How many times have you bought a tube of hand cream hoping that it would be ‘the one’? The one that would really keep your hands looking and feeling moisturised for more than 5 minutes and that would produce a noticeable improvement over time: well if your experience is anything like mine then you need to check out this edit.

Now of course it would be rather naive to think that any cream or lotion can completely undo the ravages of time and possibly neglect… for example, how many of us have been scrupulous about applying spf to our hands over the years, even though our hands are exposed to the elements rather a lot?

There are a multitude of hand creams on the market, many promising softer, smoother hands but I have to say that these four pack a powerful punch thanks to the Ingredients that they contain… seriously… who doesn’t want a hand cream that can help to repair, rejuvenate and protect while moisturising? Exactly!

Youthful Hands’ by Transformulas

This is described as an “anti ageing” (you know that we don’t use that term… it’s all about positive ageing) hand plumping treatment cream. It is designed to plump the skin, help to fade pigmentation, soften wrinkles, repair as well as soften and protect! That’s a lot of promises and I can tell you that while I can’t confirm the pigmentation or wrinkle reducing ability of this treatment, I can tell you that after using this for just over a week my hands looked and felt better. It seems to deeply nourish the skin, so that long term dehydration is alleviated and the skin is plumper.

This handcream has the tag line of ‘invisible gloves’ because it creates a ‘glove like’ barrier on the hands but this doesn’t mean that it’s sticky or annoying…it actually penetrates really well and is easily absorbed. Plus, your hands feel good for a long time afterwards, so there’s no need to keep digging in your bag to reapply.

Does it smell good? Well… not especially great but not bad either… just clinical… but that fades after a few minutes.

Main ingredients: hyaluronic acid, Avocado peptides, vitamin E, Amino acids, cocoa butter and something called Advanced technology Serum. This is paraben free.

Weleda Evening Primrose Age Revitalising Hand Cream 

This offering from Holistic brand Weleda is a wonderful choice for anyone with really dry and depleted hands. It’s a rich cream with a surprisingly light texture which makes it quite soothing to rub in. This is designed for mature skin with ingredients that are meant to nourish the skin while boosting  firmness, elasticity and skintone.

The lush ingredients include one of my favourites … shea butter which is great for pretty much everything, as well as organic evening primrose oil. Oh yes, and it has a lovely fragrance of evening primrose, sandalwood and magnolia.

This is a treat for dry hands and I think can be used by anyone. It’s really lovely when you apply it and then put treatment gloves on or wrap your hands in cling film for 1/2 and hour. As it’s quite rich, don’t use it if you have to write anything afterwards as it will leave a film … treat yourself to this indulgence when you can just relax.

Alpha H Liquid Gold Rose Hand Cream 

This offering from the always innovative Alpha H is very focused on positive ageing for the hands. I first tried this at a recent Alpha H event and loved it! It makes your hands feel instantly moisturized and nourished. Again, using this over the period of a week had a positive effect on my hands.

The inclusion of glycolic acid makes this quite a powerful tube of cream! Glycolic acid is part of the Alpha hydroxy Acid family, it is derived from cane sugar: It has the smallest molecules in the group so is able to penetrate skin deeply and easily, making it the most effective for treating fine lines and dullness. Please note – it’s worth ensuring that you protect your hands with an SPF due to the inclusion of glycolic acid.

This smells lovely with a soft rose fragrance.

The main ingredients are: 10% glycolic acid, soy protein, avocado oil and vitamin E,  jojoba oil, German Chamomile.

Skinfix Hand Repair Cream 

If you have sensitive skin, then this is the hand cream for you because it really is a skin fixer. It’s designed for those with sensitive skin, so if you suffer with eczema, psoriasis or dermatitis try this. It’s core ingredients are 1% colloidal oatmeal, Shea butter, sweet almond oil and Vitamin E. This highly effective, natural formula is free of steroids, fragrance, gluten and soy.

Again, this deeply moisturises the hands without leaving a greasy residue while acting as a barrier to external elements and it’s unscented.

Buy ‘Youthful Hands’ for £25.95 from Transformulas
Buy the Weleda Evening Primrose Age Revitalising Hand Cream for £12.50 from Weleda
Buy the Alpha H Liquid Gold Rose Hand Cream Duo for £28.50 from QVC
Buy the Skinfix Hand Repair for £12.99 from Boots

* (PR gift/sample)