L'Occitane Shea Butter Hand Cream

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Having used L'Occitane now for over three years I think my trial of this product adequate to speak honestly about it. I have occasionally wandered to other “recommended” brands but I always seem to go back to both this one and my Moor Spa cream. Why? Well if you’ve read some of my other ops you will know that I am prone to severe excema on my hands and occasionally minor outbreaks elsewhere. That makes the choosing and using of lotions ...
...give me the results that L'Occitane does. Like its brethren above it also left enough on the hands to mark everything I touched.

Liz Earle:
Liz uses naturally pure ingredients and her cream was designed for people who suffer from excema. Ideal you would think? So it is but it still hasn’t the strength of the cream on which this review is based. However, while the Liz Earle hand cream is a good reliable product I found it was ... more

*Submitted to U-rate-it under my user name of Trinee but drastically altered for this review.*

…What would you do if a stranger you met suddenly kissed your hand instead of shaking it. Would you worry that your hands smell nice? What if they resemble sandpaper and strip the skin off his lips? Well I have the perfect remedy for neglected hands that will make them infinitely kissable.

L’Occitane
This wonderful brand name has an equally wonderful hand cream that is without doubt the best I have used. I say this without reservation having tried many creams from the high street shops and even some obscure brands which, I am glad to say, no longer exist.

Having used L'Occitane now for over three years I think my trial of this product adequate to speak honestly about it. I have occasionally wandered to other “recommended” brands but I always seem to go back to both this one and my Moor Spa cream. Why? Well if you’ve read some of my other ops you will know that I am prone to severe excema on my hands and occasionally minor outbreaks elsewhere. That makes the choosing and using of lotions and potions a nightmare. You could say its rare to find a product that doesn’t cause stinging, itching or the open wounds from crusting which in turn then prevents me from using my hands for a number of days. This product has kept my hands moisturised and soft without causing me any pain or irritation.

First, I’d like to mention some other hand creams that I’ve tried. I'll take the cheaper more readily available brands then progress to a more expensive one.

E45:
This is a good product and I don’t knock it but it just doesn’t have the power to soften my skin like L’Occitane. It doesn’t sting my hands but it gave only a temporary improvement and seemed to have difficulty penetrating the layers of the epidermis. it left a greasy film that in turn left marks on my clothes etc. Unfortunately it did not leave my skin feeling flexible (only a person who suffers from excema will understand that remark).

Nivea:
While I like this brand the hand cream did very little for me. Again this one had trouble getting through the layers of skin and just never seemed to give me the results that L'Occitane does. Like its brethren above it also left enough on the hands to mark everything I touched.

Liz Earle:
Liz uses naturally pure ingredients and her cream was designed for people who suffer from excema. Ideal you would think? So it is but it still hasn’t the strength of the cream on which this review is based. However, while the Liz Earle hand cream is a good reliable product I found it was not quite as thick as L'Occitane and so more was needed. The plastic tubes were smaller so I seemed to be constantly purchasing this, which by high street standards is not cheap. I gave up that trial after a couple of months feeling that it was very poor value for a heavy hand cream user like myself. I would still consider it a good second to L'Occitane though.

I could go on with many others but it would be pointless. I have tried them all and found many of them wanting in one way or another.

Now that the comparisons are out of the way I’d like to first give you a feel for the company and just how precise they are on growing and buying the “natural ingredients” which they use.

L’Occitane -The Company
Olivier Baussan created L’Occitane almost 25 years ago. It was, I believe, the subtle fragrances and natural aromas that he inhaled on a visit to provence that brought about L'Occitane. He started this company which thankfully, prides itself on the use of natural ingredients of plant extracts and essential oils.

L'Occitane then set about protecting the fading traditions and vanishing techniques and skills of the region wherever possible. They actively encourage the authentic customs even to the extent that they “breathed new life” (their words), into making genuine articles such as the famous “Marseille Soaps.

Below is the most important ingredient in the hand cream and so deserves a special mention.

Shea Butter
This is derived from the fruit of the Shea Tree. It’s a small but powerful ingredient, which can only be found in Africa. This wonderful extract is particularly nourishing to very dry and sensitive skin.

Shea Butter is included in most, if not all of the products of L’Occitane. The Shea Butter that they use is bought from the Burkina Faso village in Africa where the native women gather the Shea nuts that are used. The village is actually co-producers of L’Occitane’s complete Shea Butter Collection, which includes this hand cream.

Packaging
This is important and so I’ve included it. The tube while being silver and stylish is not as useful as the hexagonal shape of the top. I’ve found this shape to be easier for my fingers to grasp when either sore or covered in cream. I find I can open and close it without too much trouble. The tube is about six inches in length and has been carried in an average sized bag (not sure if you’d call the size of mine average though!).

