• Relieving dry, irritated, and chapped skin, it’s important to use a fast-acting and effective moisturizer that can protect your hands and replenish dry skin.
  • A reliable hand cream should do more than just soothe dry, chapped hands, it should also avoid clogging your pores and leaving your hands feeling greasy, and should keep your hands hydrated throughout the day.
  • Our top pick, O’Keeffe’s Working Hands Hand Cream, delivers healing relief and lasting moisture that protects your skin from losing water – and it’s non-greasy, too.

Winters can be harsh all-around but the dry, cracked skin winter weather brings makes the season particularly difficult to cope with. When your hands are dry and chapped, doing simple chores like washing the dishes can be painful and irritating.

Unfortunately, you can go through dozens of products before you find the right cream to help heal and prevent chapped hands. That’s why we’ve done the work for you.

I’m no stranger to dry, chapped hands. I have horses at home, which means I’m outside at least four or five times each day, even in the harshest of winter weather. I also wash my hands frequently, which only makes the problem worse. Because of my dry skin, I’ve accumulated a significant collection of lotions and hand creams. Many of them didn’t solve the problem – but some of them did.

The products in this guide are intended for anyone who deals with dry skin in the winter or even year-round. I’ve tested many of them and tried to select products that aren’t heavily scented, greasy, or that require frequent applications throughout the day.

To get the best results from these products, apply them according to the brand’s directions. Using these products after washing your hands or showering can get you positive results, and try to make a habit of using your lotion or hand cream before bed for overnight moisturizing.

Here are the best hand creams for dry, chapped hands:

Updated on 8/4/2020 by Rick Stella: Checked the availability of each recommended hand cream, updated the bullet points to include more information, and changed the links and pricing where necessary.

The best hand cream overall

O'Keeffe's Working Hands Hand Cream offers healing and protective properties in a greaseless formula.

For valuable healing paired with protective properties, you can't go wrong with O'Keeffe's Working Hands Hand Cream. This hand cream is designed to heal, relieve, and repair extremely dry, cracked hands.

This cream contains paraffin, which helps to establish a barrier that protects your skin from losing water. At the same time, glycerin draws moisture to your skin in order to accelerate the hydration process. The cream is greaseless, yet effectively reduces the rate of evaporation on your hands, helping to restore your hands' moisture balance while healing your cracked, irritated skin.

Available in both a jar and in a tube, this hand cream is scentless, so you can put it on before leaving the house and no one will know. It's recommended that you use it multiple times a day, which is easy to do because the cream absorbs so easily into your hands.

The rim of the jar is textured for extra grip, but I've found I've never needed that texture because the cream doesn't leave my hands greasy. I have personally had excellent results using this product, and I make a point of applying it after coming in from the barn, before bed, and always after shoveling snow.

This cream is safe for diabetics to use, and it's affordable enough to keep a jar in your home, your workplace, and anywhere else where you need protective and healing relief.

Pros: Greaseless, odorless, highly affordable

Cons: Can sting a bit when applied to cracked hands

The best budget hand cream

Foto: Source: Amazon

Formulated for very rough, dry skin, Eucerin Intensive Repair Lotion both gently exfoliates and conditions for healthier skin.

Eucerin Intensive Repair Lotion is a rich, creamy lotion that has long-lasting effects. The triple-acting formula moisturizes, exfoliates, and conditions. The gentle exfoliating nature helps to improve the appearance of dry or rough skin, and the moisturizer offers intense hydration that helps to create smooth, comfortable skin. This fragrance-free formula won't clog pores.

This is one of my favorite lotions. The pump bottle is quick and easy to use when you're on the go, and this formula provides soothing relief, even when my hands are at their worst. I particularly like that this lotion is unscented, and it's easy to massage into my hands.

There is a bit of a film left on my hands after use, but wiping my hands off with a tissue solves the issue. This lotion is versatile, too; you can also use it on your feet, arms, and other problem areas.

