Anyone who’s met me will probably think of me, at least partially, as the lady who is obsessed with lotion, haha! And they’re not wrong! At any given time, I probably have at least 3-5 lotions in my purse alone. The reason for my obsession is two-fold: 1) as has probably been well established at this point, I love wonderfully-scented items and 2) I have really, REALLY dry skin. It’s just naturally very dry to begin with, then add winter. Then add aging. Then add a pandemic where we’re all washing our hands a minimum of a thousand times a day – give or take! If you’re experiencing extra dry hands as well, you’ve come to the right place. I have tested many lotion products over the years and here are the ones I swear by.
Camille Beckman’s Glycerine Hand Therapy
I discovered Camille Beckman’s glycerine hand therapy almost 30 years ago and it’s still my top choice for healing my dry hands. This miracle in a jar is always the first thing I recommend to family or friends who are looking for a solution to dry, cracked hands. It goes on thick, melts into your skin, and leaves you with the most incredibly soft hands. It also continues to moisturize through a few washings, which is perfect as we’re all now washing our hands more frequently than ever before.
It comes in a number of wonderful scents but my favorite from day one has been the French Vanilla (of course it’s vanilla!), it smells just like a freshly-made waffle cone! Another favorite is the brand’s signature scent, Camille, a ladylike blend of carnation petals, soft cashmere, and white iris flower. There is also an unscented option, perfect for those who don’t wish to wear a scent or for folks that prefer to let their perfume take center stage.
Camille Beckman is a small, family-owned business operating out of Idaho that has been offering their natural products (based on a family formulation) for over 37 years. You can purchase the glyercine hand therapy in a number of sizes and either in a tube or in my favorite choice, a jar with their signature rosebud on top. Each little rose is hand-tied and the owner specifically employs stay-at-home mothers for the special task, win/win!
has always reminded me of waffle cones
Find it here:
Camille Beckman French vanilla glycerine hand therapy (at Camille Beckman’s Amazon store)
Camille Beckman Unscented glycerine hand therapy (at Camille Beckman’s Amazon store)
Camille Beckman glycerine hand therapy – entire line (at Camille Beckman’s Amazon store)
L’Occitane’s Shea Butter Hand Cream
L’Occitane’s shea butter-based hand cream is a longtime best seller that fans swear by. And no wonder since it reliably delivers! The super creamy formula quickly penetrates dry hands and leaves them feeling soft and moisturized.
This fast-working dry hand relief comes in a multitude of pretty scents, that often get switched out seasonally. And you can also always find it in the original classic shea.
Find it here:
L’Occitane shea butter hand cream original scent (at L’Occitane’s Amazon store)
L’Occitane shea butter hand cream – all varieties (at L’Occitane’s Amazon store)
L’Occitane shea butter hand cream – all varieties (at L’Occitane)
Pré de Provence’s Shea Butter Hand Cream
I can’t talk about L’Occitane’s shea butter cream without mentioning Pré de Provence’s version. It’s absolutely comparable to L’Occitane’s and it gives you another size to choose from if L’Occitane’s 1 oz tube seems too tiny but their 5.2 oz is overkill. Pré de Provence offers a ‘Goldilocks’ 2.5 oz size in 3 scents: original shea, verbena, and lavender.
Find it here:
Pre de Provence shea butter hand cream (at Pre de Provence’s Amazon store)
No-Crack Super Hand Cream
If you want a completely scent-free, no frills, deeply moisturizing hand cream, this will be your jam. This is my husband’s favorite hand cream for good reason: it simply works. Anyone who works with their hands, washes them excessively, or works in their yard a lot will want to keep this one on, well, hand (pun intended! haha, sorry!) For hard-working hands, this is the one to reach for.
RH (Restoration Hardware) has longtime partnered with this brand to create scented versions of this exceptional cream. Their Belgian Linen scent has been a favorite of mine for many years; a yummy mixture of vanilla, creamy sandalwood, and Egyptian tuberose. Sadly, at the time of this writing, it appears to not be available. I will keep a lookout to see if they’ll carry it again seasonally around the winter holidays.
Find it here:
No-Crack hand cream 4oz (at Amazon)
No-Crack hand cream ‘large-and-in-charge’ 16oz (at Amazon)
Barr-Co.’s Shea Butter Lotion
This is my favorite hand lotion for the kitchen. A soothing, mild-scented lotion with the look and feel of an old-fashioned apothecary essential from Great-Grandma’s day. Barr-Co. creates lotion and soap products in various wonderful scents and this reliable mainstay always graces my kitchen sink.
This lovely scent is a comforting combo of milk, oatmeal, and vanilla. Wholesome and perfect!
Find it here:
Barr-Co. fine shea butter lotion 16 oz (at Anthropologie)
Barr-Co. fine shea butter lotion – handy 1 oz size for pocket or purse (at Barr-Co.’s Amazon store)
Bastide’s Creme Intense Deep Repair Hand Cream
I recently discovered Bastide’s dreamy Figue d’Ete scent via their luxurious body wash and when I saw that they also offered a serious, deep-repairing hand cream, of course I had to check that out, too! It did not disappoint and has become a favorite in my ever-growing hand cream collection.
What sets this one apart is its lovely light scent, which I adore. It’s hard for me to perfectly describe it but it has a clean, light, very slightly citrus aroma (possibly some orange blossom in there?) It’s not too strong, it’s not ‘girly,’ it’s just pleasant. It’s very easy to wear by itself but also does not compete with perfumes. This is an elegant way to soften even the driest hands.
Find it here:
Bastide Creme Intense Deep Repair Hand Cream (at Bastide)
Gold Bond Eczema Relief
I’m not going to go into detail about all the drug store staples that everyone’s already familiar with. There’s nothing wrong with Aquaphor, Cetaphil, CeraVe, Vaseline Intensive Care, or any number of reliable drug store stand-bys but I think they are all pretty widely known about already. However, I do want to mention this one because it really helps me whenever I develop a little eczema patch on my hands.
For folks with a more serious eczema case, you may need a prescription to heal it (you know your health needs best!) But if you’re like me and just get the occasional pesky little patch of it, this lotion does an excellent job in helping to clear it up. This can be found at most grocery and drug stores but I have also provided a handy link below for online ordering as well.
Find it here:
Gold Bond eczema relief 14oz (at Gold Bond’s Amazon store)
Other things that can help with relieving dry skin are: switching body washes, soaps, and/or laundry detergents to sensitive skin/fragrance free/dye free formulas, and setting the extra rinse cycle on your washing machine to make sure it’s thoroughly rinsing all of the soap out.
I hope some of these products may help to bring relief to those battling dry skin, I know that this struggle is real! If you have a favorite lotion that has relieved your dry skin, please tell us about it in the comments! 🖐
P.S. Check out my post on the best lip balms to soothe dry lips here! 💋
This post contains affiliate links, meaning when you click the links labeled as such and make a purchase, I receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
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