A Hand Model Recommended This Skin-Softening Balm That Restored My Sand Paper Skin

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Dryness is no match for this winter essential.

This is an admittedly weird flex, but I’ve always had the softest hands. This is not just my vanity speaking; my sisters, who are not very physically affectionate, like to hold my hand specifically because of this. But this fall something changed—overnight my hands felt parched and uncomfortable, and so dry that I hated the feeling of my hands rubbing against each other or touching my skin. I had a slew of what I thought were safeguard creams and treatments, but they weren’t strong enough to mitigate this horror. I went in search of a solution and a dozen or so products later found it in Aesop’s Resurrection Aromatique Hand Balm.

Aesop Resurrection Aromatique Hand Balm

$33 at Nordstrom

While racking my brain for possible solutions, I remembered that a hand model once told me he exclusively relies on Aesop’s hand balm to keep his hands photo-ready. He was right—it is exceptional. Calling it a hand balm and not cream is not a branding tactic. The viscosity is decidedly thicker and richer than the dozens of hand creams I have been cycling through. It takes about 20 to 30 seconds for my skin to completely absorb it. It doesn’t leave behind any film or residue, I can immediately return to typing, cleaning, or what have you without a slip-and-slide grip.

Eleos Aromatique Hand Balm

$33 at Nordstrom

I experienced both short and long-term effects. In the short term, there was an immediate tactile difference—for the first time in two months, I didn’t wince when my palms touched either other. Any time I apply the Aesop Hand Balm, my skin looks and feels smooth and moisturized. That part is easy, but the real proof of the balm’s prowess is the fact that after five days, I stopped walking up in the middle of the night to apply more hand cream.

If Aesop products are known for one thing, it’s smelling divine. The Resurrection Hand Balm follows suit— it has hints of orange and citrus, rosemary, and the forest (probably a specific tree but I can’t name a single genus).

The scent is not a superfluous flourish; it’s indicative of the ingredients that make this work so well. According to one study, rosemary oil has moisturizing- and elasticity-improving benefits. It also soothes inflammation which can be a major cause of dry skin. Orange oil is also an anti-inflammatory ingredient with anti-aging and collagen-improving properties. Resurrection Hand Balm is also formulated with coconut oil, an especially apt ingredient since it’s an emollient a.k.a., it softens skin and improves the barrier preventing moisture from escaping.

You can find my skin savior, Aesop’s Resurrection Hand Balm at Nordstrom. It comes in two other scents—Eleos (cedar, pine, and patchouli notes) and Reverence (smoky, light citrus, and a little spice).

Reverence Hand Balm

$33 at Nordstrom