A Barista's Guide to Hand Cream
If you’re going to get hand cream recommendations, get them from a barista.
I just finished Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain, the copy inches from my laptop. I’m at a cafe, doing my morning ritual of reading/writing that I partake in whenever I have the morning off. The same way food and kitchens have consumed Bourdain’s life, I have been obsessed with coffee and cafes for as long as I can remember. I had a Starbucks gold card in 2012 at the fresh age of thirteen. At boarding school, I would drink the always-on-tap, never-refilled stream of putrid black coffee with everyone else. It was notorious, and only good dressed up with copious amounts of cream and sugar. I would often take it black or with watery almond milk and honey due to disordered eating, but the experience did broaden my palate. My first real job came after a rejection from a boutique, when I walked to my favorite coffee bar nestled in a restaurant and, upon my dad’s suggestion, applied there, resume still in hand. The next Monday I found myself there at six in the morning, anxious, quiet, tired. I’d always wanted to be a barista; how could one turn down a paid education in coffee?
I just haven’t been able to leave since. The industry, that is. Cafes come and go.
Unlike Anthony Bourdain, I did not look at a co-worker’s calloused, scarred, blistering hands and aspire to have the same one day. I’ve quite notoriously shoved hand cream upon my coworkers like a gospel spreading their message since I was nineteen. Constant hand washing and sanitizer zaps all moisture out of one’s hands. There’s a certain patch of skin on one finger that always peels if I work too many days in a row, or I’m not diligent enough with my lotion. I used to feel elated when someone complimented my soft hands, but the last comment I got was how dry they were. I do my best now to maintain. When I’m diligent, the damage isn’t too bad–like someone with years of sun damage applying sunscreen each morning. If you’re going to get hand cream recommendations, get them from a barista.
The Practical One
I saw this one on someone’s dashboard the other day while walking down the street. “That’s the hand cream I keep at work!” Tucked next to our personal drink cups, there’s a small tube of Gold Bond Ultimate Healing Hand Cream. “Lasts through hand washing” it proclaims. I definitely need to reapply it a dozen times throughout my shift, but it’s cheap, and it doesn’t completely wash away the moment my hands touch water, which is often. 7/10
The Favorite
Stashed in several bags of mine is the Aesop Resurrection Aromatique Hand Balm. I’ve used this one since high school. If it weren’t for the price, this one would dominate the field. For $33 a tube, I can’t afford to wash it away every time someone hands me their grimy personal cup to use (often with the remnants of the last drink in it!), or passes me cash directly from their bra. This hand cream wins in the scent/softness department, and makes me feel like I have my life together when I dole a pea amount of the butter-yellow cream onto the back of my hands. 10/10
A Dupe of The Favorite
Weleda’s Sea Buckthorn hand cream is somewhat similar in scent/vibes to the Aesop one. I like the tackiness this leaves on my hands, and I enjoy the sturdy tube it comes in. I’ve tried the unscented and pomegranate one too. They’re all nice and get the job done, nothing crazy. 7/10
Special Mention
Weleda Skin Food was long boasted about on IntoTheGloss. It has a distinct, sharp herbaceous scent that, by now, is nostalgic to me, and comes out as a thick, greasy cream that leaves skin with a tangible sheen. Essentially unwearable except for right before bed, it’ll definitely Get The Job Done. I have the “light” version as well–I actually use this one as a face cream. I generally buy Weleda only when it’s on sale at the grocery store, which is often. 8.5/10
The Holy Grail/Workhorse
The first restaurant/coffee bar I worked at was down the street from a Trader Joes, making that my main grocery store of the time. When their hand cream first came out, I quickly became enamored. It’s, what, $4.99 or so? Instantly nourishing and makes your hands buttery-soft. It has a pretty distinct no-scent-scent, unisex and comforting. My biggest qualm is at the slightest drop of water it turns milky and washes away. Best for periods of rest and recovery, aka not on the clock. 9/10
Special Mention
The Burts Bees hand salve is nice and greasy. It’ll save your life when your dry skin is really nagging at you. I’ve used this one as an emergency lip balm as well. I get the sample size and tuck it into my apron. This one is best for on-the-job emergencies and before bed.
As an ex-Intothegloss reader, my favorite place was always the comment section. Have you tried any of these hand creams? Have any favorites not listen? Lets chat in the comments
