The Best Drugstore and Luxury Hand Creams for Dry Skin

Most of our lives have changed drastically in recent days. While so much is still unknown and we are taking things day-to-day, I wanted to let you know that I am thinking of you all and sending my love. I hope you all stay safe and healthy. We are in this together!

As we all search for a new normal while dealing with such uncertainty, I’ve been thinking about how to proceed with this blog. It is my hope that this blog will be a positive outlet for you, so I will continue to post about beauty and products that bring quality and value to my life, hoping that they might do the same for you.

If you’re anything like me, I don’t think that I’ve ever washed my hands so much over the last several days. It didn’t take much for my hands to become dry and flaky and sorely in need of hydration and moisture. I’ve been testing several hand creams to see how they perform on hands that are constantly being washed and sanitized. I’ve found some fantastic products that range from drugstore to luxury, so let’s take a look at some great options that will treat your dry hands.

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Best Lightweight Hand Cream

Burt’s Bees Ultimate Care Hand Cream with Baobab Oil

Burt’s Bees Ultimate Care Hand Cream is formulated with baobab oil, watermelon seed oil, pumpkin seed oil and green tea extract. It is 98.9% natural (yes!). Baobab oil is formulated from the fruit seeds of the baobab tree, known as the Tree of Life. This tree is found in the African savannah and its oil helps protect skin against the harsh climate of the region. Baobab oil is rich in essential fatty acids and antioxidants.

This hand cream will exfoliate dead skin and leave your hands extremely soft and smooth. There is no added fragrance but has a very light scent that reminds me of lavender. I need to let it sink in for a few minutes before typing at the computer, but after it sinks in, there is no greasy feel. Some hand creams leave a layer of residue on your skin, but not this hand cream. I love that this hand cream is 98.9% natural and leaves hands so soft yet feels so lightweight.

Best Long Lasting Hand Cream

CeraVe Therapeutic Hand Cream for Normal to Dry Skin

CeraVe Therapeutic Hand Cream for Normal to Dry Skin is formulated with dimethicone, an emollient silicone that is gentle on the skin and creates a barrier to prevent moisture loss, plus familiar ingredients used in many skincare products for the face.

Hyaluronic acid provides hydration and retains up to 1000x its weight in water, niacinamide calms, soothes and improves the skin’s appearance and ceramides support the skin’s barrier. This hand cream is fragrance-free and powered by CeraVe’s MVE Delivery Technology, a 24-hour moisture delivery system.

This hand cream sinks in quickly and you can feel the protective barrier it creates, but without being the slightest bit sticky or greasy. In fact, of all the hand creams I tried, this was the least greasy. At the same time, this hand cream provides a barrier on the skin which lasts after washing your hands. The unscented cream feels like the workhorse of all of the hand creams that I tried and best of all it comes at drugstore prices.

Best Drugstore Hand Cream

J.R. Watkins Hand Cream

J.R. Watkins Lavender Hand Cream is made with shea butter, cocoa butter, avocado oil and macadamia nut oil. It is formulated to nourish, soften and smooth dry hands. I purchased this hand cream in the Lavender scent. It comes in four additional fragrances: Lemon Cream, Coconut Honey, Aloe & Green Tea, and Pomegranate and Acai. I want to try them all!!

The 98% natural hand cream is very rich and leaves your hands feeling silky and protected, but not in a greasy way. Although the fragrance is 100% natural from lavender oil, the lavender scent is a bit strong for my liking, but I imagine this will appeal to those that love lavender.

One thing I like about this hand cream is that after applying it I can get to work right away on the computer keyboard without my hands being too greasy. You don’t need much since it is so rich, so I can see the tube lasting for quite a while. I love how this hand cream makes my hands feel protected and silky without leaving any residue. Of all the drugstore hand creams that I’ve tried, I keep returning to this one for its rich consistency and silky feel, so it wins as my pick for best drugstore hand cream.

Related: Drugstore Skincare Treatments for Dry Winter Skin

Best Anti-Aging Hand Cream

Beauty Pie Super Retinol Hand Cream

I’ve made my love for Beauty Pie Super Retinol Hand Cream clear in this skincare review of Beauty Pie. This is the only hand cream with retinol that I’ve found to smooth and brighten the skin on the back of my hands, just like retinol would for my face! Micro-encapsulated retinol helps to reduce the appearance of lines and hyperpigmentation and sunspots while hydrating the skin.

This is not the hand cream that you will reach for every time you wash your hands since too much retinol can be harsh on your skin. Beauty Pie recommends using this at night, so I like to use a light layer of this cream on the back of my hands at night before I go to bed. Please note this hand cream may not be suitable for those with sensitive skin.

Related: Beauty Pie Review: Luxury Skincare at Drugstore Prices

Best Hand Cream for Cracked Hands and Skin

Yu-Be Moisturizing Skin Cream

I’ve discussed Yu-Be Moisturizing Skin Cream more than once on this blog and still cannot find another cream that goes to work on the driest cracked skin not only on your hands but also on other trouble spots like your lips, knees, feet and elbows.

Invented in the 1950s in Japan, Yu-Be is still one of the best-selling skincare products in Japan today. Yu-Be is a glycerin-based cream that is formulated with vitamin E, vitamin B2, and camphor. The camphor scent really stands out, and while it’s not my favorite, the results overshadow any issue I have with the scent.

Yu-Be heals my dry cracked skin (love it on my feet and heels too) and is so handy during the cold winter months. It’s a pricer than drugstore products for only an ounce, but a little goes a long way.

Best Luxury Hand Cream

L’Occitane Shea Butter Hand Cream

L’Occitane states that one of their hand creams is sold every two seconds around the world! I am not surprised, because their Shea Butter Hand Cream is my favorite luxury hand cream. I’ve been using this hand cream for years, and I keep coming back to it for the effective formula.

This hand cream contains 20% shea butter and is extremely rich and thick. Shea butter is rich in fatty acids, while the addition of honey and sweet almond oil, rich in omega-6 and omega-9, soften dry skin. This cream has a fresh, clean, and powdery scent. There is no greasiness or residue from the cream, just soft and hydrated hands.

The only drawbacks relate to the packaging and price. It’s not a huge issue, but this hand cream has a screw-top that can be dropped or misplaced. The full-size tube of this hand cream is large at 5.2 oz. (The tube lasts a long time!) L’Occitane also offers a smaller 1 oz tube if you want to see what all the fuss is about.

Luxury Hand Cream Runner-Up: Another high-end brand that makes a lovely hand cream is Caudalie. Caudalie Hand and Nail Cream is formulated with organic fair trade shea butter and antioxidant grape polyphenols.  I keep this hand cream on my nightstand and love it’s light yet nourishing texture and subtle pleasant scent.

Final Thoughts on The Best Hand Creams for Dry Skin

These are some of the best hand creams that I’ve tried for dry and parched skin. Usually, once the cold weather dies down, my hand cream use does too, but as the handwashing continues, I have a feeling that I will be reaching for these for a while to come.

What are your favorite hand creams? I’d love to know! In the meantime, stay safe and healthy! We will get through this.

Thanks for reading!