Nerd Girl Makes Hand Cream – and a Giveaway!

A Very WARM Welcome to our GuestPoster,

Marla

In our old life in the Old Country, my family used to travel a lot, by plane and train. Schlepping bags and babies around Europe can be…stressful (is there a single diaper-changing station on this train??!) and airplanes had just banned all liquids. Gack. As a lover of all things frankincense, I knew how soothing it was for me, and to tired toddlers, too. So I learned to make a frankincense hand cream for myself, my kids, my stressed-out DH, and all my friends in the Traveling Class who needed a little (legal) relief on their journeys. Whatever is calming and beautiful for you, you can make into a hand cream/solid perfume as well. It takes a little while in the kitchen to get your own recipe just right, but here’s a good place to start.

For about 2-3 tablespoons of lovely glop, you’ll need:

A little screwtop jar that can handle some heat. You can reuse one, or buy one.

1 T finely grated natural beeswax (try your local whole foods store or coop).

1 T carrier oil, I prefer jojoba, pistachio, or sweet almond. Others can be used, but their longevity will vary.

1T beurre (I use macadamia, some use coconut or avocado). If you can’t find a beurre, just use another T of your oil of choice, or a second oil.

1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon of essential oil/absolute/oil perfume. This can be your own signature blend, or just one substance, or an oil perfume you use already. I use frankincense eos and absolutes in mine, so I blend them with a little jojoba in advance, as absolutes can be real sticky! Be wary of orange peel oil, cloves, and cinnamon/cassia, which can burn the skin or cause a phototoxic reaction (which is both unsightly and annoying).

Heat the oil(s)/beurre/beeswax in a double boiler or heavy-bottomed, small saucepan over very low heat. Stir, stir, stir until the wax has melted. Patience, Padawan! Pour it into your container. Add the fragrance and stir with a toothpick or coffee stirrer until it’s well-blended. Let it cool gradually, don’t stick it in the freezer so you can try it sooner!  You can make a softer cream by adding more oil or decreasing the wax, and a harder solid by doing the opposite.

It’s a bit like bread-making, you have to find your own perfect ratio of ingredients and your own style in working them. But give it a few tries and you really will have something worth using, and even gifting to other stress-meisters.

This was a wonderful ps from Marla – I just had to share, having done this very thing with a peppermint body oil (for those of you new to EOs, know that essential oils can be VERY volatile! start with less and add in tiny increments)  from Marla:  do you mind changing the text of the recipe to read 1/8 tsp. to 1/4 tsp. for the eo/abs/perf oil? I’m having visions of someone dumping in 1/2 tsp of peppermint eo and taking the whole kitchen down….Something like muhuhu you can use 1/2 tsp, but I’m thinking most who try it will try something like lavender or rosemary, so the smaller amount is safer!

Just so y’all know, I did change it.  After I picked my lips up off the floor from laughing!!!  Like I said, ‘been there’.

Oooh!  I almost forgot!!!  She has graciously offered to send a little scrab of her handcream to a lucky commenter.  I can attest to the fabulosity of this handcream; I find myself trying to figure out how to combine my puppylike whining with some dignity.  Yah.

So…if you would like to entered in the draw, let us know what your favorite EO combo is and what you use it for.  Mine is Clary Sage, YlangYlang and Geranium in a body cream.  Yum!!!  Keeps the noives steady and the mayhem to a dull rumble.