I'm allergic to the cold, so the past few months have been... difficult to say the least. During the winter, my hands develop alien-esque rashes and dry patches that feel as bad as they look. Through trial and error, I discovered the best hand cream for dry skin that will soothe your flakey fingers without irritating them further. Seriously, if it calmed the weird and painful ridiculousness that happens to my hands in the colder months, then this cream is capable of anything.
Over the past year or so, I have tried dozens of hand creams trying to find one that would alleviate my dry patches and soothe my skin without irritating the chapped open cracks in my hands. Most hand creams that I adore during the summer months cause allergic reactions when I apply then in winter. When my hands are at their worst, many fragrances and ingredients will irritate them even further. If I goof up and apply a cream they don't like, my skin turns a brilliant shade of scarlet and feels like it's literally on fire. Sometimes it stings so badly that I want to rip my skin clean off, Silence of the Lambs-style, just to make it stop.
Ironically, as I try to alleviate the pain with lotion, most of the time I accidentally end up making it worse.
Sometimes, my dry skin will occur in red, blotchy extraterrestrial spots on my skin, dotting my hands like Dalmatian spots.
During its less severe stages, it'll take the form of super sensitive red splotches that occur near my knuckles and between my fingers.
Though months of trial and error, I finally discovered a hand cream that doesn't irritate my sensitive AF hands, and actually helps to heal some of the dryness.
Weleda Soothing Hand Cream, $13, Weleda
I stumbled upon the Weleda Soothing Hand Cream ($13, Weleda) a few weeks ago, and my hands are now addicted to the stuff. When New York City suffered through a March snow day, my rash came back with a vengeance. I gingerly applied a layer of the hand cream to my skin, and I was stoked to find there was no stinging. My hands didn't turn bright scarlet upon contact. The hand cream actually hydrated my hands and, over time, helped to reduce the appearance of my dry patches. The sweet almond oil in the cream soothed my irritated skin to a surprising extent. Plus, it gives the hand cream a subtle marzipan scent that's light, yet delicious.
Weleda Almond Soothing Body Wash, $10, Weleda
Since the hand cream worked so well on my hands, I decided to give the Weleda Almond Soothing Body Wash ($10, Weleda) a try. Normally, I can only use the L'Occitane Cleansing And Softening Shower Oil With Almond Oil ($25, Sephora) or a sensible Dove White Beauty Bar ($2, Target) when my skin is particularly finicky. Anything else that's heavily scented or super drying will leave me scratching my skin for hours post shower.
Seriously, sometimes my roommates will yell at me when they see me practically scratching down to the bone.
Just like the hand cream, the Soothing Body Wash left my skin hydrated and, well... soothed. My skin hates most products when its at its most sensitive state, but it seems to like the Weleda almond line very much.
If you have stupidly stubborn sensitive skin like myself, give this hand cream (and possibly the body wash) a go. Finding the right products that won't irritate your skin isn't an exact science (unfortunately), but I have a feeling this one might win your extra dramatic skin over.
