Recommend a non-greasy hand cream?

January 4, 2022 3:25 PM

I use a *lot* of strong emollient hand cream. When I lived in the UK, I relied on E45. I've now moved to the US, and I'm having trouble finding a replacement. In comparison, all the ones I've tried so far leave a greasy, tacky feeling on my skin. I find Eucerin, Cerave, and Cetaphil lotion about equally bad. Does anyone have any other suggestions for drugstore brands?

I'd like to avoid beauty brands, if possible, because those can be costly for the amounts I use. Also, I know that I can get E45 online, but I'm looking for something I can walk into almost any drugstore and buy.

Thanks in advance!

posted by ectopus to Health & Fitness (31 answers total)

If you have a Trader Joe’s nearby, I find their Ultra Moisturizing hand cream to be as good as the very pricey L’occitane cream it is duplicating, and you can’t beat the price.
posted by minervous at 3:36 PM on January 4, 2022 [6 favorites]

this: aloe vesta

discovered this when my mom was in the hospital (a decade ago) and have used it since.
posted by ivanthenotsoterrible at 3:39 PM on January 4, 2022

I've never been much of a lotion person because I dislike that greasy feeling, but lately I've been using Aveeno's unscented "daily moisturizing lotion" on my hands (but not the "hand cream" version, which is twice as expensive for reasons that are unclear to me), and I like it. I use a pretty small amount so it rubs in well. Cheap, readily available, and worth a shot, perhaps.
posted by Ryon at 3:39 PM on January 4, 2022 [3 favorites]

I really like Gold Bond Ultimate Healing Hand Cream.
posted by belladonna at 3:40 PM on January 4, 2022 [9 favorites]

Belladonna has it. That’s the only one that works for me. Get it in the 5.5 oz. size, because even though less cost-effective, you will have trouble with the bigger size that’s in the pump.
posted by SomethinsWrong at 3:44 PM on January 4, 2022

I like Vanicream a lot and think it's comparable to E45, which used to be my mainstay.
posted by Morpeth at 3:49 PM on January 4, 2022 [2 favorites]

I really love Kiehl's Ultimate Strength Hand Salve, but it's definitely a touch spendy.
posted by thivaia at 3:51 PM on January 4, 2022

nthing "working hands"
posted by wowenthusiast at 4:00 PM on January 4, 2022

I use Glysomed but I'm not a regular user at all. I've had the same small tube at my desk for at least a year.
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 4:00 PM on January 4, 2022 [1 favorite]

Glaxal Base has been my hypoallergenic go-to cream for years.
posted by alicat at 4:01 PM on January 4, 2022 [1 favorite]

Neutrogena "Norwegian formula"
posted by trig at 4:05 PM on January 4, 2022 [11 favorites]

Working Hands, yes. You can put it on your feet and immediately walk around if that tells you anything.
posted by HotToddy at 4:09 PM on January 4, 2022

I like Curel, which you can find in most chain pharmacies. Alternatively, I've heard rave reviews of Bag Balm, which you can (surprisingly) often find in chain pharmacies, usually near the bottom of the shelves. Finally, for an excellent barrier ointment that is widely available, I love Aquaphor. It's more like vaseline then like a lotion, but perhaps it would work in combination with one of the other lotions you like.
posted by CiaoMela at 4:30 PM on January 4, 2022

Udderly Smooth hand cream is my favorite, hands down (har har har). Completely non-greasy and leaves my hands super soft. Bonus: cute Holstein-inspired packaging!
posted by holborne at 5:20 PM on January 4, 2022 [1 favorite]

I like the Ahava Mineral Hand Cream - it feels soothing and moisturizing (not thin) but absorbs and doesn't leave my hands feel greasy.
posted by metahawk at 5:22 PM on January 4, 2022 [1 favorite]

I also like O'Keefe's, although I think that the foot version is a little better than the hand one. I also like Nivea Creme, the one in the blue tin. It's an old-fashioned grandma cream: it's got lanolin in it which is super great for your skin and the scent is subtle.
posted by radiogreentea at 5:34 PM on January 4, 2022

Every St. Ives lotion I've used sinks right in and leaves my hands with zero greasy feeling. I'm also a fan of Gold Bond Ultimate Healing.
posted by Dolley at 5:40 PM on January 4, 2022 [1 favorite]

Pré de Provence Argan Hand Cream is the best non-greasy hand cream I've been able to find.
posted by Scout405 at 6:25 PM on January 4, 2022

E45 is brilliant. When travel was happening, my parents-in-law would bring me some every time they visited the UK, along with big jars of Marmite. I have never found anything in North America that is quite the same.

