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

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.