Homemade Hand Lotion with 4 ingredients

If you are struggling with the damage that winter has done on your skin, which is made even worst with frequent washes, your hands are dry and sensitive, then I have the perfect DIY beauty product to make: my homemade hand lotion. You can learn how to make your own hand moisturizer and easily whip up batches of homemade hand lotion with only 4 ingredients, beeswax, almond oil, rosewater and shea butter.

Homemade Hand Lotion Main Ingredients

• Almond oil

  Made from bitter almonds, almond oil is one of nature’s many gifts. Not only does it have numerous health benefits (helping promote good heart health, maintaining a healthy weight and stabilizing blood sugar levels being some of them), it’s also an amazing moisturizer. It’s known to protect skin from sun damage and even helps prevent stretch marks.

• Rosewater
  

  Extracted from roses through a steam distillation process, not only does rose water smell heavenly, but it also boasts a number of benefits. Full of antioxidants, it’s one of the best remedies for alleviating sensitive skin problems, and soothing skin irritation and redness. Another alternative for a homemade hand lotion is calendula hydrosol which is a great healing agent.

• Beeswax
  

  Produced by nature’s fuzzy little workers, beeswax stands out because of its excellent moisturizing properties. Because it works to lock in moisture, it helps keep the skin firm and plump—every girl’s dream. Because of its anti-allergenic and anti-inflammatory properties, it’s especially effective for people suffering from skin conditions like rosacea or eczema.

• Shea butter

  Derived from the nuts of the shea tree, shea butter is one of the most coveted cosmetic ingredients out there. The high concentration of fatty acids coupled with a high dose of vitamins in it is what makes it such an amazing moisturizer. It also helps with inflammation and soothing irritated skin.

Homemade Hand Lotion with Essential oils

This is optional but will enhance your homemade hand lotion to another level and will leave your hands smelling great.

Comforting Hand lotion Essential Oil Blend

• Sweet orange essential oil: Extracted from oranges, sweet orange essential oil is highly effective at curbing symptoms of depression and anxiety.
• Cypress essential oil: Made from the stems and leaves of the cypress tree, cypress essential oil has rejuvenating properties and helps boost energy.
• Vanilla essential oil: Coming from fermented vanilla beans, vanilla essential oil is known for its therapeutic properties, and ability to induce relaxation.

 

Healing Hand lotion Essential Oil Blend

• Lavender essential oil: Made from lavender through the distillation process, lavender essential oil is known for its antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties.
• Rose geranium essential oil: Derived from the leaves and stem of the rose geranium plant, this essential oil is known for the soothing effect it has on people, making it valuable for aromatherapy.
• chamomile essential oil: Obtained from flower heads of Matricaria recutitia, this essential oil has potent anti-inflammatory properties helping to soothe irritated skin.
• Frankincense essential oil: Made from the resin of the Boswellia tree, Frankincense essential oil is an excellent pain and stress alleviator.

Uplifting hand lotion essential oil blend

• Grapefruit essential oil: Extracted from grapefruit peels, grapefruit essential oil helps boost energy and enhance mood.
• Bergamot: Extracted from the rinds of citrus fruit, bergamot is known to be an effective antiseptic and analgesic.
• Spearmint: A species of mint, spearmint oil is high in antioxidants and helps reduce stress.

Why use organic ingredients?

While organic ingredients might end up costing you a little more, their benefits far outweigh the cost.

• Organic ingredients are environment friendly and don’t have a negative impact on the environment (no use of pesticides, fungicides, insecticides).
• Your skin will thank you for using only organic ingredients on it. Being the largest organ in the body, your skin absorbs everything that you apply to it into your bloodstream. You don’t want it absorbing the nasty chemicals found in conventional and non-certified organic ingredients.
• Using organic materials means that you don’t run the risk of using GMOs, which can be potential health hazards.
• Organic means higher quality. And your skin deserves nothing less than that.

Why do our hands become dry?

During winter, the decreased levels of moisture in the air spell bad news for your skin, especially if you have a weak skin barrier and already struggle with dry skin. Frequent hand washing in winter (to avoid catching the flu) contributes to the problem and strips your skin of its natural oil, leading to parched, flaking skin. Check more info here.

How to make an emulsion with beeswax?

There is a lot of controversy on the internet about beeswax and how it cannot be used as an emulsifier to make a cream or lotion. Some claim that it does not work and that a chemical such as stearic acid or borax should be added to it. My tried and true opinion is that you CAN actually make a cream or lotion with beeswax if you follow precise instructions.

Instructions how to make a  DIY hand lotion with beeswax

• Mix a carrier oil such as almond oil, a hydrosol, and beeswax in a double boiler. Shea butter is optional but helps with dry skin and with the overall texture of the homemade hand lotion.
• Once the beeswax has melted, take your mixture off the boiler and place it in a cold water container and start whipping for 2 to 5 minutes, until the cream begins to emulsify.
• Add essential oils if needed and mix well.
• Pour into containers.

Should you add glycerin to your hand cream?

Yes, you can, but it’s an optional ingredient. If you do decide to use it, make sure the glycerin is vegetable sourced.

Benefits of glycerin for skin

According to studies, glycerin is a great moisturizer for skin and can even promote skin health. It’s an excellent ingredient to help boost skin hydration and is very effective at soothing irritated skin, protecting against infection while also healing injuries.

(Source: https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/vegetable-glycerin#benefits )

How to make a Pumpable lotion?

If you change the recipe by substituting oil or butter by another or tweaking the ratios, you run the “risk” of not having the right pumpable consistency and your lotion would not emulsify. The ratio of 60% carrier oil, 40% hydrosol and 5% beeswax works well here for a homemade pumpable hand lotion.

Where to find a glass jar with pump?

You can find empty and non-toxic glass jar with pump on amazon here!

Can you use it on your body?

Yes, this “hand” lotion is actually a very versatile concoction and you’ll find it equally effective on other parts of your body.

Time to say goodbye to your dry skin now! Happy DIY-ing!