Last Updated on December 20, 2020
I bet you’ve never washed your hands so much in your life.
It’s essential for protecting your health, but it’s wrecking the skin, isn’t it?
You need to find the best pregnancy-safe hand cream and fast.
But what makes a moisturizer safe to use during pregnancy?
Today, we’ll review safe and creams and lotions to use while you’re expecting.
But first, let’s talk about why some moisturizers are better than others.
Contents
Hopefully, you’ve already had the talk with your doctor about ingredients to avoid while you’re pregnant.
These include topical retinoids, which are anti-aging and anti-acne components (1).
You don’t need retinol, retinyl palmitate, or related things in your hand cream right now. It’s too risky for your baby.
Next, you can skip the salicylic acid. Sometimes it appears in moisturizers because it’s an exfoliant that removes dead skin (2).
Too much salicylic acid can also be harmful to your developing infant.
After that, it’s best to avoid soy as it contributes to melasma. That’s discoloration of the skin that’s common during pregnancy (3).
And you may want to steer clear of hand creams with artificial fragrances since they are allergens. Your skin is extra-sensitive right now, and your nose might be, too.
Even essential oils could cause allergic reactions.
You don’t need any of the above ingredients in your hand cream. You can find plenty of excellent moisturizers with safe formulas.
Just take a look at the reviews below.
If you don’t have time to read the complete article, here are our top picks.
Have you heard about parabens? They are preservatives that are common in skincare products.
Unfortunately, they could affect the endocrine system and mess with hormones. Although they are generally recognized as safe by the FDA, some people prefer to avoid them altogether.
As you can see with this skincare product, you don’t need parabens to keep it fresh.
In fact, it’s also free of steroids, artificial fragrances, gluten, and other chemicals.
It was designed by a mother for her daughter who had eczema.
The soothing formula promotes healing and defends against chafing, chapping, and irritation.
It has no fragrance and doesn’t tingle or sting when you apply it.
It’s based on organic herbs like calendula, licorice, thyme, comfrey, and St. John’s wort. It seals in moisture with coconut and grapeseed oils plus beeswax.
This is a good place to start if you’d like to have all-natural pregnancy-safe hand cream.
Here’s another pregnancy safe hand cream free of harsh chemicals. It’s not greasy, and it absorbs quickly.
The lightweight texture comes from a whipped blend of shea butter, oatmeal, and ceramides.
Shea butter is a natural moisturizer rich in nutrients. Oatmeal, meanwhile, is soothing to chapped skin. And ceramides reinforce the skin’s natural barrier against moisture loss and infection.
The cream is infused with antioxidants that keep the skin young and healthy. Antioxidants help skin repair and prevent premature aging.
In a clinical trial, they found that this moisturizer instantly boosted the skin’s hydration by 169%.
Moreover, it’s kind to sensitive skin and safe enough for babies. It has no alcohol, lanolin, artificial dyes or fragrances, parabens, mineral oil, petrolatum, phthalates, formaldehyde, gluten, nuts, or soy.
For the ultimate sensitive skin hand cream, check out Vanicream’s moisturizer. If your skin reacts to pretty much everything, this is a safe bet.
It’s free of all the common irritants found in the majority of lotions on the market. For example, it doesn’t have dyes, fragrances, parabens, formaldehyde releasers, lanolin, and so on. It’s also gluten-free.
It’s safe enough that the National Eczema Association gave it the Seal of Acceptance.
For sanitary purposes, it comes in a pump-top bottle. That eliminates the risk of contamination.
So, it may be free of all these harsh ingredients, but does it work well? Users say that it does.
It’s quite creamy and thick but absorbs fairly quickly.
It has both humectants and emollients that are proven to work. In other words, it doses dry skin with moisture, then seals in the hydration.
The result is skin that feels smoother and more comfortable in moments.
How about pregnancy safe hand cream with certified organic ingredients?
This one is EWG-verified. That means that it’s free of harsh chemicals known to cause irritation or unwanted side effects.
You can check the EWG rating yourself at the EWG Skin Deep Database online.
It was specially designed for use during pregnancy. It’s not just a hand moisturizer, but rather a body lotion that can also serve as a stretch cream.
The pleasant texture comes from organic mango butter and plant oils. The plant oils, like rosehip, avocado, and pomegranate, are rich in vitamins. They soothe rough, dry skin.
Here’s another EWG-verified pregnancy safe hand cream that’s ideal for pregnant women. For one, it’s unscented, and two, it won’t leave your hands greasy and slippery.
The vegan, cruelty-free moisturizer carries official certifications from entities like PETA.
It has no nasty artificial ingredients like formaldehyde, dyes, phthalates, or parabens.
Check the label, and you’ll see that it starts with water, glycerin, and shea butter. It hydrates and restores elasticity to stiff, dry skin.
Get back to basics with USDA-certified organic hand cream. It will make your skin feel like silk.
What are the magic ingredients?
It’s handmade with shea butter, aloe, rosemary, lavender, and plant oils. The oils include coconut, jojoba, avocado, rosehip, and macadamia.
It smells enchanting and feels so soothing.
Eucerin is a brand that’s recommended by dermatologists to patients with sensitive skin.
They make a couple of different hand creams and body lotions. This one promises 24 hours of hydration after you apply it.
It’s safe enough for children as young as two years old.
The formula starts with water and glycerin, e potent humectant. Glycerin draws moisture from the water into the skin. Then, colloidal oatmeal soothes irritation.
Dimethicone calms redness, and along with mineral oil, seals in hydration.
What’s the difference between this Eucerin moisturizer and the one above?
For starters, this one doesn’t have dimethicone. It’s even milder than the Skin Calming Cream.
