Which hand cream should you use every day?

Should you choose a cream, lotion or ointment?

You can use a cream during the day and an ointment before bed rather than asking one texture to suit every task. A less greasy cream is easier to fit around paperwork, which rarely benefits from being moisturised. Cotton gloves worn over moisturizer at night can help keep bedding from getting greasy.2

What should you look for on the label?

Moisturizers combine ingredients with different jobs. Emollients soften and smooth the skin. Humectants, such as glycerine, attract and retain water. Occlusives, such as petrolatum, mineral oil and dimethicone, form a protective layer that reduces water loss. These are useful functions to look for rather than choosing by the length of the ingredient list.4

For dry, chapped hands, a thick cream or ointment labelled fragrance free and dye free tends to be less irritating. Mineral oil or petrolatum are useful choices. These products often come in tubes or tubs rather than pump bottles. Some moisturizers still irritate chapped skin, so do not assume that any product labelled moisturizer will feel comfortable.3

How should you apply hand cream?

1. 1Wash your hands with soap and lukewarm water for at least 20 seconds, including between your fingers and around your nails.
2. 2Dry with a clean towel, leaving the skin slightly damp rather than wet.
3. 3Apply hand cream or ointment straight away, working it into your fingertips and nails as well as the rest of your hands.
4. 4After using hand sanitizer, wait until the sanitizer has dried, then apply your cream or ointment.

Keep washing your hands when needed. Handwashing helps prevent illness, and moisturizer helps prevent and heal the dryness that washing can cause. When soap and water are unavailable, use hand sanitizer containing at least 60% alcohol.3

How often should you use it?

Apply moisturizer after every hand wash and whenever your hands feel dry, rather than limiting yourself to one morning application. After a bath or shower and before sleep are also useful opportunities. Keep a small tube at work and a larger container at home. A tube at work and a pot at home give the routine somewhere to live, instead of making one container commute.2

What results should you expect?

Moisturizer reduces dryness and supports the skin's protective barrier. Its benefits are greatest during the first six hours after application, which helps explain the need to reapply. There is no fixed healing deadline for chapped hands. If regular moisturizing and gentler hand care do not help, contact your healthcare provider rather than repeatedly changing creams.45

What else stops your hands drying out?

Avoid hot water and use mild soap. Protect your hands from extreme cold and wind, and avoid unnecessary contact with water while maintaining good hygiene. A humid home environment can also help prevent chapping. Gloves are useful for everyday chores; choose protection suited to the job rather than relying on hand cream alone.5

What if you have hand eczema?

Hand eczema can cause itching, burning, pain, cracks, blisters or weeping, rather than dryness alone. Water, detergents and repeated contact with irritants can damage the skin barrier. Thick moisturizers are part of care, but active eczema can also need prescribed treatment. Persistent hand eczema sometimes needs patch testing to identify contact allergies.6

If you have diagnosed dyshidrotic eczema, choose a fragrance free cream or ointment, not lotion, which can worsen this type of eczema. Remove rings before washing, moisturizing and sleeping. Use lukewarm water and a mild fragrance free cleanser, avoiding antibacterial and deodorant soaps. Apply moisturizer after washing and whenever the skin feels dry. A dermatologist can advise whether a dimethicone barrier repair cream is suitable.1

For dyshidrotic eczema, protect your hands before wet work or contact with detergents and household cleaners. Wear cotton gloves under waterproof gloves for wet tasks. For dry tasks, cotton gloves can provide protection without a waterproof outer layer. Avoid scratching, which worsens this type of eczema, and ask a dermatologist about possible irritants or allergens if the triggers are unclear.1

Can you use hand cream with a prescription cream?

Follow the directions for your specific medicine. If you use mometasone cream or ointment on your hands, do not apply moisturizer at the same time: leave at least 20 to 30 minutes between applications. Mometasone is usually used once daily for one to two weeks, as directed by a doctor or pharmacist. Speak to your doctor if the skin worsens or has not improved within 14 days, or five days for a child.7

When should you stop or get help?

Urea and acidic moisturizer ingredients can sting scratched or cracked skin. Brief stinging does not automatically mean allergy, but stop using a product if a contact rash develops. A clinician can investigate suspected ingredient allergies with patch testing. Seek medical advice for persistent dryness or painful, crusted or pus filled areas, since hand eczema can develop bacterial infection.46

Use a clean spoon or similar utensil to remove moisturizer from a tub, and do not share pots. Allow greasy moisturizer to absorb before driving or operating machinery because hands can become slippery. Keep emollients away from naked flames. Creams and ointments that dry onto clothing or bedding make those fabrics more likely to catch fire.27