Pros: Inexpensive, fragrance-free, gentle exfoliating action, won't clog pores, can use on hands, feet, and more

Cons: May increase skin's sensitivity to the sun and increase the chance of sunburn, leaves behind a slight film

The best for sensitive skin

Foto: Source: Amazon

Aveeno's Intense Relief Hand Cream uses soothing oatmeal to hydrate dry skin and keep them moisturized even after washing your hands.

Aveeno's Intense Relief Hand Cream is designed specifically for anyone with sensitive skin as it's formulated with a blend of natural ingredients, soothing oatmeal, and rich emollients. This cream is also steroid- and fragrance-free, and absorbs quickly into your skin immediately after use for a non-greasy feel.

Where this hand cream really impresses is with its ability to stay on even after washing your hands. Scrubbing and washing your hands often leaves them dry, chapped, and cracked, but with Aveeno's Intense Relief Hand Cream, you won't have to reapply or worry about irritation after every wash. You'd still likely need to apply a few times throughout the day if you're constantly washing, but the fact that it still keeps your hands moisturized after a few washes is appreciated.

At roughly $7 per 3.5-ounce tube, this Aveeno hand cream is a good value, too, especially considering you'll likely use less frequently between hand washes.

Pros: Keeps hands moisturized even after washing your hands, steroid- and fragrance-free, great for sensitive skin, absorbs quickly

Cons: Though it's good for sensitive skin, it might not be effective for people with eczema

The best hand cream for travel

Foto: Source: Sephora

A single 1-ounce bottle of L'Occitane Hand Cream Mini is easy to pack along as you travel, and its rich, creamy formula avoids feeling greasy while keeping hands moisturized and hydrated.

Grabbing whatever lotion is available via your local grocery store's travel section isn't the best choice for frequent travelers. Instead, L'Occitane's Hand Cream, available in a mini 1-ounce tube, is a lifesaver for those constantly on the go. With a quick-absorbing formula, this hand cream uses shea butter to leave hands feeling moisturized no matter if they're dry from cold weather or constant hand-washing.

Insider Reviews senior style and beauty editor, Sally Kaplan, swears by the cream, saying: "L'Occitane's hand cream is my personal savior when the weather gets dry or my hands have gone through so much washing I think they might shed a layer. It's rich, creamy, and buttery, but doesn't leave me feeling greasy for more than a few minutes after application. I also use it on my feet before bed when they need a little extra help. The original shea butter formula's scent is baby powder-like, which isn't my favorite, but I'd trade the extreme efficacy of it for a scent I'm not in love with any day."

L'Occitane offers the cream in multiple sizes, too, so while the 1-ounce tube is great for traveling, the larger sizes work well for home or office use. It comes in either a shea butter, lavender, or cherry blossom fragrance.

Pros: 1-ounce tube is perfect for traveling, quickly absorbs into skin and doesn't leave your hands feeling greasy for long, available in larger sizes for at-home use

Cons: $12 for 1-ounce is expensive

The best hand cream for active hands

Foto: Source: Kiehl's

Kiehl's Ultimate Strength Hand Salve is a great moisturizer for anyone who uses their hands for work all day, and it offers a clean smelling fragrance and absorbs quickly.

Working with your hands is a surefire way to come away with dry, chapped skin and Kiehl's Ultimate Strength Hand Salve is your best defense against it. Featuring a blend of oils and natural olive oil wax, it's great for anyone who works in manual labor, is exposed to especially harsh conditions, or spends a lot of time washing and rewashing their hands.

The salve goes on thick yet avoids feeling overly greasy, instead leaving hands feeling moisturized and protected. Kiehl's points out that it creates a "glove-like" barrier on your hands after application which helps to promote the retention of moisture and hydration.

Although our top pick, O'Keeffe's Working Hands Hand Cream, is also intended for working hands, this Kiehl's hand salve has a better fragrance and absorbs a bit quicker. It is a little more expensive, however, at $23 per 5-ounce tube compared to $8 per 3.4-ounce jar of O'Keeffe's.

