Have you ever seen the hands of a worker in such bad shape that they crack and bleed just due to the elements? I have, and it looks terrible. It also causes a lot of pain.
Brian is a young man Tina met who has been struggling with his hands. They ended up talking, and Tina said “I think we (at MMS) can come up with something for you. Once I bring you a butter, your hands will be looking like mine in a month.”
Let’s head to the kitchen to make a butter for anyone who suffers from dry and cracked skin.This recipe is wonderful. It is easy to apply, requiring little effort or pressure. It is also great for damaged skin, but don’t let that limit you. I gave a jar to my grandmother, who has the softest hands, but her skin is very fragile. A lot of pressure will leave bruises, which she finds displeasing. An easy-to-apply butter is very useful to her. This is a formulation that you can use all the way from babies up to the elderly without any worries. Use it on arms, elbows, knees, feet, etc.
First, I started this formulation with Beeswax. Beeswax gives this butter staying power. It also creates a barrier on the skin, allowing it to keep from drying out. This is important, especially when dealing with damaged skin.
Next comes High Melt Point Shea Butter. Because this is an anhydrous mixture, I didn’t want to deal with fractionation issues, but I still wanted the creamy luxury of Shea Butter. I love it when High Melt Point Shea Butter comes to the rescue!
I used Aloe Butter because it has a lower melt point. This meant it helps with the spreadability of the butter without needing a lot of work or pressure. This is helpful when dealing with damaged skin, because you don’t want to increase the pain. A butter that is easily applied will always be preferred to one that takes some effort.
Sea Buckthorn Oil takes the spotlight in this formulation. Not only does it give this butter its stunning color, but Sea Buckthorn Oil also is reputed to have incredible regenerative properties. Reputed or not, that sounds good to me!
I added a variety of extracts for a little boost. Boosters are wonderful, and the great thing is you can use whatever extracts you have and on hand or the ones you prefer. Extracts open a huge new world in the world of lotions, creams, butters, lip balms, lip glosses, and even massage oils! Try some today!
I also used some Lanolin in this butter. Lanolin is an excellent choice because it an excellent moisturizer. Lanolin is great at keeping water where it belongs, out of sheep’s wool and in your skin. It is also a fantastic skin protectant. If you haven’t added Lanolin to your cupboard, I promise you will want to. It does so much and it is also creamy! Try it!
Cherry Oil also made its way into this formulation. It is a lightweight oil so it prevents this butter from feeling too oily or greasy. It also helps counteract dry skin and the itchy, rough sensation that comes with it.
I also used Black Currant Oil. Black Currant Oil is high in fatty acids that help the skin repair itself. Just what we are looking for to put in this recipe! Are you ready to go make a hand butter?
SUPPLIES
IngredientsBeeswax |
Equipment |
RECIPE
Recipe in Percentages
12% Beeswax
32% High Melt Point Shea Butter
30% Aloe Butter
1% Sea Buckthorn Oil
2% Calendula Extract
2% Orchid Extract
2% Ivy Extract
3% Lanolin
9% Cherry Oil
9% Black Currant Oil
Recipe in Grams12 grams Beeswax |
Recipe in Ounces0.42 oz Beeswax |
INSTRUCTIONS
Weigh all of the ingredients except the extracts into a microwave safe container. Heat gently until liquid. Stir and allow it to cool slightly. Add the extracts. Stir occasionally as the mixture continues to cool. Once it has cooled sufficiently, transfer to containers of your desired size. I used 20 mL jars. Enjoy!
Finished Butter
Finished Butter
Weighing Beeswax
Weighing Oils
Weighing Oils
Weighing Oils
Melted Oils
Brian's Hand Butter,
That looks like a great butter for the hands! I don’t have all of those oils/butters, but they all sounds wonderful. Might have to put that on my list to try someday!
This is one recipe you will love once you try it!
I love this! I want to make some for my daughter. She’s been washing her hands with scented soap. I guess she has a sensitivity to fragrance or something in the soap because when she uses it, it gives her alligator skin. This looks like it would help a lot and we could make it together, which would be fun (she’s 7).
I’m wondering why you picked the extracts you did, especially the ivy. Can you leave the extracts out if needed? Just wondering.
Thank you!
These extracts were chosen for their skin helping properties. You can
certainly leave them out but the finished product will be blah, bland and
not nearly as good. These skin assisting extracts are really the difference
between OK and WOW!!!
I would choose the extracts you desire. If you prefer to omit the ivy then
you can replace it with another extract that you like a little better. I think
the response of the people who have tried this with the extracts makes
it worth making as is. Try it then change it as you desire. This way you
have a base line for improvement or not.
Tina
Thanks Tina! I don’t know enough about extracts to know, so I rely on your experience. I was just wondering because I didn’t know there was an ivy extract or that it could be beneficial. 🙂
Ivy is very nice and gentle. It works well for things like this. My favorite extracts are Calendula and Orchid. I think our skin votes for the favorites and everyone has their own likes.
This would be great for some of the men in my family, they work in the oil field and their hands are always chapped and cracked. Thanks!
I hope it is well loved!
THANKS! I made a very similar hand cream last year, but did not melt the wax and shea properly. It was was a bit grainy but really helped my battered hands. This recipe has solved my problems. Thanks Again.
I hope you enjoy this recipe!
I am making this one today. I would just love a recipe for face cream. A light version…any thoughts???
Thank You!!!
Janet, Two face creams (serums?) have been formulated that will be shared on the blog soon. Taylor has really worked on these for being fun and easy to make. I think a light cream is an awesome idea! Don’t forget all the things this butter will help though. Head, shoulders, knees and toes, knees and toes, knees and toes; hands, ears, lips and nose! I’ll bet you were singing. 😉
Oooh, this looks fantastic! Is it the seabuckthorn oil that gives this such a lovely color? I can not wait to try this out. I guess I will be placing an order for supplies soon, lol.
The Seabuckthorn Oil does give that color. I think it is a fun color, don’t you?
Looks great, I think I’m going to try this one! One question/suggestion, why did you guys stop listing the ingredients with a link straight to the products listed? Does that make sense? The ingredients that you guys carry were always in blue, so if I wanted to look up the price and info on each ingredient being used in this recipe, I could just click on it, and I would be taken right to that place in the catalog. It would be nice to be able to do that again! 🙂
Whoops! I fixed that for you. We try to make links for the products and sometimes we forget to add those links.
Thank You! I wasn’t sure if it was something you had just decided not to do any more, so glad to know that you will continue putting links, it’s much easier to purchase that way! 🙂
Adding this to my list of things to make really soon with summer gardening coming up fast. My hands get pitiful too.
Your hands will feel great after using this. I think this would be a perfect after gardening care hand butter.
I forgot one thing, no preservative needed because it’s all oils?
LuAnn, You guessed correctly!
I can’t wait to try this!!!! Sounds fabulous!
This recipe looks amazing. Can I add more beeswax to make it a lotion bar?
Absolutely! You will likely need closer to 20% beeswax to make this a lotion bar.
Cheers!
Tina
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