I know now is not exactly the time to run out shopping for ingredients either so I'm using what I have on hand. I'll link to where ya'll can order the same ingredients online. I will also list several options in case you have one type of butter or oil but not another.
I wish I could use super common ingredients like coconut oil, but I just don't like it for this type of project.
I used to have a love affair with coconut oil, just like everybody else did for a while there. Unfortunately it's too greasy on my skin. Maybe in the winter I could get away with using it, but any other time of year it felt like it just didn't sink into my skin. I felt like I constantly had slimy, oily skin.
Now that's not for things like my burn salve because in that instance you want them to stick around for awhile and not sink right into the skin. Salves have a bit of protective quality to them, like a barrier on your skin. Lotions and creams though need to sink in to do their job.
I much prefer to use butters like shea, cocoa or mango. These are often sold in stores like Whole Foods and Trader Joes if that happens to be your closest grocery store.
The recipe below is one of the body butters I make that I've been using as a hand cream lately. With all this constant hand washing I really need something stronger than normal. I use Shea butter In this one because that's what I have on hand but if you have mango butter it will work just as well.
Skin healing hand butter recipe
3.5 oz of shea butter
2 tablespoons of calendula infused oil
2 vitamin E capsules
20 drops of essential oils:
- 10 drops Lavender
- 5 drops Frankincense
- 5 drops Sweet Orange
The first thing you'll want to do is to infuse your oil with calendula petals. This is how I do it. I chose to use infused sweet almond oil because of how dry my skin is right now. Calendula is very soothing to the skin.
If you don't have any particular skin concerns feel free to use the oil without infusing it first. I like jojoba, sweet almond, apricot or grapeseed oil.
Using a double boiler melt the shea butter. I like to break it up into small pieces so it melts faster. I also turn the temperature off when it's almost melted and remove the pan from the water bath and let it continue to melt on its own. I try to use as little heat as possible so as not to damage the oils.
Once all the shea is melted, cut open your vitamin E capsules and squeeze them into the melted shea butter. Add your calendula infused oil then mix briefly. Next you're going to add your essential oils and then move the bowl to an ice water bath.
The way to get a silky lotion with no pockets of oils or waxes is to blend it while it's cooling. If you let it cool then blend it you can have little pieces that harden first and it will make chunks in your whipped hand butter.
It would take about 20 minutes or more for this to cool on it's own, so we're going to make an ice water bath to speed it up!
Fill a bowl with very cold/ice water. Choose a size that the bowl of lotion will fit on top of. Set the lotion bowl on top so that the bottom rests in the cold water. Start gently whipping it with a hand whisk. As the lotion starts to cool, it'll start to thicken.
The mixture will go from clear to opaque then to white as it cools. Make sure you're scraping the sides and bottom with the whisk as you stir.
If you're getting lumps, it's cooling too fast and you'll want to take the bowl off the water bath. Continue to mix till the lumps mix in and then place back over the water bath. One it's cool and completely mixed it will be a creamy white lotion. Transfer to a 4oz container.
It will harden a bit once it's allowed to sit awhile, so you want to get it into the container as soon as you're done mixing it. To use just scoop a bit out, soften it between your hands and rub in! I made this one for my hands but it can be used anywhere on the body that you need extra moisturizing.
You can also make your own cuticle oil if your nails are looking particularly rough.
Essential oils in hand lotion
I chose the essential oils for this recipe based on their skin healing properties. As mentioned earlier my hands are destroyed from all this hand washing with harsh soap and super hot water, plus all the DIY hand sanitizer I've been using! All that hand cleaning works to keep viruses at bay, but it takes a toll on my skin!
I understand that not everyone likes the smell of these particular oils though. Feel free to substitute your favorite oils instead. I used 20 drops of essential oils for this recipe. If you decide to use different essential oils, I would stick to that concentration. It has a nice amount of scent without being too strong or overpowering.
You can also skip the essential oils completely if you want an unscented cream.
Also, there is about 4oz in this recipe. If you don't want to order containers you can use the short Ball jelly jars. I recycle almost every container that comes in this house, so don't think you have to buy new. In fact, the plastic jar in the top picture is recycled!
Let me know how you like the recipe in the comments!
Want to learn more about taking care of your health naturally? Click here for my other posts on natural health and body care.
~L
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