The closest I've come is Udderly Smooth, which also has lanolin oil (which I like).

Working hands is a very powerful handcream (and excellent if you have severely chapped hands), but very different in texture to E45 - it's much more paste-like and goes on differently. That said, it's not particularly greasy feeling and it does rub in well.
posted by jb at 6:34 PM on January 4, 2022

Corn Huskers Lotion is the extreme in non-greasy, it's oil-free and sinks in very fast. Also relatively inexpensive. I don't think I could use it as my only lotion, but it's a cool one to have as an option.
posted by SaltySalticid at 7:01 PM on January 4, 2022

Another vote for the trader joe's product mentioned above.. it must be manufactured by the same folks that make the "fancier" stuff, it really seems like.. the same stuff. Failing a trader joes nearby, or.. before i discovered that product, this burts bees product was what i used, though.. it is a bit greasier, but not as tacky as straight up shea butter - https://www.amazon.com/Burts-Bees-Butter-Repair-Cream/dp/B002DPUXZC

also very similar to the TJ's metal tube "ultra moisturizing" cream is this product - https://www.amazon.com/Crabtree-Evelyn-Gardeners-Ultra-Moisturising-Therapy/dp/B00GHX7H0A/ which.. i think might also be made by the TJ's manufacturer. very similar consistency
posted by elgee at 7:49 PM on January 4, 2022

I find Lubriderm to be the most moisturizing and least sticky of drugstore brands. It absorbs really well and leaves minimal residue.
posted by ananci at 8:07 PM on January 4, 2022

E45 Daily Hand Cream and Nivea Soft Moisturizing Creme (not to be confused with the thicker product in the blue tin) each contains glycerin, liquid paraffin (aka mineral oil), and dimethicone, and Nivea Soft, like E45, is praised for being lightweight, hydrating, and easily absorbed.

I see that E45 has no added fragrance; not so for the Nivea Soft, which reportedly has a scent described as "fresh (and) powdery" but "unobtrusive." (One person's "unobtrusive" is, of course, another person's "cloying" or "overpowering," smell being highly subjective.)

I've tried neither the E45 Daily Hand Cream nor Nivea Soft Moisturizing Creme, so I can't vouch for either one. I'm passing along this information in case it's useful.
posted by virago at 9:07 PM on January 4, 2022

I've always had a "greasy" face so I hate hate hate greasy moisturizers.

Biotherm Homme Aquapower Absolute Gel feels fantastically silky once it absorbs/ dries out (in about a minute). Amazing on winter-dry hands and face, even for cuticles/ around fingernails.

But, for damage, I find Burt's Bee's "farmer's friend" to be the most restorative. Bit "greasy" but fine after an hour or so.

For something everyday heavier-duty, the age-old Nivea Creme (blue tin) is acceptable for the backs of my hands (drag a couple of knuckles through it, and spread it only on the backs of my hands.
posted by porpoise at 9:19 PM on January 4, 2022

I use The Original Udder Balm

https://www.originaludderbalm.com/

I originally found it in a little tube at a quilt shop and when that ran out I ordered a big 5 pound tub of it online and just fill my own containers from that. It looks like they have different sizes for regular folks now but don’t have the big cow size available anymore. It’s really thick but absorbs quickly. I like the citrusy smell but they also have unscented.
posted by BoscosMom at 10:33 PM on January 4, 2022 [1 favorite]

Original Udder Balm
posted by BoscosMom at 12:02 AM on January 5, 2022

I swear by Neutrogena—it feels like it's going to be greasy when it goes on, but then it all rubs in easily.
posted by wisekaren at 7:19 AM on January 5, 2022 [1 favorite]

Nthing Working Hands. It's amazing.
posted by urbanlenny at 7:28 AM on January 5, 2022

On doctor's orders for eczema treatment I'm using CeraVe twice a day (and more on my hands when needed) and I don't find it to be greasy at all, with the caveat that I have to give it a minute after applying it. It'll feel like it's never going to go away, and then it's just gone. Are you saying it's still greasy for you after a couple minutes?
posted by fedward at 9:29 AM on January 5, 2022

Boosting mentions for Gold Bond Ultimate hand cream, in the tube rather than the pump.
posted by D.Billy at 12:21 PM on January 5, 2022 [1 favorite]

Seconding Curel. My preferred is the “Fragrance Free”. I am very averse to the feeling of greasy residue, and I LOVE my Curel.
posted by misterbrandt at 2:18 PM on January 8, 2022 [1 favorite]