Today's gift is one which is useful during all seasons. During the outdoor gardening season, my hands are constantly dry due to digging in the dirt. I wear gloves, but not always, and regardless, my hands dry out terribly. And now that it's winter and the furnace is running constantly to protect us from the frigid outdoor temperatures, my hands are in a constant state of dry and cracked. I feel like Scarlett O'Hara, when her hands were so rough from working at Tara, after the war.
What better to protect and rejuvenate that dry skin than a luscious, luxurious lotion. Here are a few which qualify. If you know of others that you wish to sing the praises of, please do so in the comments. I'm always looking for a good hand lotion.
The Body Shop has lots of products that I really like, from their Body Butters to their Hand and Foot Care items to their Makeup products. But since this post is about hand lotion, let's focus on that. My choice is the Spa Wisdom Africa Spa Honey Butter. According to the website, the key ingredients are lanolin, shea butter, honey, and beeswax. I have this product and it does wonders on my dry skin, making my hands feel silky smooth. It works great on dry, cracked feet too. A 4.4 oz jar is $22. I've had mine for a couple of years now and it's almost gone. I don't use it all the time, just when my hands and feet are really bad and a little goes a long way.
Another great thing about The Body Shop is that they participate in Community Trade programs. Community Trade is a targeted purchasing program of accessories and natural ingredients from disadvantaged communities around the world.
Another good hand healer that I've used is Burt's Bees Almond Milk Beeswax Hand Creme. This also works great on my dry hands and I love the smell. It's key ingredients are sweet almond oil, aloe, and vitamin E. A 2 oz. jar is $8, and like the Honey Butter, a little goes a long way.
The last one that I'm going to mention I know I've used before, but I've never owned it. But my memory reminds me that it was very good for my dry skin and I know there are people who swear by this creme. It is of course none other than, Udderly Smooth Udder Cream. Originally invented for use on dairy cows, it is now used for dry and chapped skin. According to their website, Udderly Smooth Udder Cream is "a greaseless, stainless, water-based moisturizer with a light fresh fragrance." It is also available fragrance free and comes in 2 oz. tubes, 4 oz. tubes, 8 oz. jars, 10 oz.with pump, 12 oz. jars, 16 fl. oz. bottles and 32 fl. oz. bottles at your local store. They also sell it online where a 12 oz. jar is $5.75.
So that's my pick for today. Hand lotion would certainly be a gift I would love to receive. Stay tuned for the next gift pick. We're almost to the half-way point!
Other posts in this series
Day One, Amaryllis
Day Two, Jasmine
Day Three, Give-A-Tree Cards
Day Four, Bonsai
Buckeye Candy
16 years ago
7 comments:
I love lotions! Scented, thick, creamy lotions are my favorites but I suppose I should pay closer attention to the ones that actually tame my alligator skin.
I'm actually thinking about making some lotion after I get my soap made. Then it wouldn't be filled with all of those chemicals and stuff.
Great gift choice, Cindy! Between gardener's hands and winter hands (and feet), a little soothing cream is the ultimate luxury. Here are some of my faves: Kiehl's Ultimate Strength Hand Salve. Smells a bit medicinal, but it works! For a lighter, fabulously fragranced body lotion, I like Kiehl's Coriander hand and body lotion. Yum! For plain old dry skin, I've found that nothing works as well as Curel Ultra Healing Daily Moisture Therapy Lotion. It's light citrusy scent is very pleasant, too. And I don't know about you, but my fingers and feet tend to get those horrid, excruciatingly painful cracks in bitterly cold weather. the cure for this, in my experience, is O'Keeffe's Working Hands, a cream I found in a local hardware store a couple of years ago. It really works! 'Nuff said.
My fav on your list is udder cream. I love that stuff! I'm currently using the Burt's Bees day and night cream on my face...love it too. Enjoyed your info on all of them. It's going to be 65 and sunny here on Thursday. Normal would be 40's.
Hi Cindy,
Lotion is wonderful this time of year! A friend's doctor suggested she use A&D ointment...on her hands and feet. The non zinc kind! She swears by it!
I like Bag Balm...it has been a good product for my tootsies and heels!
Take care!
gail
Cinj - I can't wait to read about your lotion making. That's something I've never tried.
OFB - Curel is very good and I also use Cetaphil which is good because it doesn't have any fragrance, etc. Maybe if I'm lucky and have been good this year one of your suggestions will end up in my stocking this year.
Anna - To me it just wouldn't feel like Christmas if the AC has to be on. That's crazy.
Gail - I actually have the A&D because of the baby. And it is very healing indeed. I may have to try that Bag Balm. My heels get especially bad this time of year.
Great choices. My hands are in bad shape. I need to try something new.
Marnie
I regularly use Burt's foot creme, and have used Udderly Smooth hand creme in the past. Spa Wisdom might be something I'd try.
Do you think of me as a metro-sexual now that you know I love using hand and foot cremes? ;~)
Post a Comment