Homemade hand cream
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This homemade hand cream, made with mango and shea butter and a touch of beeswax, was put together entirely from ingredients already on hand from other homemade cosmetics.
Learn how to make a natural hand cream with non-toxic ingredients, infused with essential oils. This homemade nourishing hand cream moisturizes and revitalizes tough, dried out hands during the colder months. It comes together with very few ingredients, and the fragrance comes from whatever essential oils you choose.
During the cold winter months, dry and cracked hands and skin are a common problem, so hands need some extra care during this season. During my youth and childhood, hand creams weren’t really something bothered with — but as I got older and took on more household chores, all that washing dried out my skin. Winter is also the season of Vata in Ayurveda, cold and dry by nature, which is exactly why dry skin tends to show up more during this time.
Table of Contents
Why Skin Needs a Moisturizer
Skin is a defensive barrier, and when hands lose their natural moisturizing oils, that moisture needs to be replenished. With fewer oil glands in the hands compared to elsewhere on the body, it’s quite common for the skin there to dry out, turn rough, or even crack. This is why choosing a hand cream with your own skin type in mind matters — the right blend can protect the skin and even help reduce visible signs of aging.
Choosing the Butters and Oil
All the ingredients for this cream were already on hand from making other homemade cosmetics, so it came together without any extra shopping. This recipe uses a mixture of mango butter and shea butter, though either one works fine on its own. Cocoa butter is another substitute worth trying in place of mango or shea butter — mango butter runs a bit pricier, but all three share a similar texture and can be swapped in equal parts.
A carrier oil is needed too, since it makes the cream lighter and easier to apply. Jojoba oil is usually the ideal choice, since it has a mild scent, penetrates the skin well, and suits ultra-sensitive skin especially well. Any carrier oil works though — sweet almond oil is the one used in this recipe.
How to Make Homemade Hand Cream
Ingredients List
- 2 tsp mango butter
- 2 tsp shea butter
- 2 tsp beeswax
- 1 tsp sweet almond oil
- 15–20 drops essential oils
Cooking Instructions
Combine:
In a glass bowl, add the shea butter, mango butter, beeswax, and almond oil.
Melt:
Set the glass bowl over a pot of boiling water to create a double boiler, and melt all the ingredients together.
Cool and Add Essential Oils:
Let the molten fat cool slightly, then stir in the essential oils.
Mix:
Mix vigorously with a wooden spoon before pouring into sterilized glass jars.
Pour While Warm:
Pour the cream while it’s still warm, or it will harden due to the beeswax.
Store:
Store in an airtight glass container at room temperature.
How to Use Moisturizing Hand Cream
Use a small amount on your fingertips and gently massage it into your hands — this can be repeated multiple times a day. For extremely dry hands, apply a generous amount before bed and put on a pair of gloves, repeating for several nights until hands feel soft and smooth again.
Tips for Homemade Hand Cream
Exfoliate first: a sugar scrub helps remove dead skin cells and restore the skin before moisturizing.
Protect your hands while cleaning: latex-free gloves are worth using for washing dishes and cleaning, to avoid undoing the benefit of the cream.
Watch citrus oils in sunlight: if using citrus essential oils on the face, avoid direct sunlight for 24 hours afterward, due to photosensitivity.
Benefits of Mango Butter
Mango butter is rich in antioxidants and brings a lot of benefits to skin care, which is why it shows up in so many skincare products. It’s very moisturizing, helps soften the skin, doesn’t clog pores, and works well for acne-prone skin. It’s also gentle enough for sensitive skin, suitable for all skin types including children. In short, mango butter softens the skin, can help with dermatitis, psoriasis, sunburn, and eczema, moisturizes and protects against UV rays, helps prevent premature aging, and supports wound healing.
Benefits of Shea Butter
Shea butter is very moisturizing, which is why it turns up in so many skin care products. It’s packed with essential nutrients and can help enhance a natural glow, and raw shea butter spreads easily too. Among its benefits: anti-fungal, anti-bacterial, and anti-inflammatory properties; support for cell regeneration; suitability for all skin types, especially sensitive skin; a real boost to hydration; help reducing wrinkles, age spots, and scars; hydrating and repairing damaged skin; a good source of fatty acids and vitamins A and E; antioxidant support against signs of aging; and improved skin tone overall. Shea butter can be used on almost any skin type.
Benefits of Beeswax and Why Go Homemade
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Benefits of Beeswax
Beeswax makes the mixture solid, and only a small amount is needed to give homemade cosmetics the right texture. It’s also a common raw material for lip balms, lipsticks, and ointments, since it solidifies natural oils quickly. Anyone allergic to beeswax can try a plant-based wax instead.
Why Homemade Hand Cream?
Commercial hand creams are often loaded with chemicals and preservatives, which is the main reason for making this one at home instead. Since hands are exposed to so much water and air throughout the day, they need extra care — especially in winter, when they tend to dry out, chap, and sometimes crack and bleed. Used regularly, hand cream can help reduce cracking and pigmentation, moisturize and nourish the skin, reduce visible signs of aging, protect against UV exposure, and help even out skin tone.
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Recipe Card
Homemade Hand Cream
- Total Time: 15
- Yield: 1 jar 1x
Description
A natural, nourishing hand cream made with mango and shea butter, infused with essential oils — built to moisturize and revitalize tough, dry hands through the colder months.
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons mango butter
- 2 teaspoons shea butter
- 2 teaspoons beeswax
- 1 teaspoon sweet almond oil (or jojoba oil)
- 15–20 drops essential oils (lavender, sandalwood)
Instructions
-
Combine:
In a glass bowl, add the shea butter, mango butter, beeswax, and almond oil.
-
Melt:
Set the glass bowl over a pot of boiling water to create a double boiler, and melt all the ingredients together.
-
Cool and Add Essential Oils:
Let the molten fat cool slightly, then stir in the essential oils.
-
Mix:
Mix vigorously with a wooden spoon before pouring into sterilized glass jars.
-
Pour While Warm:
Pour the cream while it’s still warm, or it will harden due to the beeswax.
-
Store:
Store in an airtight glass container at room temperature.
Notes
Mango butter, shea butter, and cocoa butter share a similar texture and can be swapped for one another in equal parts. Jojoba oil is another good carrier oil option if sweet almond oil isn’t on hand.
- Prep Time: 5
- Cook Time: 10
- Category: Natural Skin Care
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1
- Calories: 200
- Fat: 20
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