FRESH intensive hand cream

Info: When hands are really dry, an ordinary hand cream stops being enough at some point. Rough patches across the knuckles, brittle nail edges, that tight feeling after every wash – what’s needed is care that doesn’t just add a quick shot of moisture, but rebuilds the skin from the ground up. That’s exactly what FRESH intensive hand cream is made for. Its creamy texture settles on the skin like a protective film, reduces moisture loss and leaves very dry, stressed hands noticeably supple – without any greasy or sticky residue. Urea cushions the upper layers of skin with moisture, smooths rough patches and takes away the feeling of tightness. A ceramide complex strengthens the skin’s natural barrier so that moisture stays where it belongs. And ectoin protects the skin from the very things that stress it day to day: cold, central heating and frequent hand washing. What’s left is a velvety-soft feel, relaxed hands and a delicate citrus scent that fades quickly.

Product experience: One of my customers is a hairdresser – and her hands were her problem area for years. Washing, colouring, rinsing, gloves on, gloves off, all day long: water, colour and shampoo strip the skin so badly that by autumn and winter nothing worked any more. The skin across her knuckles was so rough that it split, and every spot stung while she was washing hair. Ordinary hand creams felt good for a moment, she says, but by the next client’s head everything was back to square one. She was sceptical about FRESH intensive hand cream at first, because it’s considerably richer than what she’d been using. That, it turned out, was exactly the point: a pea-sized amount is enough for both hands, and the cream sinks in without leaving a greasy film – which is what makes or breaks it in her job. She can pick up her scissors again straight away, with nothing slipping or sticking. The tightness after washing her hands, she says, disappeared almost immediately.

What convinced her most, though, was what happened after about a week: the cracked patches on her knuckles were smooth again – and not just for the half hour after applying the cream, but in the morning when she got up too. She’s particularly fond of the subtle citrus scent, because it isn’t overpowering and doesn’t clash with the other fragrances in the salon.

Tip: Keep the cream where your hands actually take a beating: next to the sink, by the basin, in the drawer at your workstation. Moisturising only happens when it doesn’t involve a detour. The best moment is straight after washing your hands, while the skin is still slightly damp – that way the cream seals the moisture in. If your work involves a lot of water, cleaning products or colourants, a small amount before you put your gloves on is worth it too: the skin then has a protective layer instead of sitting unprotected in the damp warmth. And if you spend the day typing, apply it at the end of a block of work, so the cream has time to sink in rather than ending up on your keyboard.

For an extra boost, apply the cream generously to clean hands in the evening and let it work overnight under cotton gloves.