Pros: Absorbs quickly, great for anyone who uses their hands for work each day, uses blend of oil and natural olive oil wax for a moisturizing, non-greasy feel

Cons: People with sensitive skin may not want the fragrance

The best time-saving treatment

Foto: Source: Amazon

Put on your NatraCure Gel Moisturizing Gloves for just 20 minutes to get a full moisturizing hand treatment.

Lotions, creams, and balms are great ways to treat your irritated hands, but for a deep-moisturizing treatment, NatraCure Gel Moisturizing Gloves give you the intensity that you're looking for. A non-breathable gel lining locks in moisture, steeping your hands in hydration.

The instructions say to wear these dermatologist-tested gloves for just 20 minutes two to three times per week. They're even backed by a satisfaction guarantee, so you can return them to Amazon in the first 30 days if they aren't just right for you.

I've used these gloves for the past three years and they've made a significant difference in my skin. I often put them on while watching TV at night, and my hands feel immediately smoother and softer after removing the gloves.

The lining contains jojoba oil, olive oil, and grapeseed oil which is released by the heat of your hands. It's like a mini spa treatment in the comfort of your own home. Best of all, these gloves are reusable, and you can even use them with your favorite lotion.

Pros: Use for just 20 minutes a few times a week, hypoallergenic, deep moisturizing treatment

Cons: Gloves can be difficult to put on (but a little talcum powder can help)

What else we considered

Foto: Source: Duke Cannon Supply Co.

Duke Cannon Bloody Knuckles Hand Repair Balm

Duke Cannon's Bloody Knuckles Hand Repair Balm is designed to repair hard-working hands in need of moisture and is ideal for use on dry, cracked skin. This balm is made with lanolin and shea butter, which help to moisturize your hands without a sticky or greasy feeling, but we didn't include it as our top pick for active hands because lanolin allergies are more common than you may think.

One major advantage of this balm is that you can often see results after just a few uses. It's much thicker than most lotions, so a little bit goes a long way. With its rapid absorption, you can put a bit of this balm on and go right back to work.

The Naked Bee Moisturizing Hand & Body Lotion

The Naked Bee Moisturizing Hand & Body Lotion is made in the US, is certified organic, and contains natural ingredients including certified organic sunflower seed oil, glycerin, beeswax, white and green tea leaf extract, arnica extract, honey, and more. There are no dyes or pigments in this lotion, either.

While the ingredients in this lotion have been carefully selected for their healing and moisturizing effects, the ingredients you won't find are just as important. The Naked Bee makes products without parabens, propylene glycol, mineral oil, or lauryl sulfate. Additionally, this company never tests its products on animals.

This was previously our top pick as far as organic and natural options go, and that still rings true, but we've removed that as a category from our guide.

Check out our other skin care guides

Foto: Source: Sephora

The best lip balm

So many lip balms rely on the placebo effect - they feel nice, but don't actually do much for your mouth. That's why we made it our mission to hunt down the products that lock in moisture, prevent flaking, heal cracks, and protect your lips from the elements. Here are the best lip balms you can buy:

The best sheet masks

Sheet masks act like flash facials to provide an instant fix for your skin and address all sorts of concerns. Despite the fact that sheet masks make you look terrifying temporarily, these K-beauty staples have reached cult status among celebrities, dermatologists, and beauty junkies alike. With the incredible number of sheet masks on the market, working out which one is right for you can be a minefield, so we've done the work for you. Here are the best sheet masks you can buy:

The best exfoliators for any skin type or budget

A good exfoliant is like a magic bullet for any skin-care routine because it truly helps just about anything that's ailing your face. It's especially clutch in the winter when you're dealing with scaly skin and dry flaky patches that never seem to go away no matter how much moisturizer you use. Here are the best exfoliators for a range of skin types, desired outcomes, and budgets.