With the onset of cold weather, I find myself relying completely on a pocket-size tube of hand cream to keep from getting dried out, cracked hands.

Here are my reviews of the hand creams I’ve tried and tested in my own life. Prices are for pocket-sized tubes! Feel free to add your own comments and tips!

• bliss High Intensity Hand Cream with macadamia oil & grapeseed extract ($8)
  • This is what I’m currently using. It’s got great lasting power - my hands stay soft for a long time. I don’t know the exact benefits of macadamia oil or grapeseed extract.  Biggest downside: the smell. Some people might like this, but I think it smells like unripe bananas and lemons, which doesn’t really seem like a great combination…

  

• L’Occitane Lavender Harvest Hand Cream with AOC Lavender essential oil from Haute Provence ($10)
  • I keep this one on my dresser. I used to keep it in my bag, until the foil tube leaked because I was rolling it like a toothpaste tube and the foil can’t take this kind of bending. So, this is not a good hand cream for travel or purses. That said, the hand cream really works! Nice and moisturizing. The lavender scent is quite strong, but really pure and natural. I remember reading somewhere that lavender is the scent most men find most arousing. I like to put this on my hands and wave them in men’s faces, surely making them wonder, “Who is this arousing woman sticking her hands in my face?”

  

• L’Occitane Shea Butter Hand Cream ($10)
  • This one is just like the other L’Occitane hand cream, but without a scent. I think this gives it a slight edge for an everyday hand cream. It does have a slight scent - kind of like baby powder or an “unscented” smell.  Same foil problem as above.

  

• Fresh Sugar Blossom Hand Treatment ($15)
  • This one wins best scent, hands down (no pun intended). It smells like sugared lemons (but not too strong) and has a nice texture that kind of tingles when you put it on. Unfortunately, it doesn’t last long. But I looooove the way it smells.

• Neutrogena Norwegian Formula Hand Cream ($5)
  • This one’s a toughie. As I am sure some of you know, it really works. It’s petroleum-based, so it lasts forever and gets rid of any dry hand feeling you might have. BUT, the smell is definitely medicinal. It’s basically unscented, but “unscented” the way Band-Aids are unscented.  On top of that, the petroleum is very greasy so you don’t want to use this if you have to pick up anything in the following 10 minutes or so. I once made the mistake of putting it on while I was at a stoplight in my car. I nearly killed myself when the light turned green and my hands started slipping all over the steering wheel. Perhaps this one is best as a night hand cream, but…

  

• Nivea Restorative Night Hand Cream (NO LONGER MADE)
  • …for now I’m living large off of this baby!  It’s no longer in production, so my nights are limited, but this hand cream is awesome!  I put it on at bedtime and wake up with really smooth hands. The scent (like most Nivea stuff) is rather heady, but I just stick my hands under my pillow and go to sleep.