There are only 7 ingredients. It’s completely free of fragrances and artificial dyes, as well as parabens.
It has a thick texture that alleviates itching and dryness in moments. Then, the hydration lasts for 24 hours after you apply it.
It’s recommended for persons dealing with psoriasis, eczema, and sensitive, damaged skin.
You’ve heard of Jessica Alba’s The Honest Company. Here’s one of the gentle lotions they make.
It’s based on olive, safflower, jojoba oil, shea butter, and calming herbs like calendula and chamomile.
This version happens to be fragrance-free, but it’s possible to get lightly-scented versions.
It’s suitable for everyone in the family, including infants. Get this one, and you won’t have to worry about changing to a different skincare product when the baby comes.
CeraVe’s cream is recommended by dermatologists. It’s suitable for every part of the body, including the face.
Furthermore, it’s perfect as a hand cream for pregnant women. There are at least three reasons for that.
First, it offers 24-hour moisture.
Second, it’s free of parabens and perfumes.
And third, the non-greasy texture rebuilds the skin’s natural barrier to prevent moisture loss. It’s enriched with hyaluronic acid and ceramides.
Hyaluronic acid attracts and holds up to 1000 times its weight in water. It’s an excellent humectant.
Meanwhile, ceramides are crucial for keeping the skin healthy and soft.
Have you heard of O’Keeffe’s hand cream? It’s very popular among gardeners, mechanics, and anyone who works with their hands. It’s even safe for people with diabetes.
Not only does it restore hydration, but it creates a protective layer to keep the skin from drying out. Use it every time you wash your hands or get them wet.
Apply it regularly, and you’ll notice that your hands are in better shape. But if you’re not pleased with the results, they offer a full refund.
You can purchase it in a jar or tube, whichever is most convenient.
I checked the formula for troublesome ingredients and saw no artificial fragrances, dyes, or parabens.
Andalou Naturals offers lavender, lime, and clementine-scented hand creams. The fragrance is natural as it comes from botanicals, not chemicals.
Happily, this is a skincare product with a “safe” rating from the EWG (Environmental Working Group). It’s also verified by the Non-GMO Project and vegetarian. It doesn’t contain gluten, and it’s cruelty-free.
Instead of water, the primary ingredient is aloe vera juice. In fact, if you read the label, it sounds like a tasty recipe.
There’s sweet almond oil, shea butter, a berry complex, and more. Some of the crucial components are fruit stem cells to rejuvenate the skin at a cellular level.
How about hand cream with exotic ingredients? Everything is biodegradable, however, and ethically sourced and produced in so far as possible.
Highlights include kpagnan butter, reishi mushroom, and lemongrass.
Alaffia is a manufacturer that supports community enterprises in Togo, Africa. Each time you purchase from them, you’re helping people lift themselves out of poverty.
Cetaphil’s cream isn’t just for your hands. You can use it anywhere your body is dry, like elbows, feet, and knees.
The effects last for 24 hours after you apply it. But don’t be fooled into thinking that you don’t need to put it on again after washing your hands later. It’s still a good idea to reapply. (To see hand creams that withstand washing, scroll down.)
Cetaphil says that their formula is hypoallergenic, but that doesn’t mean much. The FDA doesn’t regulate what “hypoallergenic” means.
But if you check the label, you see that there are no parabens, lanolin, or artificial fragrances.
What’s more, reviewers who like it appreciate how fast it absorbs.
Here’s a hand cream based on the premise that the skin is the body’s largest organ. It was developed by a woman with a decade of experience in nutrition and wellness.
Happily, 72% of the formula is organic. There are no harsh chemicals like parabens, perfumes, or dyes.
Instead, you’ll find plant-based ingredients like honeysuckle flower, dandelion, and aloe.
No review of hand cream would be complete without mentioning Burt’s Bees hand salve.
I have to warn you; it’s a little greasy at first. But it does absorb eventually. Plus, it has a pleasant mild scent.
Use it as a cuticle cream, too. It works miracles on fingertips.
It’s an ointment that heals dry skin and softens the rough dark spots. The 100% natural recipe consists of sweet almond and olive oils, beeswax, lavender, and more.
Belli makes a variety of products for pregnant women. Check out their stretch mark cream, for one.
While this may be a body lotion, there’s nothing wrong with using it on your hands. It works best if your skin is damp.
Like other skincare products from this company, it’s steers clear of threats to you and your baby’s health. It’s safe to use while you’re breastfeeding as well.
As you might imagine, there are no parabens, phthalates, gluten, artificial colors, or synthetic fragrances. It’s been allergy-tested and approved by OB/GYNs and dermatologists.
The light lemony fragrance is all-natural.
Sometimes it’s all so overwhelming. Give yourself a little vacation each time you apply this hand cream.
It smells like coconut, hibiscus, and sunshine.
Better yet, it’s very nourishing with shea butter, jojoba, and coconut oil. Plus, it’s free of gluten, parabens, but phthalates.
Take care of those hands with moisturizers that are safe to use during pregnancy. Your skin will thank you.
You have many to choose from, whether you prefer unscented or a light fragrance.
If you discovered your new favorite hand cream today, please come back and tell us about it.
Sources:
1. https://globalnews.ca/news/3383851/11-skincare-ingredients-to-avoid-during-pregnancy/ by Global News, published April 17, 2017, accessed June 19, 2020
2. https://www.babycenter.com/0_safe-skin-care-during-pregnancy_1490031.bc by Karen Miles, accessed June 19, 2020
3. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3114665/ Safety of skincare products during pregnancy, by Pina Bozzo, Angela Chua-Gocheco, MD, and Adrienne Einarson, RN, published June 2011, accessed June 19, 2020
Join our newsletter for the latest updates!
