Winter really is the time of year when your hands can suffer, especially the backs of the hands, the cuticles and the nails. However softening and hydrating the skin is all that is needed to keep your hands soft and free from any painful dry skin or cracked cuticles.
Personally I am a little obsessed with hand creams and cuticle oils but I only see that as a good thing as my nails rarely, if ever break and my cuticle are just 'there' because I have never had any problems with them. So this is a round-up of the products I current use a lot and just really like!
Favourite Cuticle Products...
I have never had any problems with my cuticles... they are always neat and never tear or bleed, so the only thing I can put it down to is using oils on them in either the hard form or as an actual oil. I also find it is quite therapeutic to apply cuticle oil before bed or when I'm bored on the bus or in the car. So I always have one in my bag and one next to my bed.
Ciate Love Me Cranberry Oil
(eBay - £5.99)
I bought this in a set last year and even though I use it all the time I still have so much left. I'm tempted to say this is my favourite out of the three products but actually it's the smell that makes me feel like it's my favourite! The smell of Cranberries is just so nice but the oil itself it probably best for cuticles that aren't in bad condition but just need maintaining. I would also say this is the nicest to apply as there is just someone about applying the oil with a brush that is nice and then rubbing it in. I love everything about this little product and IF it ever runs out I will 100% be re-purchasing it.
Neom Multi Balm
(Look Fantastic - £12.00 part of set)
I have talked about this a lot so I won't bore you again with how much I love this! This basically is constantly in and out of my bag as I use it during the day on my lips and cuticles and then I put in next to my bed when I'm blogging or going to bed - so I really need two of these now! This basically looks like a lip balm but slightly harder than a lip balm and more greasy. The one thing I will say is that I feel this is really effective in soothing both really dry lips and cuticles especially when it's super cold out and both can feel very dry and in need of some TLC and this being totally organic really does work. A super product for so many things!
Rose & Co Rose Petal Salve
(Amazon - £5.00)
I have only been using this in the past month but so far I have been quite pleased with it. It is fairly similar to the Ciate oil in how effective it is... so not one for sorting out sore or very dry cuticles but for day-to-day maintenance of the cuticles this will do the job fine. Again like the Neom Multi balm this is for all sorts which is handy especially for the price.
I have never had any problems with my cuticles... they are always neat and never tear or bleed, so the only thing I can put it down to is using oils on them in either the hard form or as an actual oil. I also find it is quite therapeutic to apply cuticle oil before bed or when I'm bored on the bus or in the car. So I always have one in my bag and one next to my bed.
Ciate Love Me Cranberry Oil
(eBay - £5.99)
I bought this in a set last year and even though I use it all the time I still have so much left. I'm tempted to say this is my favourite out of the three products but actually it's the smell that makes me feel like it's my favourite! The smell of Cranberries is just so nice but the oil itself it probably best for cuticles that aren't in bad condition but just need maintaining. I would also say this is the nicest to apply as there is just someone about applying the oil with a brush that is nice and then rubbing it in. I love everything about this little product and IF it ever runs out I will 100% be re-purchasing it.
Neom Multi Balm
(Look Fantastic - £12.00 part of set)
I have talked about this a lot so I won't bore you again with how much I love this! This basically is constantly in and out of my bag as I use it during the day on my lips and cuticles and then I put in next to my bed when I'm blogging or going to bed - so I really need two of these now! This basically looks like a lip balm but slightly harder than a lip balm and more greasy. The one thing I will say is that I feel this is really effective in soothing both really dry lips and cuticles especially when it's super cold out and both can feel very dry and in need of some TLC and this being totally organic really does work. A super product for so many things!
Rose & Co Rose Petal Salve
(Amazon - £5.00)
I have only been using this in the past month but so far I have been quite pleased with it. It is fairly similar to the Ciate oil in how effective it is... so not one for sorting out sore or very dry cuticles but for day-to-day maintenance of the cuticles this will do the job fine. Again like the Neom Multi balm this is for all sorts which is handy especially for the price.
Favourite Hand Creams...
