How to Make a Beautiful + Nourishing Homemade Hand Cream
If you’re new to DIY skincare, this homemade hand cream recipe is a great starting point.
This recipe will be super easy for all you seasoned soap makers out there. You’ll likely find that you already have most, if not all, of the ingredients in your arsenal. You’ll love the thick, luxurious, and skin loving results.
Homemade Hand Cream for Winter
Equipment
- Electric Mixer
- microwavable bowl
Ingredients
- 3 ounces coconut oil
- 1.75 ounces mango butter
- 1 ounce olive oil
- 0. 125 ounces beeswax
Optional
- fragrance oil or essential oil
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Instructions
- Melt solids. Melt the oil, butter, and beeswax in a double boiler set over low heat.
- Add liquids. Remove from the heat and add the fragrance oil and essential oil, if using. Add the olive oil. Stir well until fully combined.
- Cool. Set on the counter to cool at room temperature until solidified, at least 4 hours, or overnight.
- Whip. Whip until white fluffy using electric mixer, about ten minutes. If consistency does not change after whipping, place the oils in the fridge for 15 minutes and try again.
- Store. Store in clean container at room temperature. May melt if stored above 80 degrees.
Video
Notes
What makes this hand cream stand out is its rich, balm-like consistency. It melts on your skin and absorbs, leaving your hands soft and moisturized.
Please note that the finished product is very rich and thick If you want a softer cream more like a traditional store-bought cream, you will need to add emulsifiers and preservatives. My favorite body cream recipe can be found here.
You can adjust the ingredients to suit your needs, making it a great DIY project. Whether you have hard-working hands, dry skin, or sensitive skin, you can tailor this recipe to create your ideal hand cream.
Equipment and Ingredients You’ll Need for Homemade Hand Cream
Unlike soap, this recipe is somewhat flexible. You can substitute other butters as long as you keep the “bigger” ingredients the same.
- Olive oil. Any kind will work. Don’t waste an expensive extra-virgin olive oil on this recipe.
- Coconut oil. If you make a lot of soap or other bath and body products, get a variety that’s not food-safe. It’s much less expensive. (You can get well-priced bulk oils at Nurture Soap.)
- Beeswax. You will want to get the little beads, which are easier to measure out. Beeswax is very hard and difficult to work with in big pieces. (I use this kind of beeswax.)
- Mango butter: This tropical butter melts beautifully into your skin, leaving it feeling nourished and supple. If you can’t find it, shea butter is a good substitute, but it might be slightly heavier.
- A hand mixer or stand mixer. It’s nearly impossible to whip this by hand!
- A digital scale. You won’t regret having one. I use mine daily for soap, bread, and other kitchen projects. Here’s the one I have.
- A clean storage container. You can buy special tins for body butter and hand cream, or use a shallow mason jar.
- Essential Oils. Customize your hand cream by adding your favorite essential oils. Lavender essential oil is a popular choice due to its calming and anti-inflammatory properties. You can also use essential oils like sweet orange, tea tree, or peppermint based on your preferences.
For those interested in extra benefits, consider adding a natural preservative or a few drops of Vitamin C. These can help increase the shelf life and provide additional skincare benefits.
Gya Labs Sweet Orange Essential Oil for Diffuser – 100% Natural Citrus Essential Oils for Skin – Sweet Orange Oil Essential Oil for Aromatherapy (0.34 fl oz)Beeswax Pellets 2 lb, White, Pure, Bees Wax Pastilles, Triple Filtered, Great for DIY Projects, Lip Balms, LotionsYellow Brick Road Raw Mango Butter 8oz
FAQs
No, the cream will be too thin and won’t have any “body” to it.
If you don’t have beeswax, you can use candelilla wax as a vegan alternative. It works similarly to beeswax and helps maintain the consistency of your cream.
Nope, since there is no water in this recipe, you don’t need to worry about mold growing. It’s almost like a whipped chapstick!
You can make tweaks and substitutions, but the consistency will change. That doesn’t mean it won’t work, just that it will be different. I would recommend not increasing the amount of olive oil or beeswax, as they dramatically affect the finished product.
Yes, adding a few drops of Vitamin E oil can help extend the shelf life of your hand cream and provide additional nourishing benefits for your skin.
Store your hand cream in glass jars away from direct sunlight to prevent it from melting or spoiling. If your home is very warm, consider storing it in the fridge.
Skincare Formulations
Combining Oils and Butters
When making your own hand cream, using equal parts of different carrier oils and butters can create a balanced and effective moisturizer. For example, combining sunflower oil, sweet almond oil, and cocoa butter can yield a rich and nourishing product.
Adding Water
If you prefer a lighter, more conventional lotion, you can experiment with adding distilled water to your recipe. Just remember that adding water will require a broad-spectrum preservative to prevent mold and bacteria growth.
Expert Advice
- Making Small Batches. When trying a new homemