21 Nov Homemade Hand-Cream

With winter approaching, your hands might be getting drier and drier and so a hand cream is a must in order to keep your hands moisturised and skin protected. For those of you who would like to avoid industrial creams, here are two natural recipes of 50ml hand-cream!

Recipe #1:

Choose a plastic bottle with a dispensary cap of at least 50 ml. Clean it well and begin to add:

• 3 tablespoons of aloe vera gel
• 3 teaspoons of olive, argan and apricot kernel oil
• 6 drops of either lavender or seville orange essential oil

Close the bottle and shake well. You will be left with a creamy white gel. Just be sure to shake the bottle before each application (3 times per day).

Recipe #2:

Using a small saucepan, mix:

• 2 small tablespoons (or 20 ml) of sweet almond oil
• 1 teaspoon of wax flakes emulsified with olive oil on low heat.

In another container in the water bath, begin to heat and mix:

• 3 tablespoons (approx. 30 ml) of mineral or floral water of your choice (such as lavender or orange blossom)
• 1 large teaspoon of ready to use aloe vera gel.

Using a kitchen thermometre, measure the temperature of both mixtures. Once they reach 65 °C, remove them from heat. Then, begin to gradually add the melted fat while stirring the mixture with a small whip to make an emulsion, with a consistency similar to mayonnaise. Do not stop stirring the mixture until the cream begins to thicken!

To perfume the cream, add 8 drops of lavender/niaouli/seville orange essential oil. Using a funnel or a large syringe, pour the smooth cream into a disinfected plastic or glass pot of at least 50 ml. Leave it to thicken in the refrigerator for 12 hours. You can use the cream for up to 6 weeks.

Important note: This cream contains 8 drops of essential oil to 50 ml, which ensures a natural conservation despite the large presence of water in the recipe. You can replace the 8 drops of essential oils by adding 8 drops of a cosmetic preservative such as Cosgard (dehydroacetic acid and benzyl alcohol) which can be found in special natural cosmetic stores. This way, you will then be left with an unscented cream that will last up to 8 weeks as opposed to 6.

Informed shopping: If you do prefer to buy a hand-cream, be sure to check the list of ingredients. Look out for at protective vegetable oils such as argan (Argania spinosa), sweet almond (Prunus amygdalis), sesame (Sesamum indicum) and shea butter (Butyrospermum parkii).