little white truths

Not long before I gave birth to my little boy, we were in the supermarket to buy a few essentials and I checked the body care section to see if I couldn't find a discounted hand cream: I'd been running low for a while and knew that it would be much harder for me to go hand cream shopping after giving birth.

Happily I came across this one for thirty per cent off, and I didn't think twice before throwing it into our cart. At $7 for a large tube, it didn't matter so much if it wasn't any good because I'd be able to use it as a body cream. 

While I do think the product is ok, unfortunately it doesn't have enough punch for someone with dry skin that's turned even drier after giving birth (all that hand-washing that happens before handling a newborn). So unfortunately my search for a new hand cream continues.

Crop claims/product details:

• Skin repairing moisturiser for the hands and body
• Enriched with avocado oil, shea butter, sweet almond, cacao seed butter and certified organic aloe vera to protect the skin and boost skin hydration
• The sesame seed oil in this formulation is rich in fatty acids to deeply moisturise the skin
• The antioxidant properties in green tea extract, rosehip oil and vitamin e help soften the skin and reduce the signs of premature ageing
• 95% naturally derived
• Dermatologically tested
• With certified organic ingredients
• RRP $10 AUD for 125ml, but do shop around

Verdict

There's not much to say about this product so I'll be brief.

It's a white cream that's lightweight but still reasonably hydrating so it should suit most skin types because it's not too heavy.

It does have a fragrance - I smell the lavender and mandarin more than anything else - but it's not too strong and it doesn't linger on the skin so it's not overpowering. Still, you may want to test this if you're sensitive to fragrance because the scent is definitely there.

The product spreads and absorbs beautifully, so a little goes a long way and happily it doesn't leave a greasy residue behind. For this reason it's a good everyday hand cream because you can throw it on and not worry that your hands will feel slick after use.

My issue with this product is that it's not moisturising enough for my dry hands, so I think the 'intense moisture' part of the title is something of a misnomer. Yes it's hydrating, but it doesn't leave my hands feeling comfortable for long and, if this were my only hand cream, I'd be applying it ten times a day to stave off dryness.

So while I think the product is fine if you have normal or oily skin, if you have dry skin like I do, this mightn't be enough for you either. Happily it works well as a body cream, and that's how I've been using it because my hands need something extra. If I didn't have a newborn this cream might just be ok, but it's not for now so my search for a nourishing hand cream continues.

Another thing to note is that my tube has little grainy bits in it. I suspect they're not meant to be there - they're almost like little blobs of a particular ingredient that haven't mixed properly - and while they do rub in as you massage the product into your skin, I wanted to mention them anyway because they're annoying and I wish they weren't there.

Otherwise this product is fine, it's just not moisturising enough for me.