My designated body parts for testing out dry skin creams are my shins. Without proper care, they go scaly and shiny and weird, and if I wear tights or jeans then the problem escalates and I might even get some itchiness. The latest thick, balm-like body creams for dry skin that meet my approval are below – if you like the butteryness and deep moisturising effect of a balm but the convenience of a tube, then keep reading…

Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream Body Treatment: £26 or £18.99 at Amazon. Worked a treat on flaky left leg (I was testing Clinique out on the right one!) and didn’t smell of Eight Hour Cream, not like the hand cream does. I have no problem with the smell of Eight Hour, because it makes me very nostalgic (see this vintage post here) but some people find it a little medicinal. Whatever, this smells fine and dandy and does a great job of intensely moisturising the skin.

Clinique Deep Comfort Body Moisture: £20 at Boots. No fragrance at all in this one, just a bouncy, sumptuous cream that melts into the skin but leaves it feeling nourished with a nice protective residue. Not a greasy residue, but that lovely sheeny kind.

La Roche-Posay Lipikar Baume AP: £12.50 at Escentual.com. Possibly my all-time favourite body balm, this one has the sub-title “anti-irritation anti-scratching” which I find very reassuring. And it is brilliant if you are itching and scratching away in the shin region, as I so often am. Contains Niacinamide, which if you read this you will know is a good think, and also a whopping 20% shea butter. So truly restoring and moisturising. I’ve recommended this to so many people and the feedback is always brilliant…

Loving Care Body Balm from Le Couvent des Minimes: £13 for 200ml or £16 for 400ml (no brainer!) here. Great for delicate skin (as are all of the above, really) and with 15% shea, Calendula extract to help soothe and “Galen’s Wax” to protect and repair. The Couvent formulas have been based on very old, traditional recipes that were used by the monks who inhabited the convent that this brand is named after. (It’s now a very lovely luxury hotel, South of France, surrounded by fields of flowers. Take a look here.)

If it’s a body oil you prefer, then please do take a look at some recent reviews – you can always layer them up with a cream for twice the effect. I do oil first, wait a few minutes and then in with the cream…