How does hand lotion work

The Somerset Toiletry Company was founded in and has been developing beautiful body care and gifts ever since. Please read our about us page to find out more, or explore all our scented toiletries , home fragrances and more on our website.

Your email address will not be published. Remember me Log in. Lost your password? Subscribe to our newsletter. Your personal data will be used to support your experience throughout this website, to manage access to your account, and for other purposes described in our privacy policy. What is hand lotion? What is hand cream? Rated 4. Add To Basket. Difference between cream and lotion One way to tell the difference between cream and lotion is the consistency of the product. Can you use body lotion for hands?

Can you use hand cream on your face? The best time to use hand cream It would be best to give your skin maximum time to benefit from your moisturising products.

Rated 5. Benefits of hand lotion and hand creams Using lotions and creams is an inexpensive way to give yourself all the pampering you need.

Lotions and creams can help in rehydrating dry skin. If weather conditions are cold or dry, skin can be adversely impacted. Some people can suffer from skin irritation because of heat as well as the cold.

Lotions and hand cream will provide relief. Emollients work a little differently than occlusives, though. Think of the outer layer of skin as a brick and mortar structure: the dead skin cells are the bricks and surrounding matrix of fats and proteins are the mortar. Special proteins link the dead cells together, forming a barrier between the inside of the body and the bacteria and chemicals outside, as demonstrated in this video by the American Chemical Society :.

Humectants work by attracting moisture to the skin and keeping it there. This is basically the opposite of occlusives and emollients, which don't like water. Humectants penetrate the outer layer of the skin, attract water to it, and lock that moisture in.

This happens because humectants have hydroxyl groups in their chemical structure an oxygen and a hydrogen atom , which loves water. Humectants also prompt the production of ceramides , our body's natural waxy molecules that play a major role in the structure of the skin.

But beware, in dry conditions, humectants can draw moisture from the younger, moist cells in the lower layers of the skin instead of pulling moisture from the air. Over time, this could eventually lead to even dryer skin. Minimize this by pairing a humectant with an occlusive, which seals in the moisture. If you need help selecting a good lotion, there are a few guides like this one that stand up to consumer and scientific testing. And if lotions aren't enough, try turning down your heat or investing in a humidifier.

The real issue is discomfort — dry skin can be sore, tender to the touch, and often itchy although not all itchy skin is dry. There's also the red, rough, scaly appearance lamented in many advertisements for moisturizers. This is one problem that hasn't suffered from lack of attention: there are dozens of creams and lotions for dry skin.

They are sold as moisturizers, which is more of a marketing term than a medical or scientific one. Indeed, routine skin care is a realm where there's little science to be found. Well-controlled studies of ingredients are few and far between. Companies keep information about ingredients proprietary and are careful to limit claims for what the products do to stay within FDA rules.

But sales people learned ages ago that science sells, so labels and ads often use scientific terms. Moisturizers are often billed as hypoallergenic or "allergy tested" — even though there's no government standard for making such a claim, so any product can do so.

Some products brag about being noncomedogenic — an impressive word that means they won't cause pimples — but that's not saying much: almost all moisturizers on the market today use ingredients that are noncomedogenic. Lists of vitamins are supposed to get us thinking that moisturizers can nourish skin or stoke it full of antioxidants. Yet in most cases vitamins in moisturizers probably don't make much difference, either because the amounts used are too small to have much effect, or because the vitamins degrade with exposure to light and oxygen.

The fact is that despite the long lists of obscure ingredients and the pseudoscientific hokum, all moisturizers help with dry skin for a pretty simple reason: they supply a little bit of water to the skin and contain a greasy substance that holds it in. One reason for the proliferation of moisturizers is the continuing search for a mix of ingredients that holds in water like petrolatum but feels nicer on the skin.

Many products also contain humectants pronounced hue-MEK-tants , ingredients that sponge up and retain water. The good news is that despite all the unknowns and salesmanship, you really can't go very wrong with what moisturizer you choose.

Almost all the moisturizers on the market will help with dry skin, and in most cases, the choice comes down to subjective experience — and simply whether you like the feel and smell nothing wrong with that — it's your skin, after all. You want to choose one you like and use it regularly. Use a humidifier. Humidifiers can help. The problem is that moisture may be soaked up in walls and furniture or disperse rapidly, depending on how airtight your home is.

Take warm, not hot, baths and showers. Hot water whisks away the fatty substances in the skin that help it retain water. Some doctors recommend bath oils. You can also use bath oil as a post-bath moisturizer by rubbing yourself down with a teaspoon of it diluted in a couple cups of warm water. Use a mild soap. Dove is a familiar brand. Cleansers like Cetaphil are an alternative to soap. Stay protected. Cold, windy air is very drying, so bundle up and wear warm mittens or gloves to protect your hands.

When you are dehydrated, your blood volume decreases which can lead to dry skin. Keeping up your water intake throughout the day could make a big difference to the way the skin on your hands feel among other benefits. A dry hand lotion needs to give you the best level of hydration and nourishment possible, which means it should be specifically designed for male skin. For example, our Original Hand Cream contains aloe vera, camelina oil and green tea. It absorbs easily into the skin to help relieve dry skin, leaving the hands feeling nourished, smooth and instantly softer.

Some people say to use it every time you wash your hands, whereas some people will use it sporadically throughout the day.

Any time you start feeling dry or you notice little cracks when you look closely at your skin, whack out the hand cream and nourish yourself.

Your hands age as quickly as you face does as they are exposed to the same elements. UV rays, weather damage, and general wear all lead to the appearance of aging on your hands.