You Won't Believe How Moisturizing This $4 Hand Cream Feels (2024)

They say if you want to know someone's age, look at the hands. Our hands take a beating every day because it's one of the few areas of our bodies that is often left vulnerable to external aggressors (read: sun damage, climate changes, and pollution). Over time, this exposure can speed up signs of aging, like wrinkles, dullness, and uneven skin tone. Not to mention, washing and sanitizing our hands can also take a toll, causing dryness, cracked skin, and irritation.

If establishing a hand-care routine seems tedious, we get it. An easy way to start caring for your hands that doesn't require extra time or effort is via hand creams and lotions. The best hand creams and lotions have ultra-nourishing ingredients to soothe irritation and rehydrate even the most parched skin. They're also typically very affordable and travel-friendly, so you can stock up and have one in your purse, desk, car, or wherever you need for whenever you need. The good news is there are a variety of hand creams to choose from to suit your needs and preferences, from lightweight and thin formulas that absorb quickly to heavy-duty balms that soothe rough texture and cracked cuticles. Here are the hardest-working hand creams, according to dermatologists.

This hand cream has it all—an affordable price point, nourishing texture and formula, and delicious, subtle scent. The smell comes from a mix of whipped vanilla, soft musk, and cozy caramel. It also contains many nourishing oils and butters, including natural shea butter and shea oil, to provide immediate relief against dry hands and rough patches. If you prefer another scent, it also comes in eucalyptus, coconut, lavender, and more.

This is one of the most popular brands of hand cream for good reason. It contains sweet almond oil, shea butter, and almond milk to moisturize and soften the skin. It also comes in a wide range of sweet and sophisticated scents, and it's the perfect size to toss in your purse.

Humectant-based moisturizers, like this one, help pull water into the skin without leaving behind a greasy residue, says Susan Bard, MD, a board-certified dermatologist in New York. More than 50,000 Amazon reviewers give this cream is a five-star rating, calling it a "miracle product" and a "blessing" for dry and cracked hands.

Grown Alchemist makes hand cream feel luxurious with its chic, minimalist packaging and aromatic formula. It infuses sweet-smelling vanilla and antioxidant-rich orange peel to protect and repair hands damaged by environmental aggressors that speed up signs of aging. A dime-size amount is all you need to make hands and cuticles feel hydrated and nourished. You can also find it in other scents, like sweet almond and sage, and Persian rose and argan.

Get into the fall spirit with this formula. It's got shea butter and coconut oil to support, moisturize, and strengthen the skin barrier. And it smells of pumpkin spice, brown sugar, and chai, which instantly puts you in a cozy mood with each use. While this scent is limited-edition, Hempz offers a wide range of hand creams.

If uneven skin tone, dullness, or wrinkles are a cause for concern, then you need to try this formula. It has everything you need for softer, smoother, and more radiant skin, including shea butter, vitamin C, peptides, and hydrating lipids. The texture is rich and buttery but doesn't feel heavy, sticky, or greasy.

There's nothing more uncomfortable than hands that are irritated, dry, and rough. Soothe very dry skin with this formula (a previously picked in Oprah Favorite Things) that's jam-packed with moisturizing oils, like jojoba, baobab, and sweet almond oil. It's rich in consistency, but it's not greasy, and a little goes a long way.

Whether you have eczema-prone skin or wash your hands incessantly, Mona Gohara, MD, a board-certified dermatologist, swears by this intensive hand cream. Though vegan- and cruelty-free, the collodial oatmeal- and almond oil-infused formula works overtime to moisturize and rebuild the skin's natural protective barrier. Allantoin is also a humectant that keeps moisture in and stimulates cell turnover.

This fragrance- and paraben-free drugstore formula is a favorite, because it's non-greasy and fast-absorbing. And despite the price tag, it contains hardworking ingredients like ceramides to help maintain the skin’s moisture barrier and lactic acid to exfoliate dead skin cells, says Sonia Batra, MD, a board-certified dermatologist.

The skin on our hands is more thin and elastic than it is on other parts of our bodies, which makes it more susceptible to premature aging, says Erum Ilyas, MD, a board-certified dermatologist in Pennsylvania. And a daily dose of SPF is your best defense. This cream is a favorite because it contains SPF 40—a much higher concentration that similar formulas. It also contains ingredients like sea buckthorn fruit to support collagen production, says Ilyas.

"This product contains a high concentration of glycerin, an important player in restoring moisture and the protective skin barrier," says Rina M. Allawh, MD, a board-certified dermatologist. It's also lightweight, non-greasy, and translucent, making it a great choice for darker skin tones.

During the harsh winter months, sensitive skin needs even more TLC, and this special formula is just right for the job, says Bard. It's formulated with colloidal oatmeal and ceramides to soothe dry skin and moisturize. It's also great for those with itchy, eczema-prone skin.