The Best Hand Creams in 2024
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Reviewed by Dr. Diana Rangaves, PharmD
Whether you’ve got dry, cracked skin or your hands are lined with wrinkles and match your great aunt Enid’s, your hands deserve a cream to restore and hydrate those scaly, rough patches.
Ladies and gents, it’s the 21st century. You don’t have to put up with desert-dry hands or dinosaur-looking skin. Don’t let anyone fool you. Hand creams are different than traditional body creams or face lotions. While hand creams aren’t new to the scene—up until recently—it’s been wildly popular to use your trusty body lotion all over your skin.
But in today’s world—with what feels like 18,391,351 self-care products to choose from—you can find a perfect match for your hands. Your hands are your most used assets. From punching digits in your ‘ole TI-84, rubbing Vaseline on your limbs, blowing your nose with a Kleenex, and opening up every door from here to Timbuktu, your digits see and do a lot in one work today. Oh, that’s not you? We must have mixed your hands up with your great aunt Enids. Lord knows she loves her TI-84.
In a world with an overabundance of…well, everything, we’ve searched, gathered, and deliberated on the best hand creams in 2024. We scoured the depths of the internet and the back of every dusty shelf in small-town pharmacies to bring the best of the best to your peepers.
With each hand cream, we cover the hydration level hands will get to how each product feels. Here are the best hand creams in 2024.
1. Blu Atlas Lotion
While it’s marketed as “Body Lotion,” Blu Atlas’s skin-safe Body Lotion formula is the best hand cream in 2024. Butter up those rough ridin’ ranch hands with a luxurious formula from one of the leading premium skincare brands—Blu Atlas.
Blu Atlas is a brand that takes your health seriously. By formulating products with renowned dermatologists, they can make clean, premium products that improve your skin and hair. Body Lotion is an anti-aging lotion that dives deep into dry, tired hands to turn back time.
Get your hands on a bottle—pun intended—to enjoy enriching, nourishing, and moisturizing ingredients that transform dry, dull, or tired hands into works of art. It doesn’t matter if you’re dealing with wrinkles or absolutely parched skin; the soothing lotion soaks into the skin to rejuvenate from the inside out.
Shea butter, one of the best ingredients for hand cream, wraps your fingers and palms in ultra-nourishing antioxidants, vitamins, and fatty acids to ensure the skin stays hydrated and healthy. Jojoba oil takes a turn being your hands’ champion by injecting the skin with optimal moisture and a wide range of vitamins, antioxidants, and fatty acids. Rounding out the cream, you’ll find seaweed coming to the rescue to revive dull skin and help get its glow back.
We recommend the fragrance-free option for those with sensitive skin or skin conditions. Everyone else who wants a refreshing pick-me-up will enjoy the coconut apricot scent. Blu Atlas products are always free from parabens, sulfates, and phthalates.
It doesn’t matter if you work on a farm or are a hand model; this is the best hand cream in 2024 for every man, woman, or child who wants seriously healthy hands.
2. Kiehl’s Ultimate Strength Hand Salve
Put your hands—and we mean this literally—at the mercy of Kieh’sl Ultimate Strength Hand Salve. Are you a germophobe and find yourself scrubbing your hands 142 times a day? Or do cracked, drying hands hit your household every winter? Whatever the cause, a rich salve like this can restore moisture and get your hands back to normal.
Free from parabens and gluten, it’s an excellent choice for those with irritable skin. Shea butter, avocado oil, and sesame seed oil strengthen the skin barrier while adding extreme hydration to your hands. The uber-moisturizing ingredients protect your hands from external stressors and create a “glove-like” barrier that prevents moisture loss.
You don’t have to live in the desert or work in manual labor to invest in this high-quality hand cream. One bottle of the salve will set you back more than twenty dollars, but folks who use it say it’s worth every penny. Saddle on up and get one of the best hand creams in 2024—Kiehl’s Ultimate Strength Hand Salve.
3. O’Keeffe’s Working Hands Hand Cream
If your hands are “working 9 to 5” at intense manual labor jobs or you just have thirsty girls, then you need O’Keeffe’s Working Hands Hand Cream. This violently green tub contains all the ingredients your dry, tired skin needs.
Made for deep cracks and extreme dryness that working men and women often experience, it’s a thick, soothing balm that penetrates the skin while creating a stronger protective layer and skin barrier. Its non-greasy formula makes it the perfect choice for application during working hours.
With rave reviews from people working in medicine, busy hand-washing chefs, and those who experience harsh winter conditions, it’s recommended by people from all walks of life. Working Hands Hand Cream is one of the best hand creams in 2024, and we recommend it for every hard-working man or woman.
