Finding the best hand cream is an important part of any skin care routine, yet surprisingly the hands are one of the most overlooked areas of the body. Because we use our hands so much, and expose them to any number of chemicals, pollutants and other irritants, they can sustain a lot of damage but often we’re not aware of just how rough we’re being on them.
One of the best ways to take care of your hands is with a good quality protective hand cream. In order to make sure you’re doing right by your hands you need to put some thought into the cream you use.
Why Is Hand Cream So Important For You?
Have you ever heard anyone say that you can tell how old a person is by looking at their hands? There’s a reason for that. It’s a scientifically proven fact that the skin on your hands ages faster than any other part of your body.
That’s because your skin is thinnest on the back of your hands, so any exposure to the UV rays of the sun or to any abrasive substances will cause the collagen in the skin to break down faster, resulting in dark spots and wrinkles.
More importantly, those harmful substances will penetrate deeper into the lower layers of the skin, making the damage more severe and lasting.
Of course wrinkles and dark spots aren’t the only problems your hands face. Weather extremes, particularly cold weather, can also cause the skin to become dry, cracked and irritated, leading to redness and chapping.
Even the advice we get for avoiding the spread of illness, washing our hands frequently, can lead to damage as the more you reach for the anti-bacterial soap, the more you’re contributing to the breakdown of the “good” bacteria that help to protect your skin. Now you can begin to see why finding the best hand cream is so important.
What Exactly Can A Hand Cream Do For Me?
The answer to this question is a complex one. The benefits you get from a hand cream can vary from product to product. As with any other part of your skin care regimen, including your night cream, choosing a hand cream begins with determining the particular issue you are trying to combat.
Have you got particularly dry skin or are you looking to protect your hands from UV damage? Do you need something that will help to reduce the visible signs of aging like wrinkles and dark spots?
Once you determine your specific need, you can begin to narrow down your choices.
There are many types of cream on the market today, some thick and luxurious, others lighter and less substantial.
All of them provide a variety of benefits for your hands, but the best hand cream contains a mixture of peptides, vitamins and antioxidants to soothe, moisturize and replenish your skin naturally. Applying hand cream regularly during the day and once at night provides the maximum protection to keep your hands looking soft, smooth and young. While many creams can help, there are some that are designed to target particular problem areas.
What Can I Do For Dry Skin?
By far the biggest problem for most people is dealing with dry hands. If your hands are constantly dry and cracked, you need a cream that will provide extra moisture.
Moisturizing doesn’t always mean loading on the heavy cream, though. In fact, the best moisturizing lotions are ones that contain ceramides and Vitamin E, and those are usually lighter ointments rather than creams.
In order to get the most out of these moisturizing creams, you should apply them at night, when your skin does the majority of its healing. For daytime “quick fixes” look for formulas that feature glycerin, which helps to lock in moisture and soften dry skin.
What If I Need Sun Protection?
Are you out in the sun a lot and worried about sun protection? That’s a common concern and an important one as your hands never seem to get the protection they need.
The best hand cream for this issue is one that contains SPF to help block the harmful UV rays of the sun. There are many brands today that offer sun protection but if you can’t find one, a regular sunscreen will do the job just as well.
What Happens If I Have Multiple Problems?
Finding a product to handle one particular issue can be tough enough but what happens if you have a combination of issues? Need moisturizing and sun protection? Or perhaps you need to exfoliate and repair? Don’t worry, there are multitasking products that can handle a combination of issues.
Check the labels of various creams and ointments to see exactly which problems they’re designed to target and if your hand cream only targets a couple of problem areas and you need to address something else, you can add in a second product to handle that too.
Some of the ingredients you can look for in either a targeted or multi-tasking hand cream include Vitamin E, Shea Butter and Glycerin.
Vitamin E is among the most popular ingredients for adding moisture and protecting against UV rays.
Shea Butter is one of the oldest remedies for dry skin and is found in the best hand cream. It contains Vitamins A and E and helps to improve the skin’s barrier function. Glycerin is found naturally in the body and is a powerful humectant that works to seal in moisture.
Looking For An All-Natural Option?
Research shows that protecting your skin with hand cream is important.
If you want an all natural option that will help to soothe, restore and repair damaged skin, then you’ll want to check out Softening Hand Cream from Xtendlife. It’s an intensely hydrating hand cream that uses a unique blend of ingredients to visibly reduce redness and produce softer, smoother hands.
The secret is Kanapa, an exclusive formula containing the antioxidant Astaxanthin, which helps Softening Hand Cream to hydrate, reduce redness, fight the effects of environmental damage and produce visibly younger, firmer looking skin.
If you’re like many people, finding the best hand cream is a challenge but it’s all about figuring out exactly what your skin needs. Nothing is more effective for restoring and replenishing dry hands than natural ingredients that work to boost your body’s own healing process.
When you’re taking care of your skin, don’t forget to include a good hand cream so that your hands can get the TLC they deserve.