This recipe is great for people who have very dry skin, eczema or psoriasis. As with all cosmetics, you should carry out a patch test if you have any concerns about adverse reactions.
This recipe brings together a number of ideas that have been developing during the 2020 pandemic. My aim was to produce something that would provide some relief for hands that have been abused by alcohol based sanitizers and latex gloves. I wanted to go further than just addressing the physical symptoms, however. If at all possible, I wanted to produce “a hug in a pot”.
The majority of my other hand cremes include lanolin. Although it is really good for alleviating the symptoms of many skin conditions, there are a few people to whom it causes an adverse reaction. I took the conscious decision to exclude lanolin from this one to make it available to those who cannot tolerate lanolin.
Essential Oils
The starting point for developing this recipe was researching Ylang Ylang. Among the many actions attributed to Ylang Ylang by Julia Lawless, she listed:
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- antidepressant
- anti infectious
- antiseborrhoeic
- antiseptic.
All of these would contribute to a preparation that would be therapeutic for skin, and which would provide a lift for a jaded spirit. Because Ylang Ylang is sweet-smelling to the point of cloying, I paired it with some Indian Sandalwood. Sandalwood reinforces many of the properties of Ylang Ylang, while taking the edge off Ylang Ylang’s potentially sickly sweetness. Again referring to Julia Lawless for the properties of Sandawood, they include:
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- antidepressant
- antiseptic
- astringent
- bactericidal
- fungicidal
- sedative.
The other essential oils were chosen as fragrances to complement Ylang Ylang and Sandalwood.
This is not a base recipe to which different blends of essential oils can be added (like my Hand Cream #14). The specific blend of oils is an essential part of the recipe.
This recipe makes about 350 g of hand cream. In addition to the ingredients, you will need:
Equipment
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- A stick blender. (You can use a whisk at a pinch.)
- A set of metric scales capable of weighing to the nearest gramme.
- A container that you can use to put the stick blender in hot water to pre-heat it.
- 2 containers in which to heat and mix the ingredients. One container must be large enough to hold the full quantity; the other only has to hold the water phase ingredients. Although the container you will use for mixing has to be large enough to hold all the ingredients, the ingredients must fill it to a depth that will cover the blades of your stick blender. (I use two 500 ml Pyrex jugs. I know people who use Mason Jars successfully.)
- A pan large enough to hold your 2 containers (or 2 pans, one for each). Alternatively, you can heat the containers of ingredients in a low oven set to about 70C.
- Something you can use to stir the ingredients as you heat them up. A small plastic spatula that can cope with boiling water is ideal because you can use it to scrape out very last trace of your hand cream into jars.
- Glass jars or plastic pots to store your hand cream.
Ingredients:
Oil Phase:
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- 20 ml Avocado Seed Oil
- 80 ml Grapeseed Oil
- 10 g Beeswax
- 50 g Mango Butter
Water Phase:
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- 80 ml Distilled Witch Hazel
- 50 ml Aloe Vera Gel
- 20 ml Glycerine
Cool Down:
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- 5 ml Vitamin E Oil
- 20 drops Ylang Ylang Essential Oil
- 10 drops Sandalwood Essential Oil
- 4 drops Cognac Essential Oil
- 2 drops Melissa Essential Oil
- 2 drops Coriander Essential Oil
Method:
Preparation
Preheat the oven if you plan to use it to heat your ingredients.
Measure the Oil Phase ingredients into the container you will use for mixing your hand cream.
Measure the Water Phase ingredients into the second container.
Put a stirrer in the oil phase container so it heats up with the ingredients. (If you put a cold stirrer into the warm oils they will solidify on the stirrer.)
Put both containers in the oven, if that is how you plan to heat your ingredients. Otherwise, put both containers into the pan, then put enough water in the pan to come up to the level of the ingredients. Put the pan over a low heat so the water slowly comes up to the boil, then turn the heat down so the water just simmers.
Put your stick blender in the container you are going to use to pre-heat it, and put the kettle on. Prepare your containers ready to pour in your creme when you have made it.
Mixing
Stir the oil phase occasionally until the wax and butter have melted. Then turn of the heat and take out the containers. Now put hot water into the container with your blender. Watch the oil phase as it starts to cool down. When it starts to go misty as it begins to solidify, put in your blender and run it as you add the water phase ingredients. Only run the blender until everything is mixed.
There will be a little oil gathering on the surface of the creme, and the container will be quite warm to touch. Briefly run the blender once or twice as the mixture cools.
When the creme starts to solidify, add the cooldown phase ingredients and briefly run the blender again until everything is mixed in. Disconnect the blender and scrape off as much as you can from the blender back into the container. Pour your creme into the prepared jars or pots.
Storing & Tidying Up
Put the lids on the jars or pots and then put them in a fridge until you are ready to use them. You might like to label the pots, including the date you made the contents.
Clean up with hot water and washing-up liquid.