Recently a friend posted a comment on Facebook about how old her hands were looking and she had never noticed until now. That’s how aging is, it just sneaks up on ya then BAM you look 80. 😉 Ok maybe not 80, but you know what I mean.
I commented to her that she should try a hand lotion with sunscreen and she mentioned that hadn’t ever even crossed her mind but she would look out for some.
Hands and necks are the places where aging tends to show up first because a lot of people use sunscreen on their face then forget everywhere else. Also people are loathe to constantly apply lotion on their hands after washing them. I get it, it’s a pain. Just like brushing your teeth or flossing or washing your face. But if you don’t want to look way older than your age, you might wanna start oh say NOW.
It got me thinking about hand care in general and some rules I kind of live by. Especially now that I started doing nail swatches SUPER up close, I like to take care of my hands and nails as much as possible. I use hand lotion about 20 billion times a day, but I realized none of the 30+ types I have actually contain sunscreen!
Then this past weekend I discovered something after visiting 6 drug stores including Target, CVS, Rite Aid and Walgreens. It’s damn HARD to find a hand lotion with sunscreen in it! Now I’m not talking straight-up sunscreen, because wearing that on your hands can be a greasy, sticky, yucky matter, and I hate the feeling of it myself.
No, I’m talking a nice creamy regular hand lotion but with sunscreen in it. I looked at what seemed like 100 different types and not a single one (cruelty-free or otherwise) had sunscreen in it. What’s up with that?
I know it is out there but it seems it’s not easy to find. I also know you can definitely find it at places like Sephora or Ulta or online, but that’s not as easy sometimes as your local drug store.
I asked people on Twitter what their favorite ones were and here are some responses:
Glove Me Tender from Bath & Body Works with an SPF of 15
Lavanila SPF 30 Body Cream (used as hand lotion)
Lippmann Rich Girl with an SPF of 25
Robanda Hand Cream with an SPF of 20
Neutrogena Age Shield Hand Cream with SPF of 30 (not cruelty-free)
Palmers Therapeutic Hand Cream with Cocoa Butter with an SPF of 8
So here are some of my tips to keep your hands looking their most youthful.
- Use hand lotion with sunscreen every single time you are outside or in the sun through a window for more than a couple minutes (You are not necessarily protected even if you are behind glass: cars are one of the places people get the most day-to-day sun damage). Most skin damage occurs from short daily trips here and there. It all adds up people!
- Use hand lotion after every time you wash your hands.
- Try not to use anti-bacterial gel too much because it contains alcohol which dries out your hands. Washing with warm water and soap is JUST as effective and less likely to cause a strain of germs to rise up against us and kill us all. ;D If you use one you can try some of them that are actually lotion with anti-bacterial stuff in them, like essence of Beauty at CVS.
- When doing any rough yard work, packing boxes, etc., always wear work gloves.
- When washing dishes or using any chemical cleaners, etc., wear gloves. Water and detergents from cleaning products dry your hands out BADLY therefore making them look older.
- Massage cuticle balm or oil into your cuticles before going to bed which helps your cuticles stay moisturized and improves the overall look of your hands. My favorite is LUSH Lemony Flutter.
- Even if you aren’t into manicures or nail polish, keep your nails all one length and make sure edges are smooth and even. Your hands can be the softest in the world but if your nails are multiple lengths and snaggy, that is the first thing everyone will notice and it’s very unattractive.
- Once a week (but no more) you can use a nail buffer to help file away ridges, smooth your nails and give them some shine.
- Once every couple weeks I like to use a scrub on my hands like CND Almond Moisture Scrub. It smells AMAZING and leaves hands feeling super soft. Same with their Almond Illuminating Masque.
- Whenever possible, wear oven mitts on your hands to protect them from the outside world ala George Costanza. Kidding, just wanted to see if you made it this far.
I hope that was somewhat helpful! Have you found a hand lotion with sunscreen that you love? If so, share with us!
-Kelly
41 comments
I’ve never thought about wearing hand cream with sunscreen either. But it’s true, if you look at certain, um, well-preserved celebrities you will see that their hands usually give away their true age or even look older. Hopefully more companies will start making hand cream with sunscreen.
And I laughed at the oven mitt thing. Have you seen any videos with the hand model, Ellen Sirot? She has lovely hands, of course, but man is she uber creepy.
Great advice! Barielle also makes a good cream with SPF and I can often find it at TJ Maxx or Marshalls. One I’m loving right now is the Aveeno Active Naturals Daily Moisturizing Lotion with SPF 15. I hate the way sunscreens feel, but this doesn’t feel greasy at all and at the end of the day, I can still feel this on my arms. The moisture really lasts and my skin feels great. I can’t feel it on my hands after a washing, but I have recently noticed that my hands are looking much better than they did before I started using this regularly. I will probably get another to keep on my desk for when I go back outside for lunch or to head home. I got mine at Walgreens.
I think I’m going to try out the Bath and Body Works cream you listed. I’ve been using an Aveeno moisturizer with spf 15 on my hands (I think it’s the daily moisture one…) but it feels awful. It’s greasy and actually rather drying.
