Winter hand care essentials

For as long as I can remember I've always been a regular hand cream user, but come winter time when the temperature suddenly drops my hands can become really dry and I always find myself upping the moisturiser in a bid to keep them soft and smooth. So following on from last week's blog post about my favourite winter nail varnishes, I thought I'd talk about my must have winter hand creams today:

Neal's Yard Remedies garden mint and bergamot hand lotion

Liz Earle superskin hand serum

Antipodes delight hand and body cream

The Body Shop hemp hand protector

Starting with this Neal's Yard remedies garden mint and bergamot hand lotion. Long term readers will know that I love anything that's refreshing and citrus scented so this was a big hit for me right from the start. I like to keep this on my desk as the pump means it's really easy to dispense and because the hand cream isn't too rich it's very fast absorbing too - perfect for during the day when I just want to lightly moisturise and get on with my work.

Much like it's skincare equivalent Liz Earle superskin hand serum is designed to be used underneath hand cream for that extra boost of hydration. I personally find this too light to be used alone, but on days when my hands are really suffering, this works wonders when used in conjuction with another product. It's light, fast absorbing and immediately soothing on dry irritated skin. As always with Liz Earle products, it's packed with active botanical ingredients too.

Of the four Antipodes delight hand and body cream is the most recent addition to my little collection. It's got extracts of macademia oil and gardenia so is beautifully scented and although quick absorbing, offers as much moisture and hydration as other heavier duty hand creams. Ideal for those days when your hands are really dry, but there's no time to hang around waiting for creams to sink in.

Finally I couldn't not mention The Body Shop hemp hand protector. It's fair to say this is probably my favourite hand cream of all time and I've lost count of the number of times it's been repurchased. Because it's so thick and creamy, I like to use this at night and no matter how dry my hands are, they're always soft and moisturised come morning time. A must have for anyone who suffers from dry hands.

Do you also suffer from dry skin in the winter? What are your favourite hand creams?

PS. Congratulations to Aimee who is the winner of my Nourish argan beauty collection giveaway. Aimee, look out for an email very soon!