I seem to have an on going battle with dry hands at the moment and have been desperately searching for an inexpensive hand cream to help combat this problem.
During my search I came across Botanics Overnight Hand and Nail Cream.

The cream comes in a clear plastic 100ml tube with green label, is part of Boots Botanics range and retails at £3.49 per tube. The packaging states that the hand cream is 'packed with rich oils to deeply condition hands and nails', containing grapeseed oil to intensly hydrate and honey to add moisture. As the title suggests the product is designed to be applied to hands and nails before going to bed, you are advised to apply liberally and massage into hands and nails. The product comes in a recyclable packaging, has been dermatalogically tested and should be used within 2 years of opening the tube.

There is a warning on the packaging which says that the product contains alpha hydroxy acid that may increase your skins sensitivity to the sun. You are advised to use a sun screen and limit your exposure to the sun for a week after the use of this product. A point well worth bearing in mind if you are venturing out in the sun (at this time of year I guess frost bite with be more a problem for most of us than sun burn but thought it best to mention the risks).

The cream itself is a light grey colour with a purple tint and is of a good consistency which absorbs easily into your skin. The fragrance of the cream is a very strong lavender scent. The scent for me a far too strong, it is a very strong pungent smell quite overpowering. My husband hates the smell too and has now after tolerating the smell for several weeks banned me from using the product completely.

Smell aside the cream does do its job, after a few weeks of regular use my hands did show some signs of improvement, they were not exactly what you would call baby soft but no where near as dry and weather beaten as before I started using the product.

Overall though for me this cream is not one I would buy again, yes it is reasonably priced and has improved the condition of my hands for me the smell was a little too much and for that reason I would not purchase this product again. Unless you are a real lover of 'lavender' I would advise giving this one a miss.

My search for the perfect hand cream goes on...