The Product
The hand cream is purported to be L’Occitane’s number-one selling item and after using it for a long time I can understand why. Enriched with 20% Shea Butter it has the consistency of whipped cream though weightier in volume. Like most creams, it is milky white in colour. The added advantage to this product is a little goes a long way which is a good thing when you look at the price of the product. More on that later.

For people who have a mobility problem with their hands you only need to depress the tube lightly to dispense the cream. A small dollop about the size of a 5p coin should be enough. For hands that are work worn or very neglected you will of course, need more.

When you first apply this your skin will immediately feel the benefit. It is slightly heavy with a slightly greasy undertone. That is the essential oils you can feel. Keep smoothing it in gently for a few seconds and the residue will disappear. Your hands will feel a tad sticky for a about a minute but that will disperse. It will not, like its aforementioned brothers, leave sticky finger marks anywhere. I did a test of this by picking up a sheet of paper about two minutes after applying the cream. I found no greasy marks on it at all.

One other vital piece of information is the lack of lanoline in this product. I feel it should be mentioned for it is a major ingredient that can cause an allergic reaction in some people.

Results
Soft, silky, supple and oh so wonderful are just some of the words to describe how your hands will feel. Once the cream has sunk in you will find your skin is flexible and very touchable.

Another benefit is the appearance and tone of the skin. Both have improved, surprisingly so but not overnight, please remember I have been using this cream now for over three years. I will also mention that its gentle enough not to cause any irritation to tender spots or slight cuts. I've even applied it over a minor burn. It did not sting at all.

A word of caution. If you suffer from the same excema that I do and you try this cream then you have to use this alongside your prescription cream to reap the full benefit. It DOES NOT replace any hydrocortisone cream. It is not a miracle worker but it will improve neglected skin drastically but only over a period of time. I certainly know when I haven’t applied this for a while, or worse run out of it. Now I always keep some in hand (no pun intended).

Another test is to wash your hands about an hour after applying it. I found that my skin was not as dry and that the cream was "still there" deep in the pores.

L’Occitane claim that this product protects, nourishes and helps the skin to regenerate (this applies to the upper layers of the epidermis). This I can believe with its wonderful ingredients of honey, shea butter, althea, coconut oil, almond and not forgetting linseed. The company actually refers to this cream as a balm now which is also understandable.

Applying Tip
I was once told that when applying cream, any cream to the hands, always smooth the cream in with an upward motion starting from the fingertips and progressing to the wrist. This is to avoid stretching the skin in the wrong direction. The reason for this? Well, if you look at some older celebrities you’ll find that their hands give away their age. They might have gone the facelift rout but their hands cannot lie and will show every wrinkle. So don’t drag the skin down and invite those wrinkles to make an early appearance.

Scent
To some people this is important. If I was getting up close and personal with a man who kisses the hand (I wish) I might consider this important. For the benefit of those that have a romantic male I will tell you it does have a mild pleasant natural scent. You can detect the faint aroma of the honey and almond in the cream. There is also another scent, which I am not familiar with but would suspect it’s the Althea – Essence of African flowers, which is delightful and not overpowering.

I found the scent lasted about a half hour but while there you could be forgiven for walking along the street with your hand under your nose! Better yet stick it under your beloved's nose and invite him to kiss test your skin!

I will mention here that despite the scent of this product it could also be used by men, who care about their hands, it isn’t too girly or cloying. For men with very dry work worn hands you would be amazed at the results just a small amount would make. You could, of course, buy this for your girlfriend and sneak a bit for yourself when she's not looking!

My Tip
For a mild hand treatment (if you don't already have a specialised product) the night before a special date, apply a generous layer of cream let it soak in for two to three minutes then cover with a pair of 100% cotton gloves. You can buy the gloves from most Pharmacies. This hand cream is not cheap so only do this if your hands really need it or for a special occasion.

For even better results use L’Occitane’s exfoliating hand scrub first to take off any dry or rough skin then follow with the hand cream.

L’Occitane do a lighter Lavender hand cream which smells divine (if you like lavender) and is very cooling on the skin in the summer. You could use the Lavender during the day and keep this richer one to apply before going to bed.

WARNING
This product does contain almond and so for anyone with a nut allergy you should avoid it.

Conclusion
I do consider this hand cream to be quite pricey but you get what you pay for. I'd gladly spend this and more if my hands continue to resemble skin and not stretched ribbed cling film.

Price
Direct from L’Occitane’s website £13.00 +P&P 150ml Tube
L’Occitane’s own Stores
QVC 21.95 + £2.95 P&P for 2 x 150ml tubes

Website address
http://uk.loccitane.com/

 

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