What is the best lotion for extremely dry cracked hands

21 of the Best Hand Creams to Save Your Perpetually Dry Skin

Soft skin from here on out.

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It’s that time of year where winter has fully worn out its welcome, it feels like you never stop washing your hands, and only the best hand creams will keep your skin even vaguely happy. If you have dry hands, you may experience anything from mild itchiness and redness to irritation, intense itchiness, and even cracks and peeling in the skin. Any iteration of dry skin can be extremely frustrating, especially if you still haven‘t found a holy grail hand cream. If you’re still on the search for a hand lotion that’ll thwart the effects of winter skin, hand sanitizer, eczema, and other sources of irritation and dryness, here’s what you should look for in your skin-care products, especially when it comes to moisturizers for dry skin.

To help combat hydration loss, effective hand creams contain moisturizing ingredients with occlusive properties, since those will help seal moisture into your skin. In particular, look for ingredients like ceramides, petrolatum, and dimethicone, Shari Marchbein, M.D., dermatologist and clinical assistant professor of dermatology at NYU School of Medicine, previously told SELF. Also look for creams that have humectant ingredients, like hyaluronic acid or glycerin, which will help add an extra boost of water to your skin. And here’s another good tip to remember: After washing your hands, don’t completely dry them before putting on cream; using hand cream when your hands are still slightly damp will help seal moisture into your skin.

If you want to go the distance for your hands, try to wash with gentle soap and lukewarm water, wear gloves while cleaning, apply sunscreen to the backs of your hands, and invest in a humidifier to help keep your indoor air moisturized. But a great hand cream, nevertheless, will be a serious game changer. That’s why we’ve rounded up the best hand creams that we’ve found to be most effective at combating dry hands. From household names like Neutrogena and Eucerin to cult-favorite brands like Lush, read on for some of the best products to soothe dry, rough skin.

All products featured on SELF are independently selected by our editors. However, when you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission.

• Ulta

  Kiehl's Ultimate Strength Hand Salve

  Kiehl’s Ultimate Strength Hand Salve is a long-standing SELF Fave for its all-star emollients like moisturizing shea butter and squalane, plus healing aloe, which hydrate and heal ultra-dry skin in equal measure.

• Amazon

  CeraVe Moisturizing Cream

  This unscented body cream contains hyaluronic acid to add hydration to your skin, along with moisture-sealing ceramides for dry, cracked hands. Plus, for those with extra dry skin types, it’s gentle enough to use on your face.

• Amazon

  Jergens Lavender Body Butter Moisturizer

  Put this hand lotion on right before bed and let the scent—and nourishing effects—of its lavender essential oils lull you to sleep while your skin gets a much-needed respite from another day of constant handwashing.

• Amazon

  This shea butter hand cream is a longstanding favorite, thanks in no small part to its pleasant (yet mild) scent and its seriously smooth, moisturizing feel.

• Ulta

  Neutrogena Hydro Boost Hand Gel Cream

  With a unique, non-greasy gel formula, this hand cream gets a hydrating boost from hyaluronic acid, a humectant that attracts water to the skin. As previously mentioned, for best results, apply it right after washing your hands, while they’re still a little damp. 

• Sephora

  Skinfix Eczema+ Hand Repair Cream

  Made specifically for people with eczema, Skinfix’s ultra healing Hand Repair Cream also works great for anyone with irritated, cracked skin.

• Amazon

  La Roche Posay Lipikar Balm AP+ Body Cream

  This dermatologist favorite is not only ideal for extra-dry skin, but also recommended as a great healing cream for those dealing with eczema.

• Target

  Vaseline Original Petroleum Jelly

  Those who already enjoy slugging their faces (slathering on a layer of Vaseline as the final step in their bedtime skin-care routine) can apply the same product to their hands to enjoy the same super-moisturizing effects. Given petroleum jelly’s sticky consistency, this is probably best to do overnight. 

• Amazon

  Aquaphor Healing Ointment

  For a nighttime hand cream, don’t be afraid to use something heavier and more occlusive, Dr. Marchbein previously told SELF. Aquaphor’s time-tested Healing Ointment is one such occlusive moisturizer that will create a sort of seal to prevent your skin from losing moisture overnight. 

• Amazon

  Hempz Natural Herbal Body Moisturizer

  Although it’s technically a body lotion, this product from Hempz will work its magic on your hands alone. It’s water-based and lightweight, which will prevent your hands from feeling oily or greasy after you use it.

• Walmart

  Keri Nourishing Shea Butter & Vitamin E Lotion

  Keri’s Nourishing Lotion is another body lotion that’ll leave your hands feeling smooth and soft thanks to its star ingredients: shea butter and vitamin E. 

• Amazon

  Codi Green Tea Hand and Body Lotion

  This green tea lotion soaks in quickly and leaves zero greasy residue behind—plus, it comes at a budget-friendly price.

• Target

  Gold Bond Ultimate Healing Hand Cream

  For a luxurious, soothing hand cream that comes with a drugstore price, look no further than Gold Bond’s Healing Hand Cream. Even when your knuckles reach the point of cracking and bleeding, this heavy-duty cream is an easy (and widely available) solution. 

• Amazon

  Vanicream Moisturizing Cream

  Available in a handy pump bottle, Vanicream’s Moisturizing Cream is free of dyes, fragrances, and other potentially irritating ingredients, making it an excellent option for those with sensitive skin.

• Walmart

  Eucerin Eczema Relief Hand Cream

  Another eczema-friendly option, this heavy-duty cream from Eucerin contains colloidal oatmeal, a soothing ingredient that calms irritated or inflamed skin while moisturizing and protecting the skin’s barrier.

• Lush

  Lush Charity Pot

  This all-natural body lotion from Lush smells amazing and leaves skin feeling incredibly soft. We have ylang ylang and rosewood oils to thank for the fantastic floral fragrance, while we can give all the moisturizing credit to this product’s cocoa butter base.

• Amazon

  Natura Açaí Hand Cream

  Don’t sleep on this lesser-known option from Natura, which feels rich and smooth upon application and smells like a tropical getaway (even in the dead of winter). 

• Walmart

  Love Beauty And Planet Murumuru Butter & Rose Hand Cream

  With a dreamy floral scent and restorative formula, this richly moisturizing hand cream will make your skin feel supple and soothed. 

• Amazon

  Vaseline Clinical Care Extremely Dry Skin Rescue Lotion

  This fragrance-free body lotion contains the hydrating and sealing ingredients glycerin, dimethicone, and petrolatum, all ingredients recommended by our dermatologists for soothing dry hands. 

• YesStyle

  The Saem Perfumed Hand Light Essence

  Our former associate news director previously wrote about how much she liked this hand essence as a lightweight, fast-absorbing alternative to thick, rich creams. If your skin is mildly dry (and you want it to smell like a garden in full bloom), this should be your go-to.

• Sephora

  Sol de Janeiro Samba 2-Step Foot Fetish Care

  Yes, this is a foot cream, but hear us out. One very enthusiastic SELF writer was pleasantly surprised to discover just how well Sol de Janeiro’s Samba Foot Fetish Cream moisturized her hands, making it two excellent products in one.

Tiffany Dodson is a former commerce writer at SELF. Whether first-person or curated round-up, each of Tiffany's stories is fueled by her knowledge of beauty, style, and wellness trends. Fun fact: She was also known to moonlight as a branded content model for the magazine. Tiffany's work has previously been... Read more

Sara Coughlin is a writer living in Brooklyn, NY, interested in skin care, health, and wellness.

SELF does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Any information published on this website or by this brand is not intended as a substitute for medical advice, and you should not take any action before consulting with a healthcare professional.