Do your hands and feet have 'the X Factor'? Print E-mail
Be kind to your ‘X-tremities’ and they will be kind to you! You can spend hours in the gym toning muscles, you can banish wrinkles with Botox or even have a facelift, but your age will be revealed by your hands, says Jane Garner.

Hands to be proud of

They’re a total giveaway, telling everyone you meet not only your true age but also a great deal about your lifestyle, especially if you’re a keen gardener or do hard physical work. You need to help them by wearing gloves whenever possible – for cleaning, washing up, walking the dog and gardening.

There are plenty of products out there to help, too. I’ve divided them into those that can improve matters immediately to those that take a little while to be most effective.

Instant improvement

ImageNeutrogena Norwegian Formula Hand & Nail Cream £4.49
Reputed to be the UK’s bestselling hand cream, an intensive moisturiser that also softens cuticles and leaves nails stronger.

Atrixo Enriched Moisturising Cream £1.79

Atrixo Intensive Protection Cream £4.75
Busy hands will appreciate the restorative powers of Atrixo’s moisturising cream, while working hands can be defended by a ‘glove’ of protection cream.

Marks & Spencer Hand Exfoliating Scrub £1.00
A simple sachet for instant hand rescue from a range at Marks & Spencer including sparkly Funky Files (£3) and Nail Whitening Tablets £5.00

Daily

L’Occitane Shea Butter Hand Cream £7.00/£14.00
L’Occitane’s bestselling product, made with Fair Trade shea butter from a women’s co-operative in Burkina Faso, to moisturise and nourish hands daily.

L’Occitane Immortelle Young Hands £14.00
This patented formula with SPF15 protection lightens existing discolouration and prevents new age spots forming.

Kiehl’s Ultimate Strength Hand Salve £10.00/£16.50
Designed to tackle severe dryness, Kiehl’s dinky tube of hand salve works to improve hard working or neglected hands.

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Overnight success

Champneys Overnight Sensation Hand Care Treatment £8.00
Promises overnight transformation, reduces signs of premature ageing and prevents drying.

Marks & Spencer Body Formula Intensive Hand Serum £7.50
Formulated to work overnight, reducing wrinkles, improving skin tone and moisturising for 16 hours.

Burt’s Bees Hand Repair Kit £14.50
Great for restoring hard-working hands – with Burt’s Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Crème, Banana Hand Crème, Shea Butter Hand Repair Crème and cotton gloves.

Handbag essentials

Acetone Free Pretty Quik £1.95
Chipped your nail varnish? Pretty Quik comes to the rescue with a little travel-size pot filled with polish remover that also moisturises cuticles and conditions nails. Dip your fingernail into the sponge and voilà!

Nivea Hand Age Defying Q10 Plus £1.35/£4.25
Help your hands tell fibs – helps smooth skin, reduce signs of premature ageing and prevent age spots.

Special occasion

Trind Perfect-System £1.95 to £15.95
Your very own home ‘talon salon’. A lovely array of little bottles and tubes devoted to pampering and perfecting nails. Includes Trind Nail Balsam (£5.95) to restore moisture to the ideal 18 per cent and Trind Nail Repair (£7.95) that makes nails strong without being hard or brittle.

Decléor Aromessence Ongles
Nail Treatment Oil £33.00
Decléor Beauté de Mains
Hand Care Cream £11.00
The oil’s healing properties prevent premature ageing and pigmentation marks on hands while also strengthening nails. The cream is a light, non-greasy formula that works on hands and nails as well as helping control excessive perspiration.

Tropical Shine nail files £1.35
From fragile to false, these colourful files from the US cater for every type of nail. They’re washable, last five times longer than regular files and there are 12 versions plus a four-way nail buffer (£2.95)