4. Skinfix Eczema Hand Repair Cream
Don’t let bleeding, cracked hands hold you back any longer. Skinfix Eczema Hand Repair Cream is one of the few hand creams that truly helps those with eczema manage their symptoms. It doesn’t matter if you have severe eczema symptoms and need to restore deep cracks in your skin or if you can’t deal with dry, itchy, flaky skin anymore.
Hand Repair Cream uses gentle, non-irritating ingredients to repair skin from the inside out. Mollifying colloidal oatmeal, sweet almond oil, and allantoin help beat the itchiness and irritation that folks with eczema often experience.
While those with normal skin may not enjoy the thick texture of the hand cream, those with eczema see it as their saving grace. The cream isn’t oily or greasy and doesn’t leave behind any funky residue. It’s the best hand cream in 2024 for anyone dealing with eczema symptoms.
5. EltaMD So Silky Hand Creme
With a clinically proven formula, So Silky Hand Creme is a major contender as one of the best hand creams in 2024. This smooth-talking bottle is a lightweight moisturizer that straddles the line of not too light and not too thick, making it the perfect moisturizer for those with dry hands.
Instead of feeling like you’re rubbing your hands in a vat of butter, the cream is a gentle, water-based lotion that supports your skin barrier without stickiness. Nourishing ingredients like jojoba wax, ceramides, rich antioxidants, and vitamin E double down on dry patches and make the skin softer and more supple.
Getting softer, hydrated skin is simple. Apply this hand cream twice daily and enjoy its skin-boosting benefits. Each application provides up to 12 hours of moisture, so applying twice daily ensures your hands stay hydrated 24/7. Silky Hand Creme is one of the best hand creams in 2024.
6. Aquaphor Healing Ointment
If you want your wallet to break out in applause every time you apply hand lotion, opt for this budget-friendly option. Aquaphor Healing Ointment is a basic but effective hand cream that does exactly what you want—keeps your hands hydrated and healthy.
While it’s not winning any awards for luxury, and it often leaves the hands a bit sticky, it’s one of the top moisturizing treatments for parched hands. Petroleum, panthenol, and glycerin envelop your hands and create a shield that traps moisture next to the skin. The formula is hypoallergenic and free from fragrances, dyes, and preservatives, so it may work well for folks with sensitive skin.
Stretch your dollars even more with this multi-use product. You can apply it all over your body, including your elbows, lips, heels, and anywhere you experience dry, chapped skin.
We love the low price point of Aquaphor Healing Ointment and its many benefits for the skin. That’s why we’ve named it one of the best hand creams in 2024.
7. L’Occitane Shea Butter Hand Cream
L’Occitane Hand Cream is the height of luxury. Circulating the beauty industry as one of the best hand creams, it’s a lavish, moisturizing product that makes your hands feel super soft. You don’t even need to make the long trip to France to buy this beauty product. Find it online and in every major beauty store—like your local Sephora.
Don’t let your fingers and palms suffer in silence. They deserve the luxury of nourishing ingredients to soothe and hydrate your skin. You can reapply the salve as many times as needed, and the lotion won’t feel sticky or greasy.
Moisturizing ingredients like coconut oil, shea butter, and honey sink into the skin to leave your skin feeling soft and hydrated. If you’ve got dry, rough patches or itchy spots, you can treat them immediately with this uber-moisturizing treat for your skin. It’s one of the best hand creams in 2024.
8. Fenty Skin Hydra’Reset Intensive Recovery Glycerin Hand Mask
Never heard of a hand mask? We’re not surprised. They’re a less popular variety of hand lotion and are a bit of a bougie way to hydrate your hands. Fenty Skin’s overnight hand mask is an intensive hydrating solution that boosts to the skin.
If you battle dry, cracked skin in winter months or experience bouts of dry, rough skin, then a hand mask is exactly what you need. Mango butter, murumuru, glycerin, and panthenol deliver rich hydrating treatment to the skin as you sleep.
Apply it each night before you head to bed and wake up to more hydrated, healthier-looking skin. Hydra’Reset Intensive Recovery Glycerin Hand Mask is the best hand cream in 2024.
9. Jones Road Hippie Stick Everywhere Balm
Got dry spots and patches? Hippie Stick Everywhere Balm is an all-over body treatment that helps restore dry, tired skin. Roll the stick over your hands in the morning to offer a jolt of refreshing moisture. The Hippie Stick can be used anywhere on the body, including your hands, elbows, face, fingers, and heels.
Natural ingredients dive into the skin to provide super soft skin. The balm is a butter-smooth formula that doesn’t leave residue or grease streaks behind, which makes it the perfect hand cream. Nourishing ingredients like sunflower seed oil, spearmint oil, cocoa butter, shea butter, and coconut oil keep your hands happy and healthy.
