Shea butter

“And the sky is gray.”  That’s right, we’re California Dreamin’ as we face the onset of autumn, with winter close behind, with all of that colder weather, rain, etc., that it brings.  Hey, even some of us who actually live in California are California Dreamin’ on certain days recently, so we can only imagine how it is back east….

Winter weather is rough on hands.  It dries them out, chaps them and leaves them vulnerable to scrapes and abrasions.  As a habitual biter of my nails and cuticles, I find that the change of seasons is even worse for me – my hands get pretty beat up after a tough week.

Dry Skin Hand Cream (aka Shea Butter Hand Cream), made by L’Occitane en Provence is the chilly season’s saving grace.  It’s made with 20% shea butter and is one of the strongest healing and moisturizing hand creams I’ve ever used.  In addition to the dose of rich, creamy shea butter it offers, this product contains extracts of honey, almond and coconut.  As soon as you rub it into your hands, you can feel it penetrating and seeking out damaged skin cells to repair them.  The cream is strong enough that you don’t need to re-apply it repeatedly; it stays with you for hours, even surviving hand washing and drying.

The dispenser is simple and practical – a flexible aluminum tube that lets you squeeze out every last bit of the product out from the bottom, like an old school toothpaste tube.  As with other L’Occitane hand creams, my only complaint is about the screw-on cap, which is not convenient.  A one-piece dispenser would be better.  Also, the cap is too small and thin compared to the size of the tube, which means that it tips over easily if you stand it upside down.  The look of the tube itself is good, though, with a mix of serif and sans serif fonts in navy blue set against backgrounds of different shades of blue and the silver of the aluminum.

In addition to using Dry Hand Skin Cream in the morning, I apply it before going to bed.  This is the best hand cream I’ve found to keep my hands from getting dry or cracked both during the day and overnight.

A 1-oz tube of L’Occitane’s Dry Skin Hand Cream costs $12, which is pretty expensive.  But you can get a 5.2-oz size for $28, and besides, the product is so thick and rich that a little bit goes a long, long way.  Just like other L’Occitane products MP has featured previously, the Dry Skin Hand Cream can be bought at L’Occitane stores, at L’Occitane counters and display installations within department stores, and online.

Bring it on, Old Man Winter!

by ManPossible