This Is the Best-Selling Cream Nurses Swear By for Their Overly Washed Hands

Dry, cracked hands are already a common nuisance during the colder months—but add in all the hand washing we're doing to comply with the CDC's coronavirus guidelines, and our skin is more parched than ever. To figure out a solution to painfully cracked skin, we turned to Jenelle Johnson, a nurse director at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, who is no stranger to the side effects of overly washed hands. Her hero product? L'Occitane's Shea Butter Hand Cream.

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As it turns out, Johnson isn't the only fan of the nourishing hand cream—it's a best-seller for L'Occitane and is so popular, one bottle is purchased every 2 seconds by customers around the globe. Formulated with 20 percent organic shea butter, the lotion has a rich, balm-like consistency that works to not only hydrate skin, but also protect it from future damage. And despite using ultra-moisturizing ingredients like almond oil, honey, vitamin E and coconut oil, Johnson says the formula is quick-drying and non-greasy.

To buy: L'Occitane Shea Butter Hand Cream, from $12; amazon.com

"I wash and sanitize my hands 40 to 50 times per day on average but many nurses in my unit may clean their hands upwards to 100 times a day," says Johnson. "This is the cream I've always gravitated to and recommend to my staff."

Other 5-star reviewers agree that this hand cream is a go-to for soothing irritated skin. One happy customer said: "I used to work in an ER and one of the physicians had some of this hand cream. She told me to try some and I was blown away! It makes my hands so soft and for someone cursed with bad genes I suffer from extremely dry skin. I always used to get so embarrassed when someone extended their hand to me to shake because I know how rough my hands felt so when I say this s the best hand cream out there...it's the BEST hands down!"

Johnson recommends applying a dime-sized amount of L'Occitane's hand cream several times throughout the day. Shop this nurse-approved moisturizer to combat the drying effects of soap, water, and hand sanitizer while still keeping your hands clean and germ-free.

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