I love making my own hand cream. I love being able to customize the benefits and scents! I’m constantly putting it on, my hands are like the sahara desert in the winter. I recently got a new recipe from the newsletter that Debra Stark puts out for her store in Concord, Debra’s Natural Gourmet. This is THE BEST hand cream recipe I’ve found so far, and can be used as a body butter as well! My legs in particular are enjoying the benefits of this.
I personally like to add skin supporting oils to my hand cream base, but also one or two oils from plants that have antiviral/antibacterial properties. My first go to for this cream is geranium oil, its SO good for skin health and has everything I want for a skin cream. There are quite a few scientific studies on this oil published on the PubMed website, here. This oil appeals to both the science believer and the naturalist in me. Other oils I love are frankincense, lavender, cedarwood, and blue tansy.
If you don’t have the essential oils for this hand cream you can get them on my secure shopping website, and the other ingredients you can grab at Debra’s in West Concord. Its the store with the purple awning, you can’t miss it. While your there, pick up a copy of Debra’s book – its fun reading!
In Debra’s post she says this about the oils she includes:
*We love essential oils! I like to combine lavender, clary sage, geranium, and rosewood. Few drops of rose if budget allows. All these make skin glow. They calm and warm the heart! Geranium is said to be especially good for mature skin.“
Tweaks
Debra’s recipe calls for using a blender, but when a blender and melted wax meet, its very difficult to clean up! Instead I use a stick blender with a whisk to get the same texture. The one I have is similar to this one – not super expensive because I use it only for my DIY items and not food. Its easier to clean and the whisk can be popped in a pan of boiling water to help melt the residual wax/cream. The other step I do differently is to use a glass measuring cup in a pan of water to melt the wax beads – not quite a double boiler, but close. The sides of mine are tall enough to use the stick blender in it and not create more dishes to clean.
Without further ado.. here’s Debra’s recipe for the cream:
Luxurious Face & Body Butter
February 2006 Newsletter, updated June 2021, Debra Stark
I have been making variations of this face and body butter cream for years. I kept adding more ingredients and getting too fancy for my own good. The result? My cream started molding. So, I’ve gone back to the basics. This face and body butter soothes, protects, and moisturizes thirsty skin. It no longer molds!
It’s terrific for troubled skin and eczema and psoriasis. It’s my superfood and anti-aging cream. Borage oil, is, in my experience, the best skin medicine ever for skin. And carrot seed oil works best for moisturizing (it soaks right in and doesn’t stay oily on the skin). Royal jelly regenerates, and you will notice a difference in your skin after roughly a month. Silver heals and is antimicrobial. It’s great on burns too.
Makes a few cups
Ingredients
GROUP 1
1½ C oil (your choice, but I use ½ C each borage and carrot seed oil, ¼ C olive
2 Tbsp each of castor and coconut oil
1 tsp vitamin E oil
1 teaspoon liquid lanolin, optional
2½ Tbsp beeswax beads, essential
GROUP 2
1½ C rosewater
1 Tbsp 250-500 ppm Natural Path Silver Wing colloidal silver
1 tsp vitamin E oil
2 tsp YS Bee royal jelly
few drops essential oils*
Method
Melt beeswax beads in olive and coconut oil by whisking over low heat – this takes 2-3 minutes at most. I do this in an oven-proof measuring cup which goes right onto my burner. You can use a small pot. Once the beeswax beads are melted – you won’t see them anymore – add remaining oils. These will cool down the mixture quickly. A cool mixture starts to turn creamy. That’s when you add it to GROUP 2 [Pam’s note: mix up group two and have it ready to go before the wax is done melting.]
Put GROUP 2 ingredients in blender. When GROUP 1 is warm, no longer hot, turn blender on low and drizzle (just like making mayonnaise) GROUP 1 into center vortex. Pour slowly! Stop and turn blender to high speed. The mixture inside will suddenly, just like when making mayonnaise, make a spluttering or coughing sound. (You’ll need to stop blender and scrape down the sides with a rubber spatula a few times before you suddenly see a beautiful cream.
Spoon cream into small glass jars. (It may be a little soft but will firm up nicely.) The blender will be tough to clean out. I put mine in the bathroom and for about a good week, lavish the cream over my face and bod(y). Cream goes on oily but soaks in! Keep one jar in the bathroom. Store remaining jars in the freezer.
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