Do Manual Work? What's the Best Eczema Cream for My Hands?

The best eczema cream for hands gives them hydration, repair, and protection against cracking. Use it consistently, especially after washing or work, to keep your hands flexible and comfortable all day.

If you’re someone who does a lot of manual work, such as in construction, landscaping or maybe even roofing, your hands can take a serious beating every day. That counts double if you’ve also got atopic dermatitis on the backs of your hands - something that can leave your skin’s barrier worn down. The good news is the best eczema cream can help, but what type?

You want to be able to bend your fingers and grab things like you would normally - something that can get more difficult the worse the condition gets. Fortunately, finding the right cream for the job just takes a little bit of insight.

The Best Eczema Cream Can Make a Real Difference

Before getting into specific ingredients, it helps to understand why the right combo matters when you have working hands. The best eczema cream will be able to tackle three things: hydration, barrier repair, and irritation reduction. 

Without all three, a cream will only be able to offer temporary relief, feeling good at first, not stopping flare-ups or cracking hands that take a hammering every day. Here are just some of the ingredients to keep your eye out for when buying your next bottle.

• 2% Colloidal Oatmeal - This sits on the skin's surface, and is great for tackling itches and slowing down moisture loss throughout the day.
• Glycerin, Sodium Hyaluronate - These two pull water into the outer skin layers, keeping them flexible and stopping that tight, uncomfortable feeling eczema can bring.
• Fructose, and Glucose - These add even more hydration into the mix, helping your stressed skin stay soft enough to move without cracking.
• Urea - This is great for breaking down thickened or rough patches of skin, particularly around knuckles and fingertips, where cracking tends to hurt most.
• Shea Butter and Jojoba Oil - Excellent for smoothing the surface of damaged skin and giving it back some flexibility.

The fact that it’s also fragrance-free means that it’s also much less likely to end up triggering flare-ups, which matters when your skin goes through as much as it does in certain professions.

Other Ways to Look After Your Hands

Of course, it’s a good idea to use the right cream, but you also need to do your best to look after your hands, aside from the product you put on them. Try to wear gloves when handling chemicals and be sure to moisturize after washing your hands.

Your environment plays a role as well, as cold air and low humidity can strip the moisture from your hands fast, so keeping them wrapped up warm is a wise move. Back that up with the right cream, and your hands will be well looked-after.

Keeping Your Hands Safe With the Best Eczema Cream

A good eczema cream adds hydration, of course, but the right one will go much further.  The product you need should repair, protect, and help your skin bounce back more quickly, with the ingredients inside working together to reduce how often flare-ups occur and keep cracking at bay. 

Applying cream after washing, or anything else that puts your skin under stress helps to ensure that your hands stay comfortable, rather than tight and sore. With the right formula and a bit of consistency, eczema doesn't have to dictate what you can and can't do with your hands each day.