Winter for most people means snow, cooler weather, hot coco and the holidays, but for me, it means dry, chapped skin, specifically my hands. Normally I’d put on some hand lotion that’s been lying around for God only knows how long and forget about it, but the past winter was the worse. My hands weren’t just dry and chapped but the skin at the tip of my fingernails and in between my fingers were severely cracked and bleeding. It could be a combination of the cold, dry weather and the fact that I tend to wash my hands often, either way I knew I needed something stronger.
I’m not exactly a high maintenance gal and being a college student I needed something affordable. Since I’m not very familiar with skin care products I wasn’t sure which brand would be appropriate for my needs and which brand actually works. Like I said, I’m not a high maintenance gal and typically I’d turn to my mother for help but at the moment, mom’s about three hours away. So what’s a girl to do? Well, I went into the nearest drugstore and did the logical thing, which was head for the lotion aisle. When I got there I was even more confused, it’s unbelievable how many brands, types and scents of lotion there are. I looked around to see what other women were buying and I noticed that Nivea was a pretty popular brand, I’ve even had other customers comment on how well it works, apparently I wasn’t the only with chapped hands. Of course like many brands Nivea had several types of lotions. I looked around a bit for something to cure dry hands and came across Nivea Soft, the packaging says it’s a “refreshingly soft moisturizing crème, for incredibly soft skin,” well that sounds exactly like what I needed. Nivea Soft even came in a conveniently small circular container, which was perfect for me, I grabbed the Nivea Soft and went to check out.
I put on Nivea Soft whenever my hands were dry and chapped, I especially used it for the tips of my fingernails. After about the fifth time of having to reapply Nivea Soft, I realized that I don’t quite like the package so much, it was a pain to open and close, especially with greasy hands. My hands didn’t feel like they were healing or moisturizing, in fact Nivea Soft felt more like the cold creams my mom uses. It’s thick and oily, it felt more like rubbing oil on my hands than lotion. I gave Nivea Soft a few more weeks, hoping with time maybe my hands will get better. After three weeks, my hands were still dry, chapped and cracking. The only time they weren’t was when I had Nivea Soft on but I had to reapply it every time I washed my hands and it was only a temporary fix. I finally gave up on Nivea Soft and went back to the drugstore to try again.
I had real help this time, one of the cosmetics person saw how confused I was and suggested that I try Jergens lotion. She guaranteed me that it would solve my dry-hands problem in no time. Now that I’ve got the brand down, which one? Again, like other brands there’s so many variations to choose from. The cosmetic lady said I should try Jergens Ultra Healing, it comes in a small, portable tube and is made specifically to hydrate and moisturize dry skin for 24-hours. Twenty-four hours?! I was sold. I really hated reapplying the hand crème every time I washed my hands, like I did with Nivea Soft.
Even after checking out, even after the cosmetic lady ensured me that Jergens Ultra Healing lotion would help my hands, I was still skeptical, after all, I’ve heard the same thing being said about Nivea Soft. I decided to give Jergens Ultra Healing a shot, a few weeks couldn’t hurt and it only cost me .99 cents. I put it on as soon as I paid for it, I rubbed some on the tips of my fingernails and in between my fingers. I was surprise to feel how light it was, it didn’t feel at all oily, my skin was instantly smooth and soft again and I didn’t have to reapply it after washing my hands! Jergens Ultra Healing lotion was exactly everything that it advertised to be. I only bought a three ounce bottle but since it really does last 24-hours I still have more than half a bottle left and it’s been six months! Thanks to Jergens Ultra Healing lotion, my hands are no longer dry, chapped or cracking.
