Ahava Dead Sea Water Mineral Hand Cream -Retail $33
This fan-favorite hand cream appeared in this season's FFF box in a limited edition size (5.1oz, worth $33). However, the normal size is 3.4 oz retailed at $24, so I'll base the specs on that. I personally don't usually have an issue with dry hands, but since it's been especially crazy dry in the OC lately (last week, humidity was 5%!) I've been really needing all the hydration I can get-all over my body. I can't imagine how much all you dry-hand sufferers in Socal are dealing right now! Depending on your lifestyle, weather, and skin dryness, you could take forever to finish a hand cream while someone might breeze through an entire bottle in a week. Either way, you want a quality hand cream that is hydrating, won't need reapplication too often, and won't leave a greasy residue.
Specs:
- Size: 3.4oz/100mL (I got the limited edition 5.1 oz/150mL)
- Packaging: Tube
- Scent: (Claims to be gender-neutral but I disagree) light, baby-like perfume-y scent?
- Paraben Free, approved for sensitive skin
Ingredients:
Aqua (Mineral Spring Water), Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Ceteareth-30, Cetearyl Alcohol, Cetyl Alcohol, Glycerin, Sodium Cetearyl Sulfate, Hamamelis Virginiana (Witch Hazel) Flower Water, Propanediol(Corn derived Glycol), Phenoxyethanol, Ethylexylglycerin, Maris Sal (Dead Sea Water), Dimethicone, Parfum (Fragrance), Allantoin, Linalool, Hexyl Cinnamal, Hydroxyisohexyl 3-Cyclohexene Carboxaldehyde, Butylphenyl Methylpropional, Coumarin, Alpha Isomethyl Ionone, Citronellol, Geraniol, Isoeugenol, Benzyl Alcohol, Benzyl Benzoate, Benzyl Salicylate.
*Their advertised ingredient mineral spring water is the first ingredient! Minerals are supposed to help hydration by trapping water. Japanese and Korean women (even celebrities) actually wash their face in a 1:1 100% carbonated mineral water/water ratio for increased blood circulation. Having said that, I'm not sure how much minerals help with hydration, but it is good for the skin.
Claims:
"Give your hands an extra infusion of smoothness with this light hand cream in value size. It's rich in nourishing Dead Sea minerals that hydrate and soften skin for increased all day comfort and safeguard effectively against environmental damage."
Performance:
At first application, the cream seems thicker than it really is. As you rub it into your hands, the texture becomes more velvety/silky which is a nice texture. However, I'm not a huge fan of the scent plus it lingered, (I'm just sensitive to scents tbh) but I did notice that the cream did sink into the skin quite fast. Most of the time, this is what I want for a hand cream, but the down side was that my hands didn't feel hydrated for long. I found myself wanting to reapply more layers or more often throughout the day. For myself as a non-usual dry skin sufferer, if I found myself reapplying the cream, how much more for someone with dry hands?
Verdict:
For a $24 value I wouldn't recommend this. I'll use it for the time being to finish it up, but after that I wouldn't go out and purchase this. I imagine someone looking into this product is serious about moisturizing their hands and would want something more than what this has to offer. I loved the texture, but at the end of the day, other than softening my skin, it didn't do what we all want hand creams to do very well-moisturize. Don't get me wrong-I'm not saying this brand isn't good at what they do. I'm just saying this product in particular isn't worth the price for its performance.
It's winter now, and the weather itself can take a toll on the skin on your hands since it's exposed most of the time. This isn't even mentioning all the many many things we do: we sani-in, sani-out (for healthcare workers), wash our hands, shake hands, and so much more. Other factors this time of year such as travelling in planes, staying at hotels, sitting in front of fires/heaters also dry out skin dramatically. So basically...our hands go through a lot. This is why so many suffer from dry and cracked hands even until they bleed. It's important to hydrate and protect your hands-you need them for everything!
Save Some $:
For a better value, get the popular Loccitane Shea Butter Hand Cream is a good one-for a good reason! It's a huge size 5.2oz for $29, and it lasts way longer in the long run. I don't need to reapply this as much. If you subscribe to Loccitane emails, they'll sometimes do 20% off any regular purchase+free gifts with purchase. If you need extra protection, go for the trusty Aquaphor or Neutrogena Norwegian Formula Hand Cream.