My heavenly hand job. (The Body Shop Hemp Hand Protector)

Member Name: oberob

Product:	The Body Shop Hemp Hand Protector
Date:	23/03/08 (391 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Excellent results, subtle slightly masculine scent, hygienic packaging, lasts ages.

Disadvantages: The price is a bit steep but it is worth it!

Being a man I am not really into beauty products and the whole regime thing, to be honest I don't have the time, inclination or sticking power when it comes to doing something once or twice a day like that. Her indoors always goes on at me and says how much easier my life would be if I tried having a regular regime I stuck to when it comes to looking after my skin.

Before I met her I used soap on my face and shower gel on my body, that was it when it came to cleansing, but now I use whatever cleanser she buys, exfoliate once a week (ish) and my skin does feel better for it but as for creams lotions and potions unless my skin is dry or sore then I really can't be bothered.
I suffer quite badly with my hands, I get really dry skin and at times it gets so sore that I just can't avoid using cream on them. At times they even crack and bleed but I have no idea why. They are worse in the winter but it sometimes happens in the summer too. We have tried to figure out what it is, it must be an allergy to something I come into contact with but there seems to be no real pattern to it.

I was just using Atrixo on my hands when they were really bad but it wasn't really doing much good and when they were really bad using it would sting like mad. Then a few weeks ago her indoors gave me something that she thought might help, a large tube of The Body Shops Hemp hand protector.
Her indoors loves The Body Shop and although I tend not to be all that bothered about where something comes from I can see why with this store as they do seem very ethically minded, they do not test on animals (although they are owned by a company that do), are involved in charities and back a fair trade programme they call community trade. If you would like to know more about the company from this angle then take a look at this site www.thebodyshopinternational.com or if you want to order from them then the address is a little different www.thebodyshop.co.uk


THE PRODUCT
This is a metal tube that is just like a tube of paint, it has a small screw on/off cap and it is not at all feminine looking but I was unsure of what the contents would be.

The tube is covered with information and I wont bore you with all of it but tell you the important bits.
It says it is for heavy duty moisturisation, protection and repair and is for extremely dry skin.
Apparently the reason hemp is so good for dry skin is because it has a high concentration of essential fatty acids which our skin doesn't produce so needs an external source of.

The tube in my opinion was a good packaging choice, you can easily squeeze out the amount you want and it stays relatively hygienic where you aren't putting your fingers in a pot contaminating if you will the rest of the cream. The other reason this wouldn't really work in a pot is the consistency, it is so thick, more like a paste than a cream.
When you first squeeze it from within its tube it looks rather unpleasant, a pale green paste which to be frank could be confused for toothpaste very easily, it is not something you really want to rub into your skin.

The scent isn't feminine nor strong, it is quite hard to explain it. It is pretty masculine and smells of hemp as you may expect. I would certainly not worry about anyone smelling this on me.
When it first comes from the tube it is rather solid but being in contact with the heat from your skin it starts to soften and is easily slathered evenly over hands. The colour isn't noticeable once rubbed in. it does leave my hands shiny no matter how little I use.

I know, I know, you want to know how much it is, this is the shocking bit (well to me anyway because I don't tend to buy beauty products). It costs a whopping £9 for the large 100ml tube or if you want a smaller cheaper option then they do sell a small 30ml tube for £5 but when you look at the prices the best value option is definitely the larger one.

THE RESULTS
I always find that no matter how dry my hands are the night before when I put it on that they next morning the difference is noticeable by sight and touch. This really does work miracles on my skin and far better than anything that I have used or that her indoors has got me to try before.

I have no doubt that I will buy this again as it cannot be faulted.
When my hands are really bad I put an extra thick layer of it on the worst parts after slathering it all over my hands and I can see how quickly it sinks in.

I find that if I use this during the day then I only need a tiny bit or else my hands feel rather slippery and as a man that is not a good look. Her indoors offered to buy me some gloves they sell to wear with it to make it work more efficiently and stop me getting it on anything but I doubt the gloves would fit my big hands and think that is taking it a little far!
At times when my skin is really sore it does tingle and sting a little when I use this but not to the point where I would call it painful just unpleasant.

I still get nagged because I don't use a small amount of this every night like I am told I should but it is a great rescue remedy when I need it, so I will stick to my way of doing it. I'm just not a fan of fussing about before going to bed and it isn't nice putting cold stuff all over your hands, it's not a sensation I enjoy like some.
Her indoors uses it sometimes too and loves it so don't think it is just for guys either, just because it doesn't smell girly doesn't mean women wont love it!

This is even a great gift idea, you can guess what my mum received on mothers day and I can even told her it is tried and tested!
If you are looking for a cream that you can use during the day this may not be the best bet, but if like me you want one to rescue you when you are dry and sore this is ideal! It is that good I am sure I will never try any other creams again!

I highly recommend trying this cream out.

Summary: Excellent hand cream, that really works!