Review: Burt's Bees Almond Milk Beeswax Hand Cream

I'm a bit behind on my reviews -- I've got a bunch of things lined up but between moving and then adding two kittens into the mix, I've had my hands full. Not to mention that one of those kittens is sick which is creating a whole other issue which brings me to this review. A bit of context here: We have two kittens that have not been separated since birth which now have to undergo a bit of separation since one is sick. As a result, of his brother missing, he has decided that I as Momma-Kat can sustain his rough play. So he's been batting, pouncing, and nibbling at my hands at night. 

All the cremes and lotions that I have cannot withstand kitten playtime apparently. Now I remember a while ago in a trade on Makeup Alley, someone asked if I could get them this hand creme as part of the trade and they raved about it. The problem was that almost every jar I had found at my local drugstores had been unceremoniously sampled. We worked out something else, but I did keep her raves about the product in mind.

So after very little deliberation (once you try 3-4 different lotions on your hand and they don't work, it leaves very little room for thought about what to do next), I purchased the hand creme (which was also unceremoniously sampled, but at this point since my hands were burning I decided to forego my OCD in the matter). 

To start, I love the scent as almond is one my favourite scents in general (dreams of marzipan). This has a strong almond scent that is mixed with a bit of beeswax which you can make out quite well. It does leave my hands a bit greasy but I'd rather that. Given the circumstances, all of my lotions were drying out too quickly leaving my skin parched. I already have dry skin, but having to wash my hands after touching the kittens or the cat each time means that my hand washing has skyrocketed leaving my skin ashen and a bit flaky. So greasy? Sure. It doesn't inhibit my work or bother me at all, plus is keeps my skin moisturized and protected.

Now while you can just spring for a tub of cocoa butter and shea butter, which will probably do the same job they are a bit more greasier than this hand creme. So while it's a bit pricier ($9) it's still worth it, especially since I have to wash my hands so often and reapply it equally as much (which is a lot).

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Product: Burt's Bees Almond Milk Beeswax Hand Cream
Price: $9
Would Recommend? Yes!
Takeaway: If you find yourself washing your hands frequent, have dry skin, or notice that your kitten is mistaking your hand for a cat and attacking it, then this is a great buy. Lovely scent that is like marzipan and while it's a tad bit greasy, that's up to you to figure out if it's worth it. For me, it is.

Lotions for Dry Hands

I was hesitating to write this post as it's not really makeup related, but also not a short snippet that I could just post to tumblr either. It's about hand lotion and I've mentioned before that I have very dry skin which extends to my hands. Now I feel confident in saying that if you suffer from dry hands as well, then you're pretty much willing to try anything and do just about anything in order to combat it so I figured that I'd through out not only some recommendations, but mixes I use (this will be lengthy). 

Now I love trying out things but I also know that if a hand lotion isn't thick enough, then I'll be repeatedly reapplying throughout the day. This is how I managed to get through my generic versions of hand cream or the lightweight ones from Sabon or Avon. I'm not going to list off the ones that I have to reapply every hour -- but rather I'll talk about the ones that are thicker, last longer, and are just plain awesome.

• Avon Silicone Glove: Costs about $5 and it's my absolute favourite one. It absorbs quickly and stays on -- even after you wash your hands (of course, that doesn't mean it will last if you're washing dishes, but still admirable how long it can stay on). I hoard these... yes, that is the extent I will go to to preserve them. I love these and highly recommend them.

• Burt's Bees Almond Milk Beeswax Hand Creme: Costs about $9 (varies depending on where you get it from) and this is a slightly thicker type and can appear a bit on the greasy side. It doesn't absorb as quickly as others but it wears down a bit as it is worked in. I love the scent on this one.

• L'Occitane Shea Butter Hand Cream: Costs $28 and performs perfectly. True story: I had a friend with severely cracked hands and with the help of this cream he was able to get them back on track. Shea butter is a wonderful thing. Anyhow, quick absorption, good on the go, overall a great performer. Doesn't last quite as long as the Avon Silicone Glove, but still helps repair which is why I like this one.

• Shea Butter or Cocoa Butter in general are great, which is actually what I tend to use when I'm home. But that's also because they are greasy and you can't really do much till they are fully absorbed. One of the things I will sometimes do is slather on shea or cocoa butter and then put on gloves. Another thing I do is take cocoa or shea butter and blend my own hand lotions.

So exactly what does blending your own lotion (not from scratch) entail? Well, for starters, if you have severely dry skin then something you might also have is a stash of lotions that just don't work. Combine them all to create the mega-lotion. Grab any lotion samples that you might have gotten and toss it in there too. Yep, that's pretty much it. The true secret though is adding in some form of shea and/or cocoa butter. Now given the texture of cocoa or shea butter, you'd likely have to melt it down but even then it might not be that great since it might reform in chunks. In order to avoid that, I happen to have Vaseline Cocoa Radiant Gel Oil which I add into the mixture. I keep two different blends, one at work and one at my apartment and the great thing about them is that they are packed with oils but the lotions tend to balance them out so they actually (and very surprisingly) don't come off too greasy.