The Body Shop Almond, Wild Rose and Hemp Hand Creams review & comparison. All are good, pick your favourite

I promised to do this review & comparison a few posts ago. I think it's a good time for a hand cream post, because the seasons wintery weather dries hands out so badly. And how can you expose your pretty-pretty Christmassy nail polish on rugged hands, right? Besides, two of these hand creams just came out a few months ago (at least here in Estonia). Although the creams come in quite similar metallic tubes, they are all different. 

Hemp Hand Protector is the oldest of them all. I remember it been sold more than twelve years ago already. The Body Shop describes it as giving a heavy duty moisturisation, protection and repair for extremely dry skin.

So it does. The thick very lightly minty green cream has a unique but quite pleasant smell of grass (ha-ha!) and does it's job real well. It takes some time for it to sink in, but it makes your hands very soft, be they as dry as they may. It's because of the hemp seed oil unusually full of fatty acids our skin desperately needs to stay soft and supple. Yes, you have to wait a bit after applying this, because it takes some time to absorb, but the time is not too long and it does not leave a nasty film on your hands. The grassy smell lingers for quite a while, but if you grow used to it, you might start to like it as I do by now. The best part of this cream is that is also performs like cuticle cream: you can massage it in your cuticles and it makes them soft and cared for.

Wild Rose Hand Cream SPF 15 is a different cup of tea. The Body Shop claims that the lightweight cream with rosehip oil, Community Fair Trade Brazil nut oil and Ghana shea butter has been made for mature skin. It's meant for hydrating the skin and helping to protect it against brown spots.

Whilst I don't know about the against-brown-spots action -- as I don't have any, I'm too young for this, boo! –, it is certainly lightweight, moisturising and has a lovely rosehip smell.

I don't really care about SPF 15 in winter either :D I bought this hand cream being mesmerized by the lovely classically ladylike rosy fragrance that lingers a lot longer than to your next hand wash and noticed the fine print only later. The best part of this cream is that it absorbs quickly, I'd say in 30 secs or a minute and doesn't leave my hands greasy at all. I hate greasy hands.

As they say, you can tell the age of a lady by her hands, so the un-maturing action must be good for me. Hell, I must start to use it on my neck too, as this is another important lady part :P

I saved the best for the last: Almond Hand & Nail Cream. It moisturises hands and conditions nails, made with sweet almond oil, honey from Ethiopia, soy oil from Brazil and Community Fair Trade Brazil nut oil & Ghana shea butter. Suits all skin types.

I think this must be my favourite of these three, as this is the most quick one to absorb. I hate waiting for my hand cream to absorb and ruining all my important papers, magazines, phone screen and so on. Usually I usually don't like almond smell, as I consider it sickeningly sweet, but this is not the case here. I'm not good at describing smells, but this cream smells rather fresh and inviting to me, with only a slight hint of almond. It's an interesting inviting smell that says: “I really like to take good care myself. Touch my hand, smell this and you'll see and feel it.” Or something in these lines. It smells expensive. I swear, I could smell my hands all day wearing this :)

I bought only a small tube of Almond Hand Cream for carrying around in the handbag, but when this is finished, I'm quite sure I'll make a repurchase.

All of these hand creams are packed in metallic tubes, that seem very lovely and elegant at first, but may get ugly, crushed and battered by squeezing quickly. Though, I must mention that I've used my Body Shop Hemp cream metallic tube and L'Occitane hand cream metallic tube about the same time, and L'Occitane hand cream tube is much more demolished and ugly. So I guess Body Shop tubes hold on better.

There are other products like hand washes, nail butters and whatnot in all these product lines from The Body Shop, but I haven't tried any of them. Hope they are all as good as these creams.

I won't give you the exact prices, as I don't remember it for the Hemp Protector and the other ones I bought on sale anyway. Check your local Body Shop for prices.

Yours Truly,

Tolmu Rull

P.S. Did I mention that all of these smell gorgeous – especially almond, hemp and rosehip one :P

For my lovely Estonian ladies:

No mis ma oskan öelda lisaks eelnevale? Kõik kolm kätekreemi on väga head. Vanim, Body Shopi klassikaks saanud kanepiga kätekreem, on kõige toitvam ja sobib ka küünenahkade niisutamiseks, teised kaks jällegi imenduvad ekstrakiirusel :D Kõik lõhnavad imehästi ja kindlasti on need kreemid talveks hea ost. Hindu tšekkige lähimast Body Shopist.

Siiralt Teie,

Tolmu Rull