I've been having a look at some of the best hand and nail care products available at the moment, focussing on winter protection and anti-ageing solutions.
 Beyond Organic Replenishing Hand Cream 50ml £19.02
If you're looking for natural products free from all the nasties associated with modern skin care – sls, parabens, petrochemicals – look no further than Beyond Organic. I've used a number of their products in the past, from shampoo to eye cream, and always been quietly pleased with the results.
The Replenishing Hand cream is created on a base of nutrient-packed of Gold of Pleasure Oil and Shea Butter, blended with soothing Comfrey, hydrating Macadamia oil, Sea Buckthorn, which plumps the skin and helps with the reduction of wrinkles, and Lecithin, which aids deeper absorption of all the lovely ingredients. Non-greasy and suitable for regular use, this cream is ideal for winter-beaten, or overworked hands, calming irritated skin and fighting off the appearance of wrinkles. Suitable for vegetarians and not tested on animals.
For more information visit www.beyondorganic.com
 Dove Spa Close At Hand Age Spot Diminishing Hand Cream 50ml £10.50
Very lightly scented and packed with vitamin enriched natural ingredients, this is an anti-ageing hand cream through and through. Vitamins A, B3 and E increase the skins elasticity and reduce wrinkles, while Apricot, Almond and Evening Primrose oils work their deeply hydrating magic and water lily extract helps to reduce the appearance of age spots and soothes and calms irritated skin.
Easily absorbed, this cream is perfect for use throughout the day, leaving no greasy residue. Being luckily free from age-spots myself at present, I asked my Mum to put this one through its paces. Being a nurse, she suffers from dry skin from constantly washing her hands, but after a week's use she noticed that her hands were in considerably better shape with the skin being much more supple and looking happier. While her age spots were still visible, they did appear to be lighter, which is probably as much as we could expect in such a short period of time.
For more information visit www.dovespa.co.uk
 Priori® Hand & Body Revitalizing Lotion 180ml £25.00
Although I'm all for the money-saving aspect of multifunctional cosmetics I'm also slightly wary, as the hands and the body have such different needs. The claim of Priori® however, is that by combining their LCA complex ('a unique blend of pH balanced lactic acid and sodium lactate') with Alpha Hydroxy Acid-packed ingredients in the form of citrus fruit extract and mixing in 'a multi-functional antioxidant sequence' full of vitamins A, C, E and pro-vitamin A they have been able to create the perfect all-singing & dancing multi-purpose lotion, which 'gently exfoliates, to rejuvenate dry, sun-damaged and ageing skin, leaving you feeling soft, smooth and hydrated.'
The lotion is very light and almost instantly absorbed, so on first impressions it doesn't seem like it's going to do an awful lot, particularly on over-worked hands, but a little goes a surprisingly long way and I was surprised to find that one application in the morning and another at night was all that I really needed to stop my skin entering dried prune territory. Although this Priori® lotion does work well on the hands, I must just add that I was most impressed with its work as a body lotion/exfoliator – after just a week's use my skin felt positively luminous! Non-comedogenic (it doesn't block your pores), fragrance-free, oil-free and allergy tested.
For more information visit www.prioricosmetics.com
 Abahna White Grapefruit & May Chang Hand Cream 250ml £18.00
This one is really a handbag saviour – available in a little 50ml tube for just £8 it is the perfect product to keep about your person for emergency moisturising. Organic Shea and Cocoa Butters combined with Sweet Almond Oil, Coconut Oil and Glycerine (to aid absorbency) form the base of this deeply hydrating hand cream, while the fresh scents of White Grapefruit & May Chang press your brains happy buttons with each application.
The aim behind Abahna is the creation of beautifully healthy natural products using age-old wisdom, fragranced with therapeutic essential oils and free from all the usual man-made nasties, including SLS, SLES, parabens, petrochemicals and artificial colours. The hand cream is available in four signature scents – I happen to love the citrus zing of the White Grapefruit & May Chang, but there's something available to suit most noses – and leaves your hands feeling grease-free, but thoroughly nourished. My handbag is never without it.
For more information visit www.abahna.co.uk
 Outback Organics Hand and Foot Cream 100ml £8.97
I've been a fan of Tea Tree for many years now; it smells incredible and has amazing antiseptic properties, with many hospitals suggesting its use as a pre- and post-surgical precaution. I haven't, in spite of this, ever considered it for use as a moisturiser, largely due to the fact this it can be rather drying to the skin, so I was surprised to find it numbered as a key ingredient in the Outback Organics Hand and Foot cream.
However, when coupled with deeply hydrating Macadamia oil, it becomes the perfect solution for tackling cracked and bleeding skin – the Macadamia nourishes and moisturises the dry skin, while the Tea Tree confronts the possibility of infection and soothes and heals any cracks and chaps, leaving your hands soft, silky and healthy. Free from synthetic colourings, fragrances, parabens, SLS, SLES, lanolin, mineral oils and other man-made chemicals, organic and not tested on animals at any stage of production, this is a hard-working, pretention-free hand cream for an extremely reasonable price.