Neom Morrocian Rose Hand Lotion
(Look Fantastic - £12.00 part of set)
This is the hand cream that residues next to my bed and is the one I quickly rub into my hands every night. I don't overly love the smell, I don't mind rose in products but this is slightly too heady with the added herbal scent but I put up with it as it works wonders without being greasy or too thick - I put this down to it being organic really. I am fast running out of this so I will be buying the lovely Neom set (which contains the hand lotion and multi-balm) but in a different scent this time!
Neutrogena Norwegian Hand Cream
(Amazon - £2.80)
This is another hand cream that is next to my bed... well actually more in a storage box next to my bed because I don't use it all that often. Now I'm still not sure if I truly believe Norwegian fishermen use this on their painfully dry hands, but this really is some highly effective hand cream for crapped/sore hands. But because I use so many other hand products my hands rarely ever need this type of hand cream, except for if I have been cleaning and using lots of harsh chemicals or I have been washing my hands a lot... okay, now I'm rambling! Basically this is great if your hands are in bad condition and you want to sort them out fast.
L'Occitane Cocoa Flower Hand Cream
(L'Occitane - £7.50)
Onto handbag hand creams now and this one is the lovely L'Occitane freebie from last months Marie Claire. I really do love L'Occitane products in general and have always found them really good quality so this is no different at all. The cocoa flower scent really is just so lovely and the formula is in between being a lotion and a thick cream, so just perfect. Really like this a lot.
Rose & Co Sugared Violet Hand Cream
(House of Fraser - £5.00)
Now I'm going to be honest here and admit this isn't the most amazing or effective hand cream - it's pretty thin and un-hand cream like. But I got sucked into the scent of this so much to the point I don't actually care if it isn't that great at being a hand cream. This truly does smell so strongly of violets which if you love the smell of Guerlian Innocence or parma violet sweets then you will love it... but if you don't you may think this is actually pretty nasty! A definitely marmite product but one that I truly love.
Neom Morrocian Rose Hand Lotion
(Look Fantastic - £12.00 part of set)
This is the hand cream that residues next to my bed and is the one I quickly rub into my hands every night. I don't overly love the smell, I don't mind rose in products but this is slightly too heady with the added herbal scent but I put up with it as it works wonders without being greasy or too thick - I put this down to it being organic really. I am fast running out of this so I will be buying the lovely Neom set (which contains the hand lotion and multi-balm) but in a different scent this time!
Neutrogena Norwegian Hand Cream
(Amazon - £2.80)
This is another hand cream that is next to my bed... well actually more in a storage box next to my bed because I don't use it all that often. Now I'm still not sure if I truly believe Norwegian fishermen use this on their painfully dry hands, but this really is some highly effective hand cream for crapped/sore hands. But because I use so many other hand products my hands rarely ever need this type of hand cream, except for if I have been cleaning and using lots of harsh chemicals or I have been washing my hands a lot... okay, now I'm rambling! Basically this is great if your hands are in bad condition and you want to sort them out fast.
L'Occitane Cocoa Flower Hand Cream
(L'Occitane - £7.50)
Onto handbag hand creams now and this one is the lovely L'Occitane freebie from last months Marie Claire. I really do love L'Occitane products in general and have always found them really good quality so this is no different at all. The cocoa flower scent really is just so lovely and the formula is in between being a lotion and a thick cream, so just perfect. Really like this a lot.
Rose & Co Sugared Violet Hand Cream
(House of Fraser - £5.00)
Now I'm going to be honest here and admit this isn't the most amazing or effective hand cream - it's pretty thin and un-hand cream like. But I got sucked into the scent of this so much to the point I don't actually care if it isn't that great at being a hand cream. This truly does smell so strongly of violets which if you love the smell of Guerlian Innocence or parma violet sweets then you will love it... but if you don't you may think this is actually pretty nasty! A definitely marmite product but one that I truly love.
So that is it! If you have ever wondered how I keep my nails/cuticles so neat these products are all how! I am always on the look out for more cuticle oils/hand scrubs/hand creams so if you have any favourites let me know please.
Fee xo.
