Out, damn spot, out: hand lotions fit for Lady Macbeth
One of the big revelations of the past few days has been how rarely some of us used to wash our hands. “Our office loos always used to be immaculate,” said one acquaintance. “But since the virus fear, there are paper towels and water splashes everywhere. It’s made me realise that people weren’t always washing their hands before.”
Euww. And now that we’ve fully digested Government advice that regularly handwashing for 20 seconds is just as effective (if not more effective) as hand sanitiser, we’ve all turned into Lady Macbeth in her OCD handwashing phase.
So the next issue is hand cream. Hands are dry. Even if you haven’t succumbed to sanitiser mania, the chances are your skin is considerably more dehydrated than usual. Keep hand cream close by, and make it a pleasurable treat.
Avoid those that contain alcohol or too much fragrance as they can sap moisture. No point turning a health pandemic into a beauty fail. Here are the fashion team’s recommendations.
Nursem (£9.99, nursem.co.uk).
Developed with nurses to combat the effects of their relentless hand washing (55 times a day on average – 87 per cent of nurses suffer from contact dermatitis), this is a therapeutic formula containing lots of plant and nut oils as well as glycerine. No scent, sinks in fast and doesn’t leave a sticky residue, For every tube you buy, Nursem donates another tube to a nurse.
Neal’s Yard Citrus Hand Softener (£15, nealsyard remedies.com) For those who love a thick, rich formula. With a mild scent from citrus oils.
Aesop Resurrection Cream (£21, aesop.com) A handy tube for handbags, this is one of my favourites because it sinks in so fast but feels very moisturising.
Cicabiafine (£10.30, sanareva.co.uk) Unfussy French pharmacy hit – the item that the fashion team makes sure to stock up on when it’s there – now available here. Effective without any hard chemicals.
Sheald Recovery Balm (£42, victoriahealth.com) The ultimate SOS emergency balm, this is such an effective product for cracked, dry and irritated skin that plastic surgeons use it post-procedure to heal scars. Antimicrobial and fragrancefree, also for the face.
E45 (£3.99, boots.com) An old standby – because it works. It’s also quite greasy so best used as night. You could also use a blend of Alucia organics almond oil (£12, aluciaorganics. com) and Fushin organic castor oil at night (£9, revital.co.uk) to nourish cuticles. Add some salt for an exfoliating scrub.
La Roche-posay (£5.63, laroche-posay.co.uk) is fragrance-free, good for sensitive skin and highly efficacious.
For desk or counter-top use, we like Childs Farm baby moisturiser, £7.99 – it’s not specifically for hands but formulated for sensitive, eczema prone skin. Does the job for us.