Hippie Stick Everywhere Balm is one of the best hand creams in 2024 and is easy to roll all over your hands.
10. Sol de Janeiro Brazilian Touch Hand Cream
From the brand that makes the best-selling, booty-firming lotions comes a hand cream that will leave your hands feeling smooth, soft, and absolutely fabulous. Brazilian Touch Hand Cream is a lightweight moisturizer that quickly sinks into the skin without disrupting your skin’s microbiome. Instead, it bolsters your natural barrier while ensuring your hands stay optimally moisturized.
Sol de Janeiro is legendary for its incredible scent and wonderfully aromatic products. It leaves your hands with a coconutty and mild vanilla scent that smells so good you may want to gobble it up. We don’t recommend eating it, but we do recommend applying it to your hands once daily.
Daily application leaves your hands super soft and moisturized, so you shouldn’t need to reapply it throughout the day. However, we do recommend applying it after you wash your hands (especially multiple times). Brazilian Touch Hand Cream is one of the best hand creams in 2024.
11. Grown Alchemist Hand Cream Vanilla Orange Peel
Soften up your precious digits with a bougie hand cream that feels like a luxury treatment. If you’re tired of using a rotating cast of low-quality hand creams, then armor up with this citrus-fueled, billionaire-status moisturizing cream.
Hand creams aren’t a basic self-care item. They can elevate your experience by softening up your fingers and palms and elevate every experience throughout the day. You won’t need to worry about greasy or oily fingers because the cream rapidly absorbs into your skin in less than a minute.
Uber-nourishing ingredients like grapeseed oil, aloe, glycerin, and camellia seed oil keep your hands free from cracks and dryness. Most users of the hand cream love the orangey citrus scent and vanilla vibes that leave your hands smelling fresh and lightly tropical.
Grown Alchemist Hand Cream is one of the best hand creams in 2024 and will prevent your skin from getting cracked or dehydrated.
12. Gold Bond Ultimate Healing Hand Cream
When in doubt, look to a trusted hand cream classic. Gold Bond Ultimate Healing Hand Cream is a dermatologist-tested ultra-hydrating cream formulated with lightweight hydrators. If you’ve got dry, rough hands, give them a little TLC with one of the hardest-working creams in the industry.
When your hands feel a little under the weather you can revitalize them with some of the seven essential moisturizers in the blend. Ingredients like niacinamide and vitamins C and E support your skin’s natural barrier while moisturizing your skin.
If you’re looking for a wallet-friendly hand cream, then look no further. It’s one of the best hand creams in 2024, and the price can’t be beaten.
13. Unsun Emollient Rich Hand Cream SPF 15
Protect your hands from signs of aging with a dual-purpose hand moisturizer and sunscreen. The backs of your hands start showing early signs of aging if you don’t form a strong barrier between your skin and the sun.
SPF 15 protects your skin from UVA and UVB rays and helps fight signs of aging. Alongside skin protectants, you’ll also find potent ingredients like shea butter, coconut, and chamomile, which inject nutrients and softening properties into your skin.
Your hands don’t have to look twenty years older than they are. Keep your youthful-looking skin with this hydrating lotion that feels fabulous on your hands. It’s one of the best hand creams in 2024 and contains the best anti-aging ingredients.
14. Aesop Resurrection Aromatique Hand Balm
Fresh, fabulous, and fun, this hand balm from Aesop is a premium moisturizing treatment for your skin. Bring your dry, scaly skin back to life with Ressurection Aromatique Hand Balm. This is the perfect hand cream to crack open when you’re ready to indulge in a little luxury.
With a silky smooth formula and butter-soft application, it feels like the ultimate treatment for your hands. This saucy wench comes with a hefty price tag. But folks who aren’t worried about emptying their wallet on self-care products will fall head over heels for this hand. It’s one of the best hand creams in 2024.
Everything you need to know about hand creams
Don’t treat your hands like an economy-class airline ticket. They deserve first-class luxury in the form of soothing hand lotions.
How to shop for hand creams
Grab your favorite shoes and wallet because it’s time to go shopping for the best hand creams in 2024. Not all hand creams are created equal. Here are the features you should be aware of while you shop.
Know your skin type and concerns
Finding the right hand cream is all about balance. The right cream should contain the right ingredients for your skin without irritating. Identify your skin’s needs before narrowing down your shopping list.
Do you have sensitive skin that gets fussed about the slightest harsh ingredient? If so, you’ll likely need products with gentle, botanical-based ingredients that are free from harsh chemicals. Those with skin conditions like eczema, psoriasis, or rosacea should be especially careful when selecting products and always look for skin-safe ingredients that support the skin’s natural microbiome.
Identify any other skin concerns you may have, like rough, bumpy texture or wrinkles. Hand creams contain a myriad of ingredients, and there will be a unique hand cream perfect for your issues.
