I'm a hand cream junkie, so it is with great pleasure and conviction that I present my top five favorites to you. Over the past year, I've tested many a cream in search of my favorite, and I have two. The first is June Jacobs Green Tea and Cucumber Hand Cream [1]($46) because of its quick rate of absorbency, non-greasy feeling and soothing scent.

The second is L'Occitane Shea Butter Hand Cream [2] ($25) because of its rich, thick texture and unparalleled soothing results. If there's one thing I've learned from my experiences, it's that the key to a good hand cream is shea butter, and the higher the content, the better. Below are three runners-up that I use regularly to soothe dry, chapped hands. What's your all-time favorite hand cream?

• Kiehl's Unusually Rich — But Not Greasy At All — Hand Cream with SPF 10 [3] ($15.50) takes the cake when it comes to consistency since it's not too thick and not too runny. It's also not greasy whatsoever and it's a great sports cream since it contains SPF 10.
• Liz Earle Hand Repair [4] ($28.50) smells like heaven and works wonders on dry cuticles. A little goes a long way, and there's also a travel tube available for $8.
• Yu-Be Cream [5] ($15) is a high quality Japanese yellow-tinted hand cream that moisturizes on a healing level. I highly recommend this fast-absorbing lotion — if you can handle the strong camphor scent.