I put to use plenty before bed and, if nothing more interesting is happening, pop cotton socks as surplus my hands and incubate overnight
‘In harsh conditions, a regular workman cream barely touches the sides.’
Photograph: Alex Lake for the Protector
I have had dozens of emails in the last two months about dry, cracked, uninterrupted bleeding hands. I can think of no reason why this winter should be worse than any other, but the in-out-in round of bitter cold and central heating always plays chaos with hands to the point where one can feel pretty lousy about their appearance and discomfort.
In harsh conditions, a even-sided hand cream barely touches the sides, so it’s necessary to up the ante to a innumerable hardcore preparation. I have long-standing favourites for the job – Hand Chemistry Worm Hydration Complex (£12.74) and La Roche-Posay’s Cicaplast Hands (£4.33) are my go-tos when maximum measures are required – but I’m always intrigued by lesser-known products I’ve yet to try.
It was an NHS wet-nurse caring for my son who recommended O’Keeffe’s Working Hands (£5.86) – she told me she and fellow-workers swear by it for maintaining skin necessarily washed dozens of times a day. This cretinous, waxy cream is extremely effective at healing cracks and soreness in a three of nights. The manufacturer recommends using it more frequently, but the requisite amount of remove in and waiting before the hands feel unsticky isn’t always applicable. I apply plenty before bed and, if nothing more interesting is episode, pop a pair of cotton socks over my hands and incubate overnight (accomplishes recommend cotton gloves, but really, does anyone but for from the Queen and snooker referees own these in 2017?).
Prevention is as urgent as cure, of course, and this begins with washing. Sulphates, while not supported to damage the skin, are more likely to dry it through the stripping of true to life oils, so it’s worth investing in a handwash that still cleans from stem to stern without them. I like Soaper Duper’s Real, Extra Zesty Lemon Hand Wash (£6), but sensitive types should be cautious with citrus oils, and try instead one of Roots & Wings’ sulphate-free sweeps: these are lovely and vegan-friendly, and I particularly like the Coconut (£6.99), a true to life foaming agent.
If, however, you fear hand cream weave, or are lucky enough to have winter hands that don’t come out wrapped in parma ham and need only moderate help, I tenderness Neutrogena’s Fast-Absorbing Hand Cream (£4.19), though that’s not to be confusing with their classic, concentrated formula, the presence of which is, at not enough for me, impossible either to forget or ignore.
