AmLactin Ultra Hydrating Body Cream...for your hands!

Despite being a total nail polish whore, I have to admit that I've had terrible cuticles and hangnails since childhood. Actually, one of the reasons I wear nail polish is to make my cuticles less starkly janky. However, hangnails are genuinely painful, distracting, and an infection risk; thus, I've long been looking for something that makes a real difference. Someone on MakeupAlley's Nail Board mentioned AmLactin, a lotion containing lactic acid to not only moisturize skin, but exfoliate the rough bits. Cleopatra was known for taking milk baths - this smoothing, softening action is probably why. I haven't been impressed with chemical (vs. mechanical, such as sugar crystals) exfoliants on my face, but after reading that many eczema patients have had success with AmLactin, I decided it was worth a try.

It works. Dramatically. It's not an instant fix for really rough, dry hands and cuticles, but there's a very noticeable improvement after just one use. After about a week of use, not only are my hands amazingly soft, but my cuticles are much softer and smoother, and I barely have any hangnails. I have a little KP (keratosis pilaris, AKA chicken skin) on my upper arms, just above the elbows, and it even makes that go away! I've settled in at using it twice a day: once just before leaving the house and once right before bed. It's important not to use it if you have any open or healing cuts, hangnails, or torn cuticles, as this would remove the scab and/or healing skin.

There are cons, of course, which you have to expect from any product that does one thing really well. It leaves a slightly sticky residue. It doesn't smell so good (I'm reminded of stale coffee), though I don't notice it unless I put my hands right up to my nose. Finally, it's expensive: this 4.9-oz tube was about US$10 at Walmart. The lotion, which comes in a bigger bottle (but presumably isn't as hydrating) is about US$20. There's supposedly a generic version of the lotion at CVS, so that might be worth looking into if you want to save some bucks. Regardless of the option you choose, I highly recommend this for anyone with problem cuticles.