Hand Creams - Which One Is Right For Your Hands?

A few weeks back I was introduced to two new hand creams.  Often in our quest for healthy skin, we tend to neglect the "little" areas like our hands.

What's interesting about the two hand creams that I am about to introduce to you are their differences.  While both hand creams are effective, they are effective for different reasons.  One is actually a daily moisturizing hand lotion made with natural ingredients like Avocado.  The other is a hydrating hand repair cream that's not made from mostly natural ingredients but is an anti-wrinkle formula with an SPF of 20.

Over the past several weeks, I've consistently used both of these hand creams, switching up between the two and there was a measurable difference noticed.

Zo Skin Health ORASER Daily Hand Repair, SPF 20
($65 at Website of Zein Obagi, MD)
PROS: Produced a slight softening of the skin on my fingers;  Key ingredients are very beneficial for healthy skin: Amino acids, Antioxidants, Retinol
CONS: My skin felt dry after a short period;  Smells a little too medicinal; Expensive but probably because the product line is a pharmaceutical grade skin care product.

So while, Zo Skin Health ORASER hand repair cream does somewhat tighten the skin over time, I still felt the need to moisturize my hands after a while.  Also, note that the product doesn't readily reveal it's inactive ingredients on the actual package which is where most people look for it.  Maybe it was on the box but I don't recall. I discarded the box because it was taking up space.  Also, I had to look up the ingredients at their website.

All About Hands Avocado Daily Moisture Hand Lotion
(small bottle only $7 available at the link above)
PROS: This hand lotion leaves the hands really feeling soft.  The scent is very soft, natural (contains avocado, olive and almond oils) and pleasant.  The moisture is well retained throughout the majority of the day or until you wash your hands. Inexpensive
CONS: Honestly, I can't find but one. The fact that it doesn't have a sun protection factor may be the only negative.
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New Chapstick True Shimmer

ChapStick has come out with a new True Shimmer lip balm in a variety of flavors which I have been trying for the last week or so as part of TotalBeauty's product evaluation program. I've used 4 flavors:

Blended Fruit Sherbert
Peppermint Rush
Tropical
Botanical Berry

I always like to begin every product evaluation with the positives because I prefer to operate from the saying, "See the glass half full, not half empty... or something like that!"

There are a couple of things I like about this product. Like I mentioned in one of my other reviews, I look for usability, likability and staying power (and ingredients). Well, I not only like the flavors of the ChapStick True Shimmer lip balm, I love that it tastes really good! The flavors are sooo good and this new version of ChapStick provides long lasting moisture for the lips and it's not real geasy. I'd also like to not that the product packaging is very attractive - not upscale but down to earth and friendly looking.

There are TWO things I don't like about this product. One is that the shimmery effect actually makes my lips appear a little ashy. I believe the reason is my complexion which is a bit of a bummer as I believe products should be constructed to accommodate all skin tones. If you have a lighter skin tone you won't have this problem. The second and most important reason for me is that this product contains parabens and paraffin which are ingredients I like to avoid due to the potential for them to cause health problems after prolonged use. The ingredient list states that there are only 1% of parabens in the product but I prefer to use products with 0% of it. Therefore, I won't continue use of this product. However, some people don't care if their skin care products contain these ingredients. To each his own.

So my suggestion for wearing the ChapStick True Shimmer if you don't mind the ingredients is:

For Medium to Darker Skin: Apply ChapStick True Shimmer under lipstick for extra moisture

For Lighter Skin: Apply as recommended above or wear alone for a nice subtle shimmer.