Beauty is a major appearance factor that makes one feel confident about themselves. Today, more than a million products give us the looks we want to achieve.
If you’re reading this article, you are here to find the difference between hand and facial creams, which are often used in the same regard.
Creams are another beauty product that not only helps you keep your skin fresh but also helps in maintaining it. Many brands offer both creams, but which one should you go for?
In some cases, many people have thick skin, dry skin, or even oily skin, and creams are the go-to product to make your face and hands soft, beautiful, and healthy.
This article covers a wide array of topics that will help you make your skin and face fresh and appealing. Moreover, I have also added a list of the top creams to help you choose the best.
What Is Hand Cream?
Hand cream is a high-porosity product that is made for maintaining our hands. It’s recommended to use it only for our hands as it helps moisturize thick and dry skin and prevents cracked skin.
High porosity for hand creams means they have a high volume of oil compared to water. These skin cracks and dryness occur when exposed to outdoor elements such as water, dirt, and dust in the air.
This results in cracked and dry skin. There are many creams to choose from to prevent this, as they all can effectively help you solve your problem. Instead of going for something appropriate, many people tend to go for sanitizers. These can make your hands even worse.
It’s good to consider many options before selecting the best cream. Many products don’t have the same effect on everyone, so it’s best to take your time while thoroughly checking whatever you are going for.
How to Find the Best Hand Cream?
While you search for a hand cream that is best for your hands, you should keep these ingredients in mind:
Ceramides – These are natural fats on your skin that help to stop irritation.
Aloe – It’s known for its healing and skin comfort properties.
Hyaluronic acid – Carries moisture to the outer skin.
Oil-based ointment – A plant oil that helps to balance the moisture.
Soy contains many substances that help to recover the skin barrier, replenish your moisture, and provide an antioxidant activity that makes your skin soft, smooth, and pure.
Ingredients/Contents to Avoid in Hand Creams
Some products contain harmful ingredients that can damage dry skin. Some of the major ones you should look out for are
- Parabens
- Synthetic colors
- Fragrance
- Phthalates
- Triclosan
- Sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) / Sodium laureth sulfate (SLES)
- Formaldehyde
- Toluene
- Propylene glycol
- Sunscreen chemicals
Can We Use Hand Cream on Our Faces?
You cannot, as the face skin is sensitive. Hand creams’ synthetic and natural ingredients shouldn’t touch the facial skin as they could also clog the pores and be harsh on the skin.
Our facial skin is so delicate that we should take full precautions as this could lead to damage. Hand cream is suggested not to be used on the face because it’s too oily.
Moreover, our hand skin is thicker than facial skin making the hand cream suitable for the hands only.
Why Is Hand Cream Thick?
Hand creams have a good effect on our hands because they are a little thicker than other moisturizers and creams, especially facial creams. A hand cream should be thick as it helps maintain thick hand skin.
When you apply the cream to your hands, it feels normal. However, applying it to your face or another part of the body doesn’t have the same effect. It feels heavy due to its thickness which doesn’t sit well with our facial skin.
Moreover, If you apply hand cream on the face, this could result in acne and a very bad reaction and make the facial skin worse than it already is.
What Can We Use for Aging Hands?
When people age, their skin becomes loose, and wrinkles start to form on the face to stop that, we can do these things:
- Cryotherapy (freezing)
- Laser therapy.
- Chemical peeling.
- Microdermabrasion.
- Skin-lightening creams.
Best Hand Creams One Must-Have
EltaMD – The formula includes ceramides, emollient, vitamin E for dry skin, and sclareolide, a plant-based ingredient that lightens the dark spots.
Eau Thermale Avène – Fast absorbing and paraben-free, it lasts even after washing your hand five times.
Weleda – It’s best for the winter because our skin gets dry in winter. It has a beautiful fragrance and comes at a price under $20.
Supergoop! – It includes sea buckthorn fruit which lightens the dark spots, and argan and meadowfoam seed oils, which keep our skin hydrated and moisturized without the greasy feeling. Also, the SPF 40 protects the exposed skin from the damage of UV rays.
There are many more that are worthy to be on this list. However, in my opinion, these are the best ones as they are cheap and offer great effects and at the same time are luxurious.
What Is a Facial Cream?
A facial cream is a product that is used for your face to make it smooth, soft, and less oily by rubbing it on your face. Facial creams play a big role In maintaining your facial skin.
The facial cream is very important as it makes your facial skin moist and keeps its elasticity, making it wrinkle-free and free of age spots and other fine lines.
It’s a protective barrier for your skin from all the harmful chemicals in the air and also from the harmful UV rays. Our face skin is very delicate and can be easily damaged due to the harmful effects of these rays.
If you are trying to get a facial cream, you should look for a non-comedogenic product, as it won’t block your pores and cause a breakout.
What Ingredients a Facial Cream Should Have?
If you want your facial skin to be soft and soothing, then your facial cream product should contain these ingredients:
Ceramides – They’re naturally occurring proteins found on the outer layers of the skin, which help keep moisture and protect the skin from any environmental toxins or chemicals. Aged and sensitive skin has fewer ceramides.
Glycerin – A natural moisturizer that protects and repairs skin.
