How to Keep Dry Hands at Bay this Winter

When the cold weather hits sometimes just using hand cream does not cut it. My hands have been super dry lately and even though I apply hand cream multiple times a day, I felt like I needed a boost. So I have put together the perfect combination for a super moisturizing night treatment that will keep cracked skin at bay!

First you need a good quality hand cream, not just something with loads of silicon that makes your hands feel soft, you need emollients and ingredients that can actually hydrate the skin, not just coat it. For this purpose I love the Innisfree Hand Creams, they contain loads of great ingredients like shea butter, olive and coconut oil as well as different antioxidants like orchid and green tea extracts. They are really good for daily maintenance but combined with the product below you get an even richer treatment. 

The trick to boost your hand cream is to add The Honest Company Organic Healing Balm and mix them together for extra moisture. This balm contains loads of great organic oils like sunflower, olive and tamanu as well as chamomile and beeswax for an all-around soothing and nourishing product. The reason why I do this treatment at night is because the balm is very rich. You could use it on its own, but it can make your hands quite oily which is why I love to combine it with a cream to get all the benefits without any drawbacks.

This treatment really helps keep my hands soft and I feel like they don’t get as dry during the day! You can get Innisfree Hand Creams from their website, the ones shown above are from the limited edition 2015 Green Christmas Perfumed Hand Cream Gift Set available here. As for the Honest Organic Healing Balm, you can find it on the Honest website.  

The Bay's Olympic Mittens

One of my winter must-have every year is a new pair of mittens to protect my hands from the cold and add a touch of color to my outfits. For the past four years or so, the mittens from The Bays’ Olympic Collection have been winners for me. Every winter, they come up with a new design whilst keeping Canada’s color: red and white, and adding a touch of black to keep them fashionable. They are made of acrylic, giving a woollen look on the outside, but the lining is made of polyester. This combination keeps your hands warm and cozy without causing any irritation to the skin like woollen mittens can do.

With the purchase of these mittens, a portion of the profits goes to the Canadian Olympic Foundation to help support our athletes. This is a great way to support our athletes as well as adding a fashionable and useful accessory to your winter wardrobe.

You can find the Olympic mittens at The Bay for 10$ and they are also available online.  

Bath and Body Works Nourishing Hand Cream

Today I thought I would talk to you about a cold weather must have: hand cream. Hopefully over the next few weeks I’ll be able to review a few more so you’ll know which ones are best for you depending on your situation.

The first one up is the Bath and Body Works nourishing hand cream. This one comes in a variety of seasonal scents and its convenient plastic tube contains 59ml making it perfect to carry around in your purse or when travelling.

This hand cream falls in the maintenance category for me, it moisturizes but it would not be enough to treat severely dry hands. It works nicely to keep your hands soft and it feels like it forms a protective barrier on the skin without leaving any residue behind. The texture is very creamy but it melts into the skin very easily (like a gel) and absorbs quickly. The shea butter and vitamin e make it a great everyday staple for colder months.

I have the crisp morning air scent and it is divine! It has note of pear, mountain pine and fresh juniper, but the pear is really what gives an incredible freshness to the scent. This particular one was part of the fall collection, but you might still be able to find it in stores and it is on the Bath and Body Works website. Nonetheless, they have such a wide range of scents that I’m sure you’ll be able to find one that suits you.

You can find the nourishing hand cream in any Bath and Body Works stores and on their website for 5$.

The Gap scarf

There are only a few days left until it’s officially spring. However, if you leave in Canada (especially on the East coast) you’ll know that the weather is far from spring-like. Don’t get me wrong, we’ve had a lot of sunny days, but the weather has been so cold (the wind is seriously not helping). Because of this I’m still sporting my parka and I bundle up with a nice warm scarf.

Whilst all the spring clothes have been calling my name I have been resisting their call and couldn't help but notice all the nice winter things on sale. One thing I treat myself to every winter is a scarf from Gap, they are super cozy and soft but thick enough to keep you warm.

So if you have a Gap store near you (I could not find them online) and are enduring cold weather, I suggest you go and have a look, most of their winter scarves are on sale, as well as some really nice sweaters and other things. They are great quality for the price so they’ll last you quite a long time.

However, if you’re lucky enough to already be enjoying spring you should have a look at their lighter scarves, I particularly like this blue one and these stripy ones link link.

What kind of weather have you been enjoying lately?