Living in such a dry climate is very damaging to the skin. My hands often look like old lady hands and I've been searching for better cuticle oils and hand lotions to help. I came upon an ingredient called urea which is used in high percentages in medications for psoriasis and eczema. Urea penetrates deeper in the skin layers to pull the moisture while other ingredients form an oil layer on the surface of the skin to keep the moisture in.
I've had a good skin response to glycerin products, and find the hand lotions with glycerin as one of the primary ingredients less greasy than others made with more oils. So I looked in the grocery store for a good lotion which contains the ingredients I prefer, plus urea.
I found Gold Bond Ultimate and have been using it the past few days. This one is the Shea Butter lotion which says it penetrates fast and is non-greasy. Both are true. It doesn't just sit on top of your skin - it absorbs quickly and doesn't feel greasy. It also smells really good :) The top ingredients are water, hydroxyethyl urea, glycerin, dimethicone, and jojoba esters. Yay!
Eucerin brand is generally recommended by dermatologists for psoriasis and eczema because of urea being a top ingredient. I don't have psoriasis or eczema, I just have dry wrinkly hands so I went with the less expensive Gold Bond. (Btw, if you have psoriasis or eczema, you obviously should see a dermatologist who can prescribe appropriate medications)
Another change I made in my goal of healthier hands: switching to non-acetone polish remover. It is less drying and still works although it takes longer. With as often as I change my polish, the pure acetone is a little overkill for my skin and cuticles.
Oh ya! I got some cotton moisturizer gloves so I can put on the Gold Bond at night, slip on the gloves and hopefully wake to softer hands! Haven't tried it yet because I've been sick, but will try soon.
Shynk!
