With how much we wash and sanitize our hands these days, hand cream should be on everyone’s radar. Unfortunately, winter is torture on hands, and it’s not over yet. Hands are not just dry in the winter, though, and maintaining healthy hands year-round is important.

Since I am not a professionally trained esthetician, I try to get as much information as possible from medical journals. For example, I recently read a study in the United States National Library of Medicine about handwashing among healthcare workers in clinical practice and how using hand cream after washing can confine both skin dryness and skin roughness. Maintaining an intact skin barrier is essential for the health of not just the skin on the hands but the skin from head to toe.

Here are some great hand creams to save your hands this winter and all year long.