Take 7: Hand Creams

L’Occitane Verbena Cooling Hand Cream Gel
Not familiar with L’Occitane’s version of the ultimate hand cream, I had to look up the skin benefits of Verbena. It is used in a variety of ways and has many beneficial aspects. It can bring relief from daily stress. Hardly associated with the use of a hand cream, I know, but the uplifting aroma of this citrusy ingredient was invigorating. It’s also known for its softening and soothing properties and this is also true. Although the cool sensation was difficult to handle at first especially in the cold, the scent and moisture lingered for a surprisingly long time.
Price: €8.60
Available from: L’Occitane, Makarios Ave, Nicosia. Tel:

Green People Help at Hand
Organic skin care and cosmetics line, Green People is available in Cyprus and has been for quite some time. Help at Hand is suitable for people prone to eczema and psoriasis, and is a rescue remedy for hard-working hands and sensitive skin. It protects against moisture loss, acts as a light, non-greasy barrier cream and offers a fragrant, calming aroma. Most importantly, it is free from parabens, petrochemicals and artificial fragrances, making it the purest moisturiser nature has to offer. Contains organic rose, geranium, lavender and hemp.
Price: €21
Available from: Contact Green People’s representative Barbara on 99-682327, www.easyconsciousliving.com

Apivita Handcare with Balsam and Mastic
This was the first hand cream I tried once winter hit and after two days of application, my hands were looking normal again! The main ingredients in this amazing product are balsam and mastic although it’s not a natural product; the fact that it uses parabens is about the only downside. But then again it worked… Other active ingredients include glycerine, shea butter, balsam, panthenol, mastic essential oil, vitamin E and allantoin.
Price: €7.50
Available from: selected pharmacies

Soap Shack Apricot Rich Hand Cream
Soap Shack stocks Ancient Wisdom, a UK-based skincare range that boasts a line of hand creams, one of them being this Apricot Rich. It comes in a jar and has an extremely creamy texture. It’s light, non-oily and overwhelms the senses with its strong apricot aroma. The fruit, when used in skincare products, has beneficial results against scabies, eczema, sun-burn and itching especially due to cold exposure. It is indeed a miracle in a jar if used at least three times a day.
Price: €5
Available from: The Soap Shack, Tel: 99 411013

The Body Shop Hemp Hand Protector
With the thickest consistency, The Body Shop’s hand cream is a miracle worker for dry, chapped and over-washed hands. Hemp seed oil has an unusually high concentration of essential fatty acids that help repair skin’s moisture barrier, so skin is smooth and supple. The product also contains Community Trade organic beeswax that moisturises and conditions and acts as a barrier to seal the fresh, herbal scent. Note the fact that this product is used by people with over-washed hands. It is the ultimate for irritated, red knuckles.
Price: €6
Available from: The Body Shop

Mastic Spa Mastic and Olive Moisturising Hand Cream
Mastic has the most amazing medicinal properties and therapeutic benefits for the skin. Mix it with olive oil and you have perhaps one of the most moisturising, beneficial hand creams on the market. Including other ingredients such as provitamin B5 (Panthenol) and glycerine, this hand cream strengthens and protects the skin, calming and soothing as it goes. It is recommended that you apply a small amount and spread with slow, intense moves. I did just that and found it brought a rosy colour to my otherwise cold-bitten hands.
Price: €16
Available from: Mastic Spa, Tel: 22 667771

Logona Daily Care
A distinct, fresh, natural aroma characterises this product, which is as light as cream and lingers without bordering on oily. Best of all it’s organic. Shea butter, jojoba oil, aloe vera and chamomile are among the certified organically grown ingredients. Expect it to leave your hands looking slightly oily but that’s only because you can continue rubbing and massaging until it fades away.
Price: €8.37
Available from: health stores such as Etherio in Nicosia. Tel: 22 817181

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.