However well-intentioned, our {hands} are too often neglected – expected to fend for themselves as we shower our face with devotion (sorry hands)… but now that we’re {washing and hand-sanitising} with antibacterial gels and hot (hot, hot!) water, we have to acknowledge the pleas of our over-dried mains and show precious extremities overdue care and attention.
Hands are subjected to the absolute worst tasks: picking up dog poos, bleaching the bath, washing up – you know the drill – and there’s nothing worse than cracked hands, dry hands, sweaty hands or greasy hands, which is why we’ve cherry-picked hand care essentials to cherish the gnarliest of palms and upgrade the mundane. With hand soap that’s gentle (yet no less effective), nourishing {creams} to replenish and soften, and sanitisers that don’t smell like a really, really bad bottle of student vodka, get ready to make some space in your handbags, bedside table and bathroom cabinet…
KEEP CALM AND CLEANSE
If you’re longing for dinner with friends at your fave SoHo hangout then bring the esprit of its beautiful bathroom to yours with {Aesop’s} Resurrection collection – their {Hand Wash}, {Hand Balm} and their chic {Rinse-Free} formula not only cement your impeccable taste but their blend of botanical extracts respect your industrious digits and leave them delectably scented.
The brainchild of perfumer Jo Malone, {Jo Loves’} {A Hand Wash} brings much-needed chic to your WC with its minimal styling and soft, lavish lather. The fresh scent of crisp ‘Eucalyptus & Cedar Woods’ instantly conjures expansive outdoors with its clean, alpine profile. Try closing your eyes while you sing ‘Happy Birthday’ and letting your mind venture out for a while…
When dirt and grime gets *Ouai* out of hand, reach for a {Hand Wash} by {OUAI Haircare}. Cushiony and creamy, this cleanser exfoliates, refreshes, hydrates and softens your skin, all while soothing inflammation (dry skin sufferers, we’re looking at you) and transporting you to London’s Dean Street (no flight required) via an uplifting blend of citrus, apricot, rose, magnolia, blossom and musk. Can you tell we’re ready for a holiday?
THE CREAM OF THE CROP
Look to {Frédéric Malle’s} {Portrait of a Lady Hand Crème} and its nourishing blend of plant butters and oils to deeply replenish, repair and condition even the scaliest of palms. With a soft and silky (never slimy or greasy) texture that’ll cloak your cracks with comfort, it stars notes of opulent rose, patchouli and amber in an ode to the brand’s bestselling scent of the same name.
If your fingers are feeling the pinch, replenish stressed, over-washed hands with {Margaret Dabbs’} {Pure Repairing Hand Cream} – a lightweight yet deeply conditioning formula that envelops sore, itchy skin with a comforting blanket of (non-greasy!) calm. Boasting a buffet of oils and extracts (think: plant-derived hero pentavitin, smoothing sweet almond oil and fatty acid-rich vitamin F forte) to soothe and accelerate healing, keep this by your desk to hydrate scaly skin and uplift with its rose and lemon scent.
How many of you apply sunscreen religiously? Clever skintellectuals! Now, how many of you apply sunscreen religiously to your… hands? The probable answer is far too few – but your hands are a key indicator of age so for those keen to ward against signs of the passage of time, a hand cream with SPF helps to protect against crêpey-ness, dark spots and all other sun-induced woes. Ultra-lightweight and non-greasy, Hello Sunday’s {The One For Your Hands – Hand Cream SPF30} is brimming with cell-quenching hyaluronic acid, nourishing jojoba oil and replenishing karité butter, and smells like a crisp margarita (think: fresh, juicy lime with a twist of mint and whisper of geranium).