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About two months ago (which, whew, feels like a decade ago at this point), I sent out an urgent, pleading Slack to SELF’s #random channel: “Does anyone have hand lotion for extremely dry hands? I’m dying.” This was before the coronavirus outbreak, and my hands were already cracked and red from typical winter conditions, and also dotted with eczema. My coworkers rushed to the scene with an array of fragrant lotions and creams to soothe my hands, which looked like they belonged to an aging construction worker and not a 23-year-old assistant.
My hands received momentary relief, but I knew I needed something that would heal them for the long haul. Since most of my income goes toward rent, I don’t exactly have disposable cash to heedlessly shell out on hand lotion (I’d sooner spend it on oat-milk ice cream, anyway). By the time I used up the last of the inadequate creams I had at home, the coronavirus was in full force in the U.S., and so was my scaly skin, thanks to the constant handwashing. So I turned to my mom, who’s a palliative care nurse in a hospital and washes her hands approximately 1,000 more times a day than I do, especially these days. Without missing a beat, she suggested the Kiehl’s Ultimate Strength Hand Salve ($32).
For some context, my mom has been a die-hard Kiehl’s stan since I gave her a few samples I received earlier this year. She swears by their cult-favorite Ultra Facial Cream and Powerful-Strength Line-Reducing Concentrate 12.5% Vitamin C for her aging skin, so the hand-salve recommendation came as no surprise. I made the purchase, because my mom’s hands are buttery soft, even with [gestures wildly] all of this, so I knew it had to be legit.
And for what it’s worth, upon pitching this story, SELF Digital Director Leta Shy Slacked me to say, “This is my favorite hand cream ever. I never use anything else.” It was also a winner among people we polled on their all-time favorite hand creams, with one writer in Arizona raving that it “keeps my hands moisturized all day, even in the dry desert air.” At $23 for five ounces, sure, it may seem like a steep price to pay for a hand cream. But in these dire times, I’m a proponent of paying a little extra on self-care products that make me feel more human.
The moment I popped open the cap, I was greeted by the glorious, medicinal scent of eucalyptus, one of my all-time favorites. My mom warned me that a little goes a long way, so I squeezed a dime-size amount onto the back of my hand and started to rub it in. The salve, which includes rich avocado and sesame oils, has a thick—excuse me, thicc—texture that enrobes your hands and soaks in within 10 seconds.
With other hand creams, I often find myself having to reapply every time I wash my hands to keep them moisturized, but this Kiehl’s salve—which also includes all-star emollients like moisturizing shea butter and squalane, plus healing aloe—is so hydrating and healing that I only need to re-up maybe twice a day. And almost a month of using the Kiehl’s hand salve has performed miracles, reverse-aging my hands back to the soft, even-toned ones of a 23-year-old again. In short, everyone was absolutely right: I’ve seen the light and found my holy grail, and now I’m spreading the gospel to you too.
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