Good ingredients for your hands
Keep those scoopers fresh by using safe-for-skin ingredients that recharge and rehydrate. There are so many moisturizing ingredients that you’ll find in top-tier hand cream products. The trick is to find the best ingredients for your skin type.
Here are the top ingredients to look for in hand cream:
- Shea butter is one of the top recommended ingredients for your hands. It’s not overly oily or nourishing like coconut oil—or other intense hydrating oils—but still provides a thick layer of moisture and comfort for the skin.
- Ceramides boost and strengthen the skin barrier, which is essential for your small appendages. Because your hands are the most used resource on your body, you must protect that skin at all costs. Ceramides ensure your skin stays hydrated, healthy, and free from irritation. They won’t protect you from a patch of poison ivy, but they may reduce stress from common irritants and environmental stressors.
- Hyaluronic acid is the IT Girl of the 21st-century self-care industry. Find it in face moisturizers, hand creams, and body lotions. There’s a reason so many brands are adding hyaluronic acid to their self-care products. It’s because it’s an incredibly moisturizing ingredient that attracts extreme moisture and helps skin appear more plump and full, which makes it the perfect candidate for hand cream. If your hands look dry or dull, hyaluronic acid can restore volume while hydrating from within.
- Coconut oil is an intensely moisturizing ingredient that can moisturize dehydrated hands. When your hands are in serious need of hydration, reach for a hand cream with coconut oil. While it may be too hydrating for some folks, it’s the best balm for dry, rough skin.
Ingredients to avoid
Do your best to avoid harsh ingredients and chemicals. This applies to products for your skin and hair as well. Harmful ingredients cause unwanted reactions and irritations and often result in inflammation, irritation, and itchy, flaky, or dry skin.
Common ingredients to avoid include parabens, artificial fragrances, sulfates, phthalates, synthetic dyes, mineral oil, PEGs, and formaldehyde.
Tips and tricks to take better care of your hands
Your hands take the brunt of all your daily activities. Whether you have a physically demanding job or sit behind a desk chicken-pecking the keyboard, it doesn’t matter. Your little digits could use some extra TLC. Our top tips and tricks will help you take better care of your hands.
How to apply hand cream
We know you’re no rookie when it comes to hand cream. But a few tips can help you get the most with each application.
Always apply hand cream to fresh, clean skin. Avoid applying hand cream if your hands are covered in irritants or pollutants, like right after gardening or touching irritating objects.
When you do apply hand cream, read the directions to ensure you’re getting the right amount of lotion each time. Then gently massage the cream into your hands and fingers and allow it to dry before using your hands for other things.
How often to apply hand cream
How frequently you apply hand cream depends on various factors, including how often you wash your hands, how dry your hands feel, and whether you have a strong skin barrier.
If your job requires regular hand washing, you can follow it up with a quick layer of lightweight hand cream to keep your hands feeling soft and hydrated. Anytime you notice your hands are rough, dry, or cracked, you should use hand cream to restore moisture.
Don’t forget the SPF
If you want to have the graceful hands of a person 20+ years younger, don’t forget to apply SPF to the backs of your hands. We know that this sounds like overkill because surely your hands won’t get that many wrinkles. But that’s simply untrue.
Your hands will get wrinkly, loose, and saggy, just like the rest of your body, and sometimes even more, because people forget to cover them and protect them from the sun. By protecting them from the sun, you can prevent premature skin aging and old lady (or man) hands when you’re at the ripe age of 40.
Please patch test
If you’re looking for a hand cream, chances are you regularly deal with scaly, rough, or dry skin or have a skin condition like eczema or psoriasis. Everyone-–no matter your skin type—should perform a patch test before using a new product.
Patch tests are quick, easy, and typically painless (but some reactions from new products may irritate your skin). Let’s walk through a patch test. Clean a visible patch of skin, like the inside of your wrist, and pat it dry. Then apply your new product—like a hand cream—to the clean area and check it frequently over the next 24 hours.
If you don’t see signs of irritation like red, rough, bumpy, or itchy spots, it’s more than likely safe to use on other areas of your body.
Frequently asked questions
What causes dry hands?
Several factors, including skin type can cause dry hands, how frequently you wash your hands, and the weather. For many people, the weather plays a huge factor in skin dryness. In the winter, our hands are subjected to extreme cold and then heat indoors with lower humidity levels, which dries out the hands. For some, dry hands are just a way of life, especially for those with skin conditions like eczema.
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What’s the best hand cream in 2024?
Blu Atlas Body Lotion is the best hand cream in 2024. Yes, it’s technically formulated as a body lotion, but the nutrient-dense ingredients work even better on your hands. You get a massive bottle of hand lotion that will last for months.
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