It never occurred to be NOT to wear sunscreen on my hands. Being that I’m so fair, I put it everywhere that’s exposed to the sun. Maybe because I’ve done it for so long, I’m just used to it at this point.
I was once getting some fingerprinting done for a visa process and before we started, the police officer asked if I moisturised because I had such “nice, soft hands”. This was several years back, but I’m pretty sure I made George Costanza jokes for the rest of the day.
Heck yea! My boyfriend & I always joke about that when I’m putting lotion on my hands.
Thanks for the informative post! Personally, I swear by Bath and Body Works Glove Me Tender. It’s a great hand cream that has made my hands look amazing and super moisturized. I had never heard of a hand cream with sunscreen in it before discovering Glove Me Tender. I wonder why it is so hard to find hand creams with spf in them. Sunscreen definitely helps hands look younger.
Great post, Kelly.
I’m in the sun a lot right now and after applying the factor 50 or 30 sunscreen I rub some in to my hands too. But I realise I should do the same every day – not just sunbathing days.
Can you recommend any other oils and/or creams for nails and cuticles – I don’t like Lush very much as I hate the smell of their shops. (:
OMG _ I thought i was the only one that did not like Lush and tried to keep my thoughts to myself as everyone seemed to rave about it. Not only do I don’t like the smell it don’t get results from it. This is what I use: Barielle strengthening treatment cream (buy the tub vs the tube – it’s worth the extra $ – you take only what you need out of the tub and it lasts forever. Barielle is got a 20% off everything right now. Also watch the eBay as well too. Some get it via owning and working in beauty supply. Then after that goes on and sinks in for a 30 second interval, I put on Barielle Intensive Renewal Treatment Oil. Put that on OVER the cream. I only caught this reading the Barielle site and thought it would not work because the oil could cut down the the cream..not so. They work together. I do this every night and use the oil several times during the day time. I have tried everything out there – I am the diva of nail care treatments and always find nothing I try tops this. Order it now while it’s 20% off but look on the secondary mkt too. it’s not cheap but it’s worth it’s weight in gold. I no longer have peeling nails or thin nails or weak nails. They are hydrated on top of it all. And I have the worlds worst nails.
Hi meme,
Yeah I used to hate the Lush stuff also but have grown to love it. I rarely use cuticle oil anymore but some I do like are the Boots Rose Oil and the China Glaze Orange Cuticle Oil.
Thanks for that tip, meme,
And I thought I had the world’s worst nails!
I used to love Revlon cuticle cream but you can’t get it in the UK now. I’ll search out the Barielle products and try them.
Hi Marian,
China Glaze Orange Oil and Boots Rose Oil (I found it at Target) are both good ones.
Oooh, thanks Kelly! The names are enough to make me want to try these!
Great post! As stupid as it sounds, I never thought of the importance of applying SPF to my hands. I just focused on my face and neck for daily use. I am going to buy the Bath & Body Works one. It has fantastic reviews online and it’s on sale for $6.50.
I use lotion after every hand-wetting, but it’s such a hassle to reapply ss to my hands, so I just wear gloves when I’m outside. Yes, everyday; and yes, even in the summer. Yup-it’s hot. And yup-they are ugly. I get mine from Coolibar.
Love to add to your list Kelly that there ARE some hand sanitizers out there that do not have alcohol in them. Hard to find – used to be – expensive yet, but worth it. Gold Bond makes a great one with a pump on it so you can put it in your car and easily reach for it in your middle front section and grab a pump. I have found it at the grocery store and all the better large drug stores. Then there is a sleepy brand called Merlot, I find it at my Walgreens but you might have to look around for it. They have a line of skin care products but the best is their hand cream PLUS Sanitizer – no alcohol – feels like a light lotion and had an spf in it. It’s a physical block with zinc ozide. It’s in a large tube and I find while it’s heavy at 6 oz it still is OK for my purse and I reach for it all the time. I give it as gifts too a whole lot. It’s fragrance free on top of that. And best of all Made in the USA!!! Look for these products. You can sanitize your hands and not dry them out with all the alcohol that is in those other products that only dry, dry your skin.
You know, I never use hand lotion. That just occurred to me. I don’t even really apply sunblock to my arms and hands anymore. It’s partly because I’m a lazy dope, but I also hate the greasy feel of lotion I’m left with after application.
I think I’ll try out Lavanila’s lotion. So glad I read this post!
Great post! I work in a microbiology lab and wash or alcohol-gel my hands more times than you can imagine. Funny thing about the hand sanitizer though, I’m surprised at how little people realize the drying factor of it (that is in fact how it works though).
When you use the cuticle oil or such at bedtime, does it not get all over your bed and pillows? Do you wear gloves?
Hi suzanne,
I apply Lush Lemony Flutter probably about 30-60 minutes before bed after I have done everything else and am just reading. It rubs in nicely and doesn’t get all over. I would definitely do it at least 15 minutes before actually sleeping so it has time to rub in (same goes for a cuticle oil).
Honestly, I wear an all over sunscreen on my body (Murad waterproof sunscreen with an SPF of 30) and I wear that every day OVER my hand lotion. I haven’t found a sunscreen-lotion combo that I love so I just kinda mix them 🙂
I do use hand creme every time I wash my hands. I’ve done so for years. I didn’t think to look for one with sunscreen. good idea.
