Ideal hand cream (Astral)

Member Name: Deenie

Product:	Astral
Date:	29/05/01 (315 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Perfect hand cream, Pleasant smell, Conveniently sized tubs

Disadvantages: Too greasy for use as a body moisturiser

Whenever I wash my hands, even when I use moisturing soap like Dove, I have to put hand cream on afterwards. Perhaps it's just a habit but I hate the feeling of dry hands. I don't suffer from dry skin or ezcema but am always on the look out for 'good' handcream.

On one of my frequent visits to Boots I was surveying all the products in the handcare/Skincare aisle and trying to choose the best sized, most conveniently stored, hand cream for my bag. Tub or tube? What a dilemma...

I looked at the Nivea tubs - they have a small one that is just perfect for your handbag - something that won't get in the way and something that you don't have to fear opening and ruining everything, because of the screwed on lid. I had bought that before - the only problem I found was that the cream itself was slightly too thick and greasy. So I decided to look for something else.

I must have looked at the hand creams available in Boots numerous times but had never noticed the little blue tubs of Astral cream. They were right next to the Nivea tubs - how could I have overlooked them before! I really don't know...

They come in three sizes: 50ml, 150ml and 500ml. This was what was available in my local Boots store - perhaps they have another inbetween size but I'm not entirely sure. The 50ml tub is ideal for putting in your everyday bag and is a simple design, with a screw lid. There is no chance that this little tub would open without your authorisation! As for the cream, it is brilliant white in colour and smells very pleasant - not an overpowering smell like some creams that you can buy. It is quite greasy, although not like the Nivea cream in
consistency - it is not as thick. But the greasyness is just right. For me, I use it simply as a hand cream but it can be used as a body cream. I personally would not opt for it as an all-over moisturiser as it would be too greasy for my liking (I prefer an easily absorbed John
son's Baby Lotion) but for hands it's perfect. You just have to use a tiny little bit (just cover the end of your finger in cream) and use that for both hands. It lasts ages, and for the price you pay it's excellent and well worth it! It's cheaper than the Nivea alternative:

Astral Nivea Creme

50ml £1.35 £1.59
150ml £2.89 (N/A)
500ml £6.99 £8.49

Next time you fancy the need to buy some hand cream, pop into Boots (I've also seen it in Superdrug) and have a look. I really do recommend this cream - I bought my 50ml tub a couple of months ago and it's still got plenty left. With this cream, a little goes a long way!

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