeling really soft, and no stickiness.

Must depend on individuals skin type!  I find it makes my hands sticky and cacky!!

Okay..................
WARNING.
I bought the hemp hand protector cream and a hemp soapless wash to go with it.
At home opened it to smell it!
Takes me back to my rebelious teenage years, of course its hemp, how could I not of thought about it first before buying?
The intention was to give it as a secret santa gift to someone who is always slathering on any type of hand cream as her hands are so dry.
Do I dare now I've smelled it....not sure

Karen

>Takes me back to my rebelious teenage years,

Happy days! :-)

Oh yes.  :)

That, and patchouli oil, makes me feel about 19 again.  *sighs wistfully*

Patchouli, now that is exactly where my thoughts were too.
We are plainly ladies of 'a certain age'...........

>> Must depend on individuals skin type!  I find it makes my hands sticky and cacky!!

Really?  I guess it must depend on skin type :)
I've also used the Bodyshops Hemp hand cream, and really couldn't get on with it, as I found that made my hands all sticky!  Weird hey?