For more information visit: www.outbackorganics.co.uk
 Yon-Ka Kirogel Hands and Feet 50ml £19.40
E
very so often a hitherto little known product or brand grabs the attention of a handful of celebrities and is suddenly the must-have cosmetic of the moment and Yon-Ka's Kirogel seems to have been it for 2011. J-Lo, Kylie, Jennifer Anniston, Madonna, Victoria Beckham and lovely little Eliza Doolittle are all said to be keen proponents of the stuff, so it's somewhat surprising to find that it is not bank-breakingly expensive, or made from the tears of ninety year old virgins.
Yon-Ka Kirogel is said to be 'a hydrating and soothing gel with triple action botanicals that exfoliate, hydrate and soften all in one, ' removing or repairing dry or damaged cells, leaving the skin soft and healthy. On initial application, the gentle exfoliating properties of this product are obvious and it was a struggle for me not to immediately slather on a thick layer of moisturiser after use; everything about it from the look to the feel is counterintuitive and made my brain think that my hands and feet were being all but desiccated, but come morning my skin was feeling pretty good. I wouldn't say that it was deeply hydrating and I wouldn't want to use it on sore and bleeding hands, but as a reconditioner it does a wonderful job. Made from 90% natural ingredients Kirogel is lightly scented, non-greasy and very much in line with Yon-Ka's holistic values.
For more information visit www.yonka.com or call 0207 518 8370
 evolve Organic Beauty Hand Lotion 200ml £11.99
The benefits of Goji Berry have been known for a while now, but while they have frequently added their antioxidant qualities to face and body care products, fighting against the free radical damage caused to the skin through environmental pollution, it is still quite unusual to find them in a hand cream. But, as Laura Rudoe founder of evolve beauty says 'hands are one of the first parts of the body to show the telltale signs of ageing' so it only makes sense to add the humble Goji Berry to your handcare arsenal.
Lightly fragranced with Japanese Yusu, this gentle cream uses organic Aloe Vera and Shea Butter to moisturise and soothe the skin, while the Goji gets to works helping to prevent the most obvious signs of ageing. 99.8% natural, Organic certified, suitable for vegans, made in the UK, free from parabens, SLS/SLES, PEG's, DEA, mineral oil, silicone, propylene glycol, GMO and synthetic fragrances, with 100% recycled packaging and created from food-based ingredients, this a very much a feel good product; good for you, your wallet and your environment. I don't have a bad thing to say about it!
For more information visit www.evolvebeauty.co.uk
 Harley Street Brown Spot Remover 60ml £32.00
Brown spots, or liver spots as they're often known, are usually caused by sun exposure over a period of years and the general ageing process, so being a pale and pasty sun-shade-seeker of no great age, I passed this one on to Mum to test for me. The product contains a combination of ingredients designed to improve circulation, exfoliate, moisturise, detoxify and 'gently lift skin discoloration' with the use of holistic lighteners, often used to reduce acne scarring.
Exfoliation is used to encourage the growth of new skin cells, while the other actives work to maintain the health of existing cells. The cream is lightly scented and simple to apply on a regular basis, leaving hands feeling soft and silky. As expected, the reduction of discolouration is a fairly slow process, but after a few weeks use Mum is beginning to notice some difference and will be continuing to use it for the near future. Very much designed to reduce the visible signs of ageing, this product is not suitable for use on chapped or broken skin.
For more information visit: www.harleystreetskincare.co.uk
 Green People Aloe Vera Hand & Body Lotion 200ml £12.71
There is a general assumption that buying environmentally friendly natural products is a very expensive business if you want to get decent results, but this Aloe Vera Hand & Body Lotion by Green People refutes that claim with every fibre of its recycled plastic bottle. At £12.71 for a generous 200ml (30p of each purchase being donated to charity, the Penny Brohn Cancer Help Center), this is as good a value moisturiser as you could ask for, and what's more, it does a wonderful job.
Created from a blend of organic Aloe Vera, Coconut & Berry Wax, it is practically a three-course dinner for your skin, soothing and hydrating wherever it goes, leaving no nasty greasy residue. As you'd expect from Green People, the lotion is made without Parabens, phthalates, petrochemicals and artificial fragrances, certified organic, fairly traded and suitable for vegans, vegetarians and people who may be prone to eczema and psoriasis. Results are practically instant, leaving skin feeling soft, supple and very happy indeed.
For more information visit: www.greenpeople.co.uk
 Guinot Longue Vie Mains Multi-Action Vital Hand Care 75ml £21.00
Rather an being a simple preventative, Guinot Longue Vie Mains Multi-Action Vital Hand Care is also something of a restorative, which aims to help to reverse the signs of ageing already showing on more mature hands by removing dead skin cells, plumping the skin and so lessening wrinkles, lightening brown spots and helping prevent the appearance of new ones, as well as providing deep hydration to limit further damage and restore suppleness. Being another one for slightly older hands than mine, Mum kindly obliged with testing and was extremely pleased with the results.
The key actives in this product are a combination of 56 amino acids, proteins and vitamins, including healing Provitamin B5, Peach and Bilberry extracts which inhibit melanin production, thus lightening the skin, AHAs for smoothing and Wheat Protein to prevent moisture loss. At the end of a week's trial Mum found that her hands felt really soft and healthy, with all signs of winter chapping healed, her skin also appeared to be firmer, although further testing would be necessary to verify that.
For more information visit www.guinot.com |
