SHEA DELIGHT FOR YOUR HANDS (L'Occitane Shea Butter Hand Cream)

Name: wardenblw431

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Product:	L'Occitane Shea Butter Hand Cream
Date:	11.10.03 (513 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: SUPER SOFT SKIN, SMELL

Disadvantages: PRICEY

I first came across this particular hand cream a couple of weeks ago while I was browsing around Debenhams looking for inspirational Christmas gifts. I remembered that tucked away in my purse were some unused gift vouchers that I?d received for my last birthday and decided it was high time I treated myself.

I had been complaining lately that my hands were becoming dry due to those cold mornings standing at the school gates followed by sitting in the warmth of a centrally heated house. These elements were taking their toll on my skin so some serious hand pampering was called for.

Although using a moisturising hand wash did help in the short-term I decided to buy a hand-cream for a more-lasting effect, so I browsed around the skincare department and saw the L?Occitane display and tried a tester of the Shea Butter Hand cream.

Within minutes my hands had lost their dull, scaly complexion and in its place, silky soft skin. I was impressed so I decided to buy some. I chose the 30ml tube as it was the perfect size to fit in my handbag and as my voucher was only for £10 this was just within reach of my budget.

Take a silver tube with a black lid and you have packaging that would not look out of place in an artist?s studio. You?d be forgiven for thinking it was a tube of oil paint as this is exactly what it looks like. There is a brown label wrapped around the tube displaying the product details and on the back is the usual blurb about ingredients, I won?t list them all, but will say that the main content of this hand cream is water and Shea Butter (20%) added to that other nut oils to help moisturise over-dry skin.

Shea Butter is renowned for its skin healing properties and has been clinically proved to delay the signs of aging. In fact it has been used for many centuries in certain parts of Africa to treat wounds on the skin. Shea Butter is made from the nut of the Karite tree. Once ripened the fruits are harvested and the n
uts removed to dry out. Once dried the nuts are boiled to enable the kernels to be removed. These are then left to dry once again and are then bashed to release the Shea Butter pulp. Voila the most important ingredient of this product.

This hand cream has been specially formulated for dry skin and since buying it my husband has used it frequently as he works on a building site and has very dry hands from handling concrete blocks all day. He has noticed a marked improvement in the condition of his hands and so have I. No longer are they like sandpaper, but they are as soft as a baby?s bum.

The cream itself has a lovely thick consistency and it is easily squeezed out of the tube. It is white in colour and you will find that with this cream a little goes a long way. It is easily absorbed and although they look shiny, my hands didn?t feel at all greasy. Instead it felt that I had a protective layer on my skin working at keeping my hands moisturised all day.

The cream has an un-perfumed scent, it smells similar to baby. The subtle aroma is possibly the Shea Butter and mixture of other oils such as almond, coconut and honey. The overall smell is in no way overpowering, just pleasant and because it doesn?t smell flowery it is ideal for men too. Quite often my husband has complained about using other hand creams in our house because they are perfumed. He is more than happy to use this one as it doesn?t smell poofy (his words, not mine).

I paid £6.00 for my 30ml tube of hand cream and although it does sound a bit extravagant I can see this product outlasting other hand creams I have purchased purely because of its long-lasting effects. You can also buy a larger 150ml tube for £13.00. This does work out cheaper in the long run, but it wasn?t such handy size for my pocket. Because this cream has proved to be a family favourite I will definitely by the bigger tube the next time.

As I mentioned earlier I brought this hand cream from D
ebenhams, you can also purchase this by mail order from the Debenhams catalogue or online by logging on at www.debenhams.com.

This hand cream is made in Provence, France by L?Occitane and there is a website you can visit, www.loccitane.com. Here you can find a stockist near you or buy online any of their product range.

Although first impressions of this cream were disappointing thanks to its boring packaging, this was short-lived, as I have nothing but praise for this hand cream. My hands have never looked or felt this soft in ages, and unlike other hand creams I haven?t had to keep re-applying through the day. In fact just using twice a day, morning and night is enough to keep my hands in tip-top condition.

I have my eye on quite a few of the other Shea Butter products in the L?Occitane range and am keeping my fingers crossed in the hope that someone will be buy me some for Christmas. All donations gladly received, hint hint.

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