Regularly washing your hands will keep germs at bay, but it can come at the cost of making hands feel sandpaper-rough. (Shout out to healthcare workers, teachers and chefs who all are washing their hands even more than the average person.)
Regardless of the reason for your dry skin, the secret to keeping them soft is a famously no-frills hand cream that’s less than $16 on Amazon: O’Keefe’s Working Hands moisturizer.
What sets this hand cream apart from all the others, according to reviewers, is that it actively heals hands that are dry and cracked (even to the point of bleeding) while keeping them soft. If you apply it after washing your hands each time, you’ll notice a vast difference in just a few days in how your hands feel.
Most lotions are scented, but this one is fragrance-free, which makes it perfect for sensitive skin since fragrance can be a skin irritant for some. It also doesn’t leave your hands greasy, which is a major plus.
Still not convinced? Check out what these customers who bought the hand cream and left reviews are saying:
“I have lived with dry cracked fingertips for years and no matter how much lotion I slathered on nothing worked very well or lasted very long until I started using this product.
After just a few days of using this on my hands a couple times a day, my hands and finger tips are crack and pain-free.
You only need a small dab, it absorbs quickly and is not greasy at all.
It is a bit thicker than body lotions so I only use it on my hands, but it has proven to be a lifesaver! Or should I say, “handsaver”!” — John Moore
“I have very dry skin that is becoming dryer and chapped with age. I have been trying several lotions and creams to soothe it and somehow managing to keep my skin nourished with continual effort and moderate result. This hand cream is my life saver as it suits me unbelievably easily. I have started using it as hand, face, and body lotion and my skin has never felt so quenched and calm before. Easy to use. The product is not sticky for my skin as mentioned on label. So far I don’t see any cons. Reasonable price too. Just try this product and decide for yourselves.” — KMJ
“This is the only product that heals scraps and rough hands. I use it for everything.” — Cookie
“I got this for my wife who had tried every other product available for dry cracking hands in the winter. A friend of mine had the same issue and had searched far and wide herself and found this product to be the best, so we tried it. It’s the real deal. You likely won’t find a more effective product. In the dead of winter, you still have to have the discipline to apply it most nights and wear the gloves, etc, but it’s an effective product.” — KeysPlease
“This is the best product that I have found for very dry hands or feet. I highly recommend it.” — Eliza
“My elementary school son’s hands get incredibly dry and cracked in the winter to the point of bleeding knuckles. They felt so scaly that I was concerned there was something more than just dry skin going on. He has really sensitive skin so even fragrance-free lotions were burning his skin. I read the reviews and decided to give this cream a shot. I had used Working Hands in the past when it was in the tub but didn’t love it (just felt more greasy than I wanted), so I wasn’t holding my breath. WELL. We applied this after bath at bedtime and by morning, his hands were already so much better! The scaliness was gone after two to three applications and now his hands are totally healed. His skin hasn’t reacted negatively to it at all. This lotion is smoother and less greasy than my experience of the tub one and I have started using this lotion too. I highly recommend it!” — Anonymous1
“Holy wow. I can’t give this enough stars. I could not find anything to help my extremely gross dry hands this year. This had become my new BFF. The only con if you apply too much is it is kinda sticky as others mentioned, but I needed to use more than a dab. Although sticky at first, it didn’t last and once gone, it felt and left smooth and silky. LOVE LOVE LOVE this product. I will try it next on my cracked feet. And there us no fragrance at at. Which I thought I would miss. Nope. Not at all.” — Amazon Customer