Lactic acid – An exfoliant that tends to remove the dead skin cell’s outer layer.
What to Avoid in a Facial Cream?
If the facial skin is acne-prone or oily, then you should avoid products that consist of these ingredients:
Fragrances and perfumes – Due to this, skin irritation and allergic reactions occur.
Retinoic acid – This is an anti-aging ingredient that irritates your skin.
Methylparaben/parabens – These improving preservatives could cause allergic reactions and clog your pores.
Salicylic acid – This exfoliant can irritate sensitive skin.
Can We Use Face Cream for Hands?
You can use face cream for your hands, but there won’t be much of an effect on the hands as our hands have thicker skin than the face, which has thinner and more sensitive skin.
Sometimes people can’t afford and buy only face cream and use it as a hand cream also, and that’s alright because sometimes hand creams can cost a lot, and this could save you money.
Best Face Creams For Your Wrinkled Face:
Retinoids – These are also known as vitamin A compounds; these ingredients help repair sun-damaged skin and remove fine lines and wrinkles.
Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) – Vitamin C is an antioxidant, it protects skin from free radicals.
Hydroxy acids – Alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs) have glycolic, citric, and lactic acid. They reduce dead skin cells (scrap).
Coenzyme – It helps reduce fine wrinkles around the eyes and protects the skin from damage.
Peptides – These occur naturally in living organisms. Some peptides can stimulate collagen production and can improve skin.
Tea extracts – Green tea has compounds with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Wrinkle creams use green tea extracts.
Grape seed extract – It has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Grape seed extracts provide collagen and improve.
Niacinamide – A potent antioxidant, this ingredient is related to vitamin B-3 (niacin). It reduces water loss and improves skin elasticity.
Difference Between Hand Cream and Face Cream
The two creams are made with the same ingredients but have different concentrations. The hand cream has a higher concentration as the skin of our hands is thicker than the facial skin as it is way thinner than the hand skin.
Our hands require more hydrating agents than the skin on our faces. The cream for the hands should be 50MOP, and the face should be 100MOP.
You can see the difference in the price, and your face becomes smooth and tender. If you don’t apply the cream, it could be bad for your skin as it could become harsh and dry.
Hand cream cannot be applied on the facial skin as it could be fatal for your skin and it could clog your pores. It’s even worse for a person with acne. You can easily apply facial cream to your hand as it does not damage your hand skin.
Hand Cream vs. Facial Cream in Winter: Which Is the Best?
You may not realize how much your hands get busy throughout the day in winter, it could be you working in the office or on the construction site, where your hand comes into contact with all sorts of things.
This can leave your hand dry unmoisturized, and cracked.
In winter, if your hands get dry, it could lead to serious skin issues. to prevent this dryness and to prevent the skin from cracking. You can apply hand cream to your dry skin, making them softer and smoother.
Whereas for facial skin, winter wreaks havoc by making the skin dry and flaky, to prevent this, people would usually swap facial cream with a richer and thicker cream that would prevent the skin from becoming dry and keep it hydrated and smooth.
Our facial skin is delicate, so we should take more care of our facial skin and apply creams before the skin becomes dehydrated.
Hand Cream vs. Facial Cream in Summer: Which Is Better?
Summer weather is way drier than winter, as hot air can easily dry and dehydrate your skin, eventually cracking it up. People apply sunscreen or any facial cream on the face to protect the skin from the sun.
We’ve all seen folks lounging on the beach, enjoying the sun without fearing their skin drying off. They use sunscreen for their backs and faces to protect them from any UV rays that could hurt their skin.
Moreover, our hands should also be protected as we use them for everything and come in contact with many things, and in summer, surfaces get hotter and could even burn our hands.
These surfaces could be metal, concrete, or bricks. If you work in the construction industry, you should know that these surfaces can become extremely hot, resulting in hand burns.
Although our hands have thick skin, that doesn’t mean it does not need any sort of moisturizer. We need cream to moisturize our hand skin so it doesn’t dry up and crack.
Full Difference Between Hand and Facial Cream
| Facial Cream | Hand Cream |
|---|---|
| If any injuries or scars form they can be healed or removed | Removes or heals scars and injury |
| It helps by removing marks on the face | Remove marks on the hands |
| Removes blemishes from the facial skin | Removes age spots on hands |
| Removes dark circles under eyes | Treats skin inflammation |
| Removes acne | Heals dried up skin |
| Melasma can be managed by daily usage | Melasma can be controlled on hand skin by daily usage |
Conclusion
- Proper skincare is essential for maintaining healthy and beautiful skin.
- Hand and facial creams serve different purposes and should not be used interchangeably.
- Hand creams are designed for thicker, more resilient hand skin. They contain higher oil concentrations.
- Facial creams are formulated to be gentle on delicate facial skin. They help maintain elasticity. These creams free the skin from wrinkles and age spots.
- The choice between hand and facial creams depends on your skincare needs and skin type.
- In winter, hand cream helps prevent dry, cracked hands. In contrast, a richer facial cream protects the face from dehydration.
- In summer, hand and facial creams protect the skin from drying, burns, and UV damage.
- Caring for every part of your body, not just the face, is vital for overall skin health and beauty.