Hand cream is the least glamorous product in any catalogue and the one people run out of fastest. Hands are washed more often than any other skin on the body, have very few oil glands, and take the full force of cold air, hot water and detergent - which is why a cream that works is worth more than one that only smells nice.

What the range covers

Faberlic keeps several distinct types of hand cream in rotation:

  • Intensive repair creams - the thickest textures, for hands that are already rough or cracked
  • Everyday creams - medium textures that absorb fast enough to use before leaving the house
  • Protective formulas - intended for use before cleaning, gardening or cold weather
  • Perfumed hand and body creams - lighter, scented, aimed at handbag use
  • Nail and cuticle care - products that treat the nail area alongside the skin

The part that actually matters

Which cream you buy matters less than when you use it. The single most effective habit is applying cream after every hand wash, not once at bedtime. Water and soap strip the skin, and the minutes right afterwards are when replacing that barrier does the most good.

Beyond that:

  • Keep a thin, fast-absorbing cream where you wash your hands and a rich one by the bed
  • Overnight is when repair creams earn their texture, because absorption time stops mattering
  • Wear gloves for washing up and in cold weather; no cream compensates for repeated hot water
  • If skin is cracked and painful rather than merely dry, that is a medical problem, not a cosmetic one

Choosing a texture

Rich creams work, but they leave a film, which makes them impractical before typing or handling paper. Light creams absorb instantly and need reapplying more often. Most people are better served by owning both than by compromising on one.

Perfumed formulas are a genuine third category rather than a lesser version of the others: buy them for the scent and the handbag, and keep a plain repair cream for the actual dryness.

Textures, sizes and the current selection are listed in the Faberlic catalogue, which changes every few weeks. Consultants order at a personal discount of up to 26 percent.