- Top 5
- Best Creams for General Use
- Best Creams for Dry Hands
- Best Creams for Anti-Aging
- Why Use Hand Cream?
- Important Ingredients
Why Use Hand Cream?
How is the health of your hands at the moment? Probably less good than usual given the many hand washes (good job by the way!) with hand soap and other alcohol-based remedies. Regular cleaning is very helpful in effectively combating bacteria and pathogens, but it also removes natural oils and fats from the skin.
Ideally, the skin needs some time after each wash to restore the natural moisture content in the skin. If that doesn’t happen, your hands will soon feel dried out and tight. If you keep doing this for a long time, your hands will start to look like sandpaper. Undoubtedly an advantage for some, probably a disadvantage for those who read this guide.
Another reason for dry hands is the winter period, when low humidity in combination with the heat from central heating negatively affects our skin.
You want to take good care of your hands so that you slow down the early signs of old age (just like facial care for men is important to slow down the appearance of wrinkles). In addition, healthy hands simply feel better. You do not suffer from a tight feeling and wounds all the time, which you will eventually experience as annoying.
That is precisely why the use of a natural, high-quality hand cream is necessary. Preferably use a nourishing hand cream a few times a day to damage the hands and nails as little as possible.
To get you started in the world of hand creams for men, we have made a selection of hand creams based on reviews and ingredients. Make sure you don’t just pick the first best brand you come across. Consider the following factors:
Key ingredients
A good hand cream not only provides quick relief from dried out hands, but also prevents more rapid dehydration in the future (because these formulas retain moisture better). High-quality hand cream does not stick, absorbs quickly and has a subtle scent.
The ingredients used determine the effectiveness of the hand cream and the influence on the proper functioning of the skin. Ingredients you’ll find in most cases are carrier oils and essential oils (more below) and synthetic additives (which aren’t necessarily bad).
Nowadays there is really only one choice when it comes to ingredients: choose as natural as possible. Brands that use methods to process ingredients in the most natural way possible automatically ensure that they position themselves better than brands that do not.
Natural ingredients are just as effective (or even more effective) than chemicals and alternatives, synthetic additives. And of course ingredients on a natural basis are better for the functioning of the skin. The chance of an allergic reaction is also less with formulas with natural minerals and extracts.
Please note: if you have sensitive skin, we recommend that you always test a little on your wrist or forearm when using a new product before applying to a larger area. In this way you will discover whether there are certain ingredients that cause an allergic reaction.
Carrier oils
Carrier oils come from seeds and nuts and have a strong nourishing effect. Carrier oils thus hydrate the skin in a very good way. For carrier oils, consider coconut oil, jojoba oil, almond oil, and argan oil.
Essential oils
Essential oils are used to add fragrance to the cream. The degree of concentration of essential oils provides the strength of the product’s fragrance. For essential oils, think of pine, cedarwood and sandalwood scents.
Synthetic additives such as SLS
In general, synthetic additives are no problem for normal and dry skin types. However, the likelihood of an allergic reaction on sensitive skin types with synthetic additives is higher, especially when it comes to Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLS), due to the toxicity.
Therefore avoid synthetic additives where possible. There are more than enough alternatives available.
Butters
If you look at the ingredients list you will often come across shea butter and cocoa butter. Shea butter comes from the African Shea tree and has strong moisturizing properties. Ideally suited to quickly provide the skin with the necessary nourishing minerals.
Cocoa butter, derived from the cocoa bean, has a low melting point, which means that hand balm can be spread quickly and easily during use (due to the warmth of the hands). It also absorbs quickly and quickly relieves dry hands.
Parabens
Parabens have suffered considerable image damage in recent years. Parabens are used as a preservative so that the lifespan of the product increases and combat bacteria. About 75% of all skin care products contain parabens and that in a concentration of 0.3 - 1%.
Several years ago, research showed that some parabens can cause cancers. However, despite an investigation, no exclusive evidence has been found (we find it very strange, but good).
Key Product Features
Skin type
Just like choosing a suitable face cream, with hand cream it is just as important to know your skin type in advance. This way you can read on the label when choosing whether or not the product is suitable for your specific skin type.
Scents
Almost every hand cream has a scent to some extent that you have to deal with. It is therefore important to choose a hand cream whose scent you can tolerate regularly (because your hand cream will be using a lot extra during this period).
Most ’natural’ formula hand cream also has a ’natural’ fragrance palette in which you can recognize earthy and floral notes. If you want to take hand cream with you to the workplace and you sometimes wear a fragrance, you can coordinate these two.
Price
Where the choice for hand cream for men is huge, so is the price range. You will find hand cream from € 5 to € 75 per tube. But of course a higher price does not mean a better product.
In general, exclusive formulas use exotic combinations of ingredients and essential oils, creating a unique scent palette that is less likely to be found in regular creams.
If we look at the effect (read: prevent dry hands) then you can find a good product in every price range. The effect has to do with carrier oils (read more above), which are ingredients that are easy to obtain and process.
The Best Hand Creams for Men of 2023
The selection of hand creams for men below are the most suitable for general use. Hand creams in this selection are characterized by a good quality of nourishment and hydration.
Best Hand Creams for Regular Use
Best Choice For: Regular Use
Byredo Vetyver hand cream
Nourishment
Hydration
Fragrance
Price
Best Choice For: Regular Use (Runner-Up)
Neutrogena hand cream
Nourishment
Hydration
Fragrance
Price
Best Choice For: Regular Use (Vegan)
Naif nourishing hand cream
Nourishment
Hydration
Environment
Fragrance
Price
Best Hand Creams for Dry Hands
The hand cream selection below is specially made for hands that are extremely dry and in dire need of hydration.
Best Choice For: Dry Hands
O’Keeffe’s Working Hands
Nourishment
Hydration
Fragrance
Price
With more than 5000+ positive reviews, the Working Hands hand cream from O’Keeffes is one of the best sellers. O’Keeffe offers a 100% money-back guarantee, which guarantees you a very good hand cream.
Best Choice For: Dry Hands (Runner-Up)
Burt’s Bees hand cream
Nourishment
Hydration
Fragrance
Price
Best Choice For: Dry Hands (Runner-Up #2)
Vaseline Advanced Repair hand cream
Nourishment
Hydration
Fragrance
Price
Best Hand Creams for Anti-Aging
This selection of hand creams are formulated with ingredients that have a proven anti-aging effects to reduce wrinkles and premature.
Best Choice For: Anti-Aging
Nivea Q10 hand cream
Nourishment
Hydration
Anti-Aging
Fragrance
Price
Best Choice For: Anti-Aging (Runner-Up)
Herome Overnight Hand Mask
