Don’t you just hate having dry, cracked, itchy hands in the winter months? I know I do, which is why we’re learning how to make an effective DIY hand cream recipe that’s light, non-greasy, and very moisturizing for even the driest skin.

DIY Hand Cream with Lavender and Spruce

The dry winter months have always been a tough month on my skin even though I live in Southern California. You might think that the weather is kind to us here, and in many ways, it is! But when it comes to keeping our skin supple and moisturized, the arid climate can really cause some havoc, especially for our hands.

This hand cream is the perfect solution for all things dry skin! It’s super emollient and soothing on dry hands making it perfect for dry winter weather.

It soaks in quickly yet has good staying power due to the shea butter and gives dry itchy skin fast relief! The vitamin E also adds a nice touch of skin soothing goodness while also providing a tiny amount of preservation properties along with the essential oils.

The mango butter in this recipe gives us great moisture without feeling greasy and the avocado oil (while usually heavier in larger quantities) is moisturizing and very soothing for parched skin. I also slipped in one of my favorite carrier oils of all time – evening primrose oil! It’s probably one of the best healing carrier oils I’ve come across and is excellent for rebalancing the skin, especially when the outermost barrier is impaired.  

And, as always, you can always swap out the essential oils with your favorite ones of course, but my husband loves this black spruce, peppermint, and lavender blend. It’s like a snapshot of winter forest with a hint of spring on the horizon. A truly lovely scent!

DIY Hand Cream with Lavender, Black Spruce, and Peppermint

This recipe makes about 8oz of lotion, so feel free to divide or multiply it as necessary. 

Here’s what you’re going to need:

An accurate kitchen scale
A hand mixer like this one
A flexible spatula
2 pyrex measuring cups (one for melting and one for the water)
120g of distilled water, your favorite hydrosol, or tea (strained through a coffee filter)
12g emulsifying wax NF
12g mango butter
12g shea butter
12g avocado oil (or carrier oil of choice, go for something moisturizing)
4g evening primrose oil (or carrier oil of choice)
0.18g Vitamin E oil
30 drops black spruce essential oil
20 drops lavender essential oil
12 drops peppermint essential oil

Loving Preparation – DIY Hand Cream

1. Begin by weighing out the water into one of the pyrex measuring cups.

2. Next, measure out the emulsifying wax, mango butter, shea butter, avocado oil, and evening primrose oil into the other pyrex measuring cup.

3. In a saucepan, bring 1 inch of water to a simmer and place both pyrex measuring cups in the pan to warm up the water portion and melt the oil portion ingredients.

4. Once everything is completely melted/dissolved, remove from the heat, wipe the bottoms with a kitchen towel, and place them on the counter.

5. Next, use the hand mixer to blend the oil portion while you pour in the water portion ingredients.

6. Keep blending for about a minute, then leave the lotion to cool for about 5-10 minutes and blend some more. Repeat this until the mixture has cooled.

7. Once cool, add in your Vitamin E and essential oils.

8. Pulse the hand mixer until everything is well blended.

9. Pour the hand cream into your container of choice. Make sure it’s clean! I used a jar, but I recommend you use a pump bottle if you have one on hand.

This hand cream should last a few weeks without spoiling though I’m not sure it will stick around that long anyway 😉 

I hope you enjoy this lovely hand cream as much as I do! What have been your favorite DIY hand cream recipes? Please share in the comments!

You may also enjoy reading:

Highland Mint Body Lotion
Thin Mint Lotion Bar Stick Recipe

 

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