Amy’s Hand Salve Recipe for Dry, Cold-Battered Winter Hands

Dry, chapped, itchy, cold-battered winter hands, a common problem we all have to face during winter. Therefore today’s post is all about making your own chemical-free, cruelty-free, and organic hand salve recipe to protect and heal your hands and give them a smooth touch.

Amy’s Hand Salve Recipe for Dry, Cold-Battered Winter Hands

What you’ll need…

5 grams grated beeswax or beeswax pellets
25 grams Shea butter or cacao butter (if you like the extra cacao scent)
20 ml or 4 tsp. sweet almond oil (or jojoba oil)
3 ml or ½ tsp. vegetable glycerin oil
3 ml or ½ tsp. calendula oil
5 drops myrrh essential oil
5 drops geranium essential oil
3 drops mandarin essential oil
Optional: 2 vitamin E capsule or ¼ tsp. vitamin E oil (for better preservation, totally optional as the oils also contain vitamin E and other natural preservatives)

Directions

Step 1: Melt the beeswax in a double boiler over medium to low heat. When melted, add the shea or cocoa butter, sweet almond oil, glycerin oil, vitamin E oil or capsule (if using), and calendula oil. Whisk until well combined.

Step 2: Remove from the heat and cool down under constant stirring. Add the essential oils when the mixture is still soft and lukewarm. Don’t add the essential oils to the warm mixture, as some of them are volatile and will evaporate.

Step 3: Pour the mixture in an airtight, clean container. (For better and longer preservation of your salve, sterilized glass jar. Adding the jar to boiling water for about 20 minutes will do the trick)

Step 4: Let cool completely before adding the lid. Label and store like a normal hand salve. If you aren’t completely happy with the consistency of this salve, you can remelt it and add more beeswax to make it firmer or add more oil to make it softer. If you don’t have all the oils available or are allergic to one of them, just swap them with any other oil of your preference or add more jojoba or sweet almond oil.

Scroll down for more info about the ingredients in this hand salve recipe.

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Why are these ingredients so good to treat those cold-battered hands?

Btw, this salve works wonders for cracked heels and other skin disorders such as eczema and psoriasis.

Beeswax

Beeswax effectively softens skin and creates a long-lasting protective coating against the elements without clogging your pores. It has anti-inflammatory, antiviral, and antibacterial properties. Beeswax works as an emollient and humectant, it locks moisture in the skin, fosters skin cells, and repairs skin damage.

Shea or cocoa butter

Both are extremely effective for moisturizing and repairing damaged skin. It keeps the skin supple and soothes chronic conditions such as rashes, eczema, and psoriasis. The antioxidants protect your skin from damaging toxins and prevent premature aging of your skin. Shea butter has a neutral scent and therefore I prefer to use shea butter over cocoa butter. Especially when using essential oils. The scent of the cocoa butter may mask the fragrance of the essential oils.

Sweet almond oil

Sweet almond oil is rich in vitamins and minerals which effectively balance moisture in dry and irritated skin. Its strong emollient qualities strengthen and nourish your skin. It is easily absorbed by your skin without blocking your pores. Sweet almond oil helps to delay the aging process and soothes itchiness. Due to its strong and deep moisturizing effect, sweet almond oil works wonders in curing chapped and dry hands.

Glycerin oil (or glycol)

Works as a humectant and enhances the moisturizing properties of your salve. It will give you an additional protection by binding the moisture onto your skin. Makes the skin more supple and soothes skin irritations and itchiness.

Calendula oil

Calendula oil is well-known for its legendary skin healing properties. It moisturizes dry, cracked skin and soothes rashes, eczema, and itchiness. Great for healing scars and wounds. It has antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties, stimulates the lymphatic system, increases collagen production, and fights premature aging of your skin.

Myrrh essential oil

Myrrh has been used for ages to maintain healthy skin, prevent skin aging, and soothe chapped or cracked skin.

Geranium essential oil

Its sweet, floral fragrance calms and relaxes body and mind. Geranium promotes a beautiful and radiant skin and has anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties. It has the same therapeutic value as rose, but about five times less the cost of rose essential oil.

Mandarin essential oil

Promotes the growth of new cells and tissues and helps to speed up the healing process of wounds and cures a wide range of skin disorders. It softens your skin and diminishes scars and cracks.

Check out my previous blog post on how to make your own lip balm with a personal touch and be ready to fight those cracked hands and lips.