BEAUTY REVIEW: Kiehl's Ultimate Strength Hand Salve

SOURCE: Kiehl's

I admit that I am a bit of a hypochondriac and germ freak.  As such, I find myself constantly washing my hands, which in turn causes skin dryness from the frequent soap and water use.  I used to use hand lotions from Victoria's Secret or Bath & Body Works, but found that I was buying the lotions for the delicious scents, not because they worked well at moisturizing my hands.  After that revelation, I started to use the Bath Shop's Almond Oil Daily Hand & Nail Cream, which worked well, but it took a while to heal my sometimes really rough, dry, and cracked hands.  And then I found Kiehl's Ultimate Strength Hand Salve and...HALLELUJAH!

The lotion is a thick salve that offers "heavy-duty moisture treatment" for "all-day care and protection."  All I need is just a little bit to moisturize both hands as too much will leave a grubby and slightly sticky feeling.  The salve contains avocado, sesame, and other botanical oils and natural wax from olive oil to sooth, moisturize, and condition your hands with a slight fragrance.

Due to the thickness of the salve, I usually use it right before I go to bed so that I can allow the salve to work its magic.  My hands are instantly soft and smooth and it soothes my cracked skin and allows for them to heal quickly.  Dry patches on my hands are remedied faster than when I use the Body Shop hand cream and because I use a small amount, a 2.5 ounce tube lasts me months.  I use my Body Shop hand cream during the day due to its light non-greasy formula (and also helps with my nails) and my Kiehl's salve at night.  I find that this combination protects my hands through all the hand washing I perform on a daily basis.  Despite it being a bit pricey ($13 for a 2.5 oz. tube and $20 for a 5 oz. tube), I highly recommend the hand salve because it is the most effective hand cream I've ever used!