Finished Hand Cream
Yesterday we made an excellent hand cream for hands worn ragged by work or hobbies. While it was an excellent cream, general consensus was that is was just a tad bit too waxy. I wanted to tweak my recipe just a little to see if we could remedy that. Come join me today for our next experiment.
For today’s hand cream, I made a tiny, tiny change. Yesterday’s recipe had 3.5% Stearic Acid. I reduced that to 2% Stearic Acid. If we look at this numerically, it is a miniscule change but it makes a HUGE difference in the finished product. I put the additional 1.5% into my water. Try this recipe to see the difference for yourself.
| Ingredients Almond Butter High Melt Point Shea Butter Castor Oil Dimethicone Conditioning Emulsifier Stearic Acid Hydrovance Aloe Powder Comfrey Extract Goldenseal Extract Jewelweed Extract Liquid Germall Plus Water |
Equipment Scale Microwave Safe Container Spoons Pipettes |
Recipe:
| Recipe in Grams 16 grams Almond Butter 36 grams High Melt Point Shea Butter 12 grams Castor Oil 28 grams Dimethicone 20 grams Conditioning Emulsifier 8 grams Stearic Acid 16 grams Hydrovance 4 grams Aloe Powder 4 grams Comfrey Extract 4 grams Goldenseal Extract 4 grams Jewelweed Extract 2 grams Liquid Germall Plus 246 grams Water |
Recipe in Ounces 0.56 oz Almond Butter 1.27 oz High Melt Point Shea Butter 0.42 oz Castor Oil 0.99 oz Dimethicone 0.71 oz Conditioning Emulsifier 0.28 oz Stearic Acid 0.56 oz Hydrovance 0.14 oz Aloe Powder 0.14 oz Comfrey Extract 0.14 oz Goldenseal Extract 0.14 oz Jewelweed Extract 0.07 oz Liquid Germall Plus 8.68 oz Water |
Recipe in Percentages 4% Almond Butter 9% High Melt Point Shea Butter 3% Castor Oil 7% Dimethicone 5% Conditioning Emulsifier 2% Stearic Acid 4% Hydrovance 1% Aloe Powder 1% Comfrey Extract 1% Goldenseal Extract 1% Jewelweed Extract 0.5% Liquid Germall Plus 61.5% Water |
Weighing Materials
Weigh everything but your preservative into a microwave safe container. (Here is a helpful hint. Weigh your Aloe Powder and water first. This makes is easier to incorporate and prevents clumps from forming.) Heat gently until everything is fully melted. If you don’t fully melt your materials, they can cause a grainy lotion. Once everything is fully melted, use an immersion blender to mix everything together.
Weighing Oils
If you are not sure if your mixture is emulsified, let your mixture sit still for a minute or two. If an oil slick develops on the top, keep mixing. If no oil slick develops, let the material cool below 120 F before adding your preservative. If you desire, you can also add a fragrance oil. I have chosen not to because I am intending to use this cream on irritated skin. Fragrance and essential oils can cause further irritation.
Adding Emulsifier
Once the cream has fully cooled, put into jars. I like to scoop the lotion into a plastic bag and pipe it into jar like frosting. It gives clean edges and makes for speedy filling.
Notes: I am really happy with this lotion. It is quick to rub in yet is durable. One of my favorite things about this lotion is the powdery/velvety feeling on the skin. Many lotions that are durable and long lasting also have a greasy, heavy feeling. This hand cream isn’t that way at all.
I can apply this hand cream then immediately hand paper work. No finger prints. The cream is perfect for both men and women. Just scent with your favorite fragrance!
i truly love your honest comments and your precision in lotion/butter making. It makes ALL the difference. I am a suscriber to your posts and yours are by far the best. I finally made the lip gloss and it is to DIE for ! I am giving them away as gifts and people think I’m a magician. People are now asking me for samples of my butters and lotions. I will try this new and improved recipe today. Can’t wait.
Julie,
I am so glad you find our blog a valuable resource. We try very hard to keep things clear and simple, no guessing required.
This lotion will have people thinking you are a wizard!
Happy crafting!
Taylor