Do you have a hard time getting up in the morning when your alarm clock brutally puts an end to your sweet dreams and your warm bed feels so comfy? Does getting into the shower sound like a cruel punishment when the bathroom tiles are so cold and the sun barely up? Have you ever wished your soap or your toothbrush would smile at you and cheer you up, especially on Mondays? Look no further, HAND has you covered - well, not for the smiling toothbrush, but for the friendly products that greet you in the bathroom with a kind word of encouragement.

The name of the brand, HAND, has nothing to do with those things full of fingers at the end of your arms, no, it is the acronym for Have A Nice Day! Every single product by HAND wishes you a nice day on their pretty, colorful labels. I find it so refreshing to be surrounded by products that look fun, optimistic and even caring! Don't get me wrong, I also appreciate edgy, dark, classy and exclusive packaging. But when I struggle on a Monday morning, the vibrant colors, the fruity and herbal scents, and the kind words really help improve my mood.

You've probably never heard of HAND, and that's because this Italian brand has just arrived in the United States. One of the perks of being a blogger is the opportunity to discover new, upcoming brands before they become mainstream. HAND is, hands down, the most exciting launch I've had the chance to be associated with since I started blogging in English! Let's take a closer look at what the brand has to offer.





Soaps is where it all started: HAND offers a line of shea butter infused bar soaps with warm and summery scents inspired by the Mediterranean region. The brand uses organic ingredients certified by an Italian institute, ICEA, it's cruelty-free (never tested on animals) and the products are made in Italy. Beyond soaps, HAND has also developed shower gels, body lotions, and they just started making face creams. Before I give you details about each category, can we pause and take a moment to admire the fun and brightly colorful packaging these products come in? How pretty are these soap boxes? I intend to keep them once I've finished all the soaps - I'm not sure what I'll use them for, but they're so cute!




Soaps

The soaps currently come in 6 delightful Mediterranean scents:
- Fig, fruity and slightly sweet.
- Pomegranate, a very light, barely there clean scent.
- Lavender, which smells herbal like real lavender rather than very floral.
- Mint, a fresh peppermint.
- Citrus Fruit, light and citrusy.
- Orange Blossom, warm and floral, the richest scent in the range.




All the soaps are made with the vegetal cleansing agents sodium palmate and sodium cocoate, produced from organic ingredients. The organic shea butter is, from what I understand, added after the saponification process (the process of turning the base ingredients into soap), to nourish and soothe the skin. Depending on the scent you choose, additional ingredients like fragrance or natural essential oils are added to the formula. you can see the full ingredients list for each scent here.




These bar soaps for the body produce a creamy lather and they are very gentle to my skin. I know that many people stay away from bar soaps out of fear they would be drying, but this is really not the case with the ones from HAND. They leave my skin supple and very comfortable!


Shower Gels

There are 3 scents to choose from at this time:
- Pomegranate, fruity and mouthwatering!
- Myrtle, which smells herbal with a hint of citrus to my nose.
- Mint, a bold peppermint scent that I completely fell in love with! It's perfect for foggy mornings when you need a pick-me-up scent, and I also really enjoy using it after a workout to feel refreshed and "purified". You know how minty scents are associated with cleanliness (that's why all mouthwashes and toothpastes are minty)? This makes it a great choice when you feel like you need a deep-cleanse after hot yoga or a long, sweaty run.

Again, the cleansing agents used here are vegetal, and these shower gels are also free of SLS, SLES, EDTA, parabens and silicones. They also contain organic glycerin and shea butter, and the myrtle and pomegranate are harvested from wild plants (full ingredients lists here)! The lather they produce is abundant and cushy, and like the soaps, they feel gentle and never drying, although they clean efficiently.

The shower gels and body milk

Body Milk

Despite its name this body moisturizer is not a milk, it's more of a rich, nourishing balm. It's not runny or watery at all, it's a thick cream that needs to be massaged in for a minute or two to fully penetrate. The great thing about this rich texture is that it's very moisturizing, yet it doesn't feel greasy once absorbed. It leaves my dry skin feeling silky and nourished, and the "fish scale" effect on my legs disappears for the whole day. It contains coconut oil, shea butter, glycerin, grape seed oil, argan oil and, in this scent, a ton of citrus extracts.

I got this Body Milk in the scent called Citrus Fruit In Bloom, and it's another one I completely fell in love with! It's intense without being overwhelming, and it's quite unique, being a mix of citrus fruits peels and bitter orange blossom. There's a distinct bitterness to the fragrance, yet it's also a bit sweet and a bit floral - definitely a more complex scent than what you find in most body lotions. You might be surprised by it if you've never smelled bitter orange before! I personally adore this scent, I find it very invigorating and stress relieving. It's the kind of scent that brings focus back to my troubled mind when I'm overwhelmed and anxious. The bitterness clears my head while the fruity-floral background is very soothing!


Face Products



This range has just been launched by HAND, and it comes with the signature colorful, happy packaging design. There are 3 products in the skincare line so far:
- the Serum, in a frosted glass bottle with a pump, is targeting signs of aging. It contains, among other ingredients, aloe, ginseng, arnica, calendula.
- the Goodmorning Cream, to hydrate, protect and bring vitamins, with a bunch of plant extracts, including sunflower, sweet almond, orange, maple, etc.
- the Goodnight Cream, to nourish and restore, with glycerin, sunflower, argan, hyaluronic acid, shea, green tea.




It takes a little bit of time to properly test face skincare, so I'll do a full review of these 3 products in a few weeks. For now, I can say that I like the textures!


HAND is lovely Italian brand with a fun, optimistic philosophy that makes products with beautiful Mediterranean scents coming in bright, happy packaging. If you want to try something new, I'd definitely recommend their soaps, shower gels and body milk - the fact that they wish you a nice day every morning is an added bonus!


US customers can currently buy the products online. The brand is also distributed in local independent stores across the country so keep your eyes out for it!


The products featured in this review were provided by the brand for consideration. I received no compensation other than free samples to write this post, which only reflects my personal opinion. This post does not contain affiliate links.