I have about a billion tubes/pumps/jars of lotion around my house. I leave them everywhere, one in each of my 3 bathrooms, one in the living room in a basket under the coffee table, one on my nightstand, one on my desk… you get the picture. I figure if they’re around, I’ll use them, and it works.
Luckily I inherited my Mom’s seemingly ‘ageless’ hands. She was 59 when she passed, but you never would have known it, by her hands or otherwise, so yay for taking after Mom!
I haven’t read all the comments, so don’t know if anyone has mentioned this tip yet, probably, but here goes: At night, after putting on whatever anti-aging cream I happen to be using, I rub what’s left over after doing my face, neck & chest into my hands then go to bed with fancy cream on my hands, well that’s what I tell myself anyway. This works in the AM too, with face cream with sunscreen, two birds… 😉
I do the same thing with my “extra” age fighting moisturizer at night. I was a photographer for years and we were always retouching the backs of hands. not taking care of your hands can age you big time. Great post, Kelly!
I recently discovered Kamill Anti Age Handcream that also has SPF in it (however they do not mention what SPF on the tube). I have no clue if this brand is available anywhere outside Europe, but I really like this a lot!
Hi Sabine,
I haven’t heard of it, so not sure it’s available here, but useful to the European readers. Thanks!
Almay Protect & Perfect hand lotion has SPF 15. Boots Protect & Perfect hand lotion (at Target) has SPF 15 too. And yes, they have the same name! lol Avon Anew hand cream does too, also SPF 15. I think Neutrogena has several hand creams and lotions with SPF. So there are a few choices at drugstores/big box stores.
This was a really informative post! I like Kiehl’s body lotion with SPF 30.
I use Ellen Sirot hand lotion. SPF25 and it is very rich!
xo
Sara
Hi Sara,
I have one of her lotions also, but I can’t remember if it has SPF in it. Thanks!
I smiled to myself when I read this because I could hear my grandmother saying “If ladies still wore gloves, this wouldn’t be an issue.”
This was the first year that I began moisturizing my cuticles in earnest, regularly massaging cuticle cream in, usually at work. I work in a windowless basement so I don’t get near the sun exposure I used to, so I’m less concerned about the sunscreen, but this is the first year I didn’t struggle with my fingers splitting and bleeding in the winter. Better hand care has also given me longer nails.
Hi Shieldmaiden1196,
Oh yes gloves. It’s true we could all wear them but then get nothing done. I would choose wearing gloves and not working over not wearing them and working though 😉
HAHA! The oven mitts one really caught me off guard! I was like @_@ WHAT!? Shall start caring more for my hands! =)
Hi Bun Bun Makeup Tips,
Haha!! 🙂
HAHA I totally thought you were serious about the oven mitts!! I like your tips a lot. I definitely need to take better care of my hands… the hardest part for me is putting on lotion after every time I wash my hands, but you are inspiring me to want to start! I drink so much water during the day and therefore wash my hands quite often after using the restroom… so I hope lotioning doesn’t deter me from drinking tons of agua.
Hi Jenn Staz,
I pee a lot also therefore have to wash my hands and reapply lotion a billion times. It’s annoying but once you get used to it, it kind of becomes second nature.
I love Mary Kay’s TimeWise Hand and Decollete Cream! A must-have for nice hands. 🙂
I think you were looking for store recommendations, but MK Consultants do deliver!
Contact your MK Consultant to try it out. You can contact me if you don’t have a Consultant–I’ll be glad to get one to you. 🙂
I forgot to mention it is SPF15 and absorbs wonderfully, no greasy feel!
Eucerin makes an spf 15 lotion. It’s made for body, but can be used on hands.
Hey Kelly! After our “talk” about hands, i went to Target to look and I did find one. Now I can’t think of the name, i didn’t buy it just yet. I was just looking. You are right! Lotion is very hard to find with sunscreen in it! I was surprised cause I thought from talking to everyone it would be easy, and there would be alot. So when i need lotion, im going to go and find one with sunscreen!
Hey Steph,
That’s what got me thinking about it, haha! I can’t believe how hard it is to find one. I know Neutrogena has one in most drug stores, but I don’t use them (they aren’t cruelty-free). Gotta get some online!
I actually will say this and it’s so ‘ghetto’ but Vaseline is a miracle for hands! I live up in the icy Northland and in the winter, it will SAVE your hands. I know you don’t like OPI- but I do like the Avoplex lotion line they have and I do also use the Cetaphil line and some really great handmade stuff from some sellers on Etsy I second you on lots of lotion, clean, even nails, and trying to make sure you dont pick at your cuticles. I actually got obsessed with my nails because I used to chew mine constantly, so getting obsessed with them (nails and HANDS) looking pretty was the way to stop.
You speak my mind. Hands are important areas that we often ignore. I can see more fine lines on them, regardless how much hand cream I slather. I now make it a point to apply sunscreen to my hands. But instead of using hand cream with sunscreen in it, I use normal sunscreen that I don’t use on my face (because of whitish film).