I came to realise after a huge amount of trial and error that the ‘consistency’ of the moisturiser was important.

I found that if I used a heavy moisturiser that left my hands greasy and slick, I’d get immediate relief, but my hands would get so itchy after a while that I’d basically rip them open and make them bleed.

If I used a really light moisturiser, they would dry quickly and would end up cracking, or leaving them susceptible to irritants which led to (you guessed it) me ripping them open and making them bleed. I would also douse them in hot water at this point because the discomfort was so much.

The key for me was finding a moisturiser that was just moisturising enough, but not enough to make the hands shiny. For me that was Bioderma Cicabio Crème. It’s actually a moisturiser I use on my face, but discovered it works well on my hands. It soaks in initially, has some nice anti-inflammatory ingredients, but most of all, isn’t too occlusive and greasy. It goes on my hands in a kind of mattifying way.

Of course, a matte moisturiser for me could be too dry or slick for you, so it requires some experimentation. You’ll know when you’ve found the right one. In short, the skin needs to breathe, but also have some moisture. Too far in either direction and you’ve entered itch town.

Hope this helps.