Your fingers on the pulse
THERE is nothing like the passing comments of a five-year-old boy to wither your self-esteem. “Ew, mum, your hands are so old,” he complained last week.
I’m getting to that stage where the skin doesn’t quite spring back into place as quick. And there is little I can do about it.
Just look at Madonna, now sporting a pair of leather black gloves whenever she makes a public appearance. And there’s probably a good reason for that: she might be rocking a super-tight face that looks younger than most 35 year olds, but her hands are no doubt ageing like every other 54 year old on the block.
Of course, that doesn’t mean that your paws are beyond saving. Hands definitely look a lot worse when they’re dry, and coming into the winter is when you need to start looking after them.
Starting off, it’s worth bearing in mind that all hand creams are not the same. A good one will sink into the skin quickly and effectively, leaving your skin looking smoothed and toned. A poor one will sit on the skin, rubs off on everything you touch and has to be reapplied every five minutes to have any effect.
Before you even begin with a hand cream, take a look at the soap you’re using. Cheap, synthetic supermarket stuff make my hands feel like scouring pads — I can’t use them, and while you don’t have to spend a fortune on a nice soap, you do have to do a bit of looking around.
Go hunting in shops such as L’Occitane for lovely olive oil soaps, or opt for brands such as Burt’s Bees. Anything that has a good percentage of essential oils will do your hands a world of good.
When it comes to hand creams there is so much choice out there it can be hard to know where to start. First up, I don’t like anything sloppy, or liquidy. This is probably because my hands tend to be very dry, and I prefer more of a balm-like texture.
On my desk, I keep a tube of Neutrogena’s Norwegian Formula Concentrated Hand Cream, €5.63. It does need to be warmed slightly in the hands first, but it’s an absolute salve — a manna for dehydrated, wrinkly hands. And it sinks in very well.
Badger Balm’s Healing Balm for Hardworking Hands, €4.99, is as simple as simple could be, with organic virgin olive oil and beeswax. Again, it’s quite thick, but for very dry hands, it’s perfect.
A nice treat is the Spiezia Organics Moisturising Hand Balm, €19.98, with sweet orange and ylang ylang. It’s definitely softer, and is slightly oilier, but it’s still a winner with a divine scent and a very pleasant texture.
For something lighter but just as effective, try Origins’s Make a Difference Rejuvenating Hand Treatment,
€24. You only need the tiniest amount to turn your hands into silky lovelies. It’s very effective thanks to a combination of rose of Jericho, meadowfoam seed oil, and Atlantic Ocean flora. One to fancy.
Meanwhile, sitting quietly and unassumingly at the lower end of the glamour spectrum is the Atrixo Intensive Protection Treatment Hand Cream, €5.64, and also Nivea’s Age Defying Q10 Plus Hand Cream, €5.43. Simple, affordable and honest. Like it.
I love a small soap manufacturer, and while it may be an indulgence, they do last a decent amount of time. These soaps are made by traditional methods, and use goat’s milk, shea butter, jojoba and manuka honey, with a burst of bergamot and jasmine oils. Lovely.
I neither want nor expect hand creams to be fancy in any way, I just want them to do a good job, which is why I keep coming back to Neutrogena’s hand cream. It’s clinically proven to work and has a highly concentrated formula, which means that it lasts for ages and ages.
Spiezia is a very small beauty company specialising in organic produce. If you’re looking for a very pure product then this could be the hand cream for you. You’ll love this sweet-smelling cream. Natural and very lovely to use.
This is perfect for keeping beside your bed and using before you go to sleep, because overnight your hands are transformed into the most satiny paws on the planet. A lovely scent and great for hands that are really in need of a little TLC. Not the cheapest out there, but worth it for a treat.
Exactly the kind of hand cream for keeping beside the sink. It’s very good at its job, and absorbs easily into the skin banishing roughness and making your hands feel as if they’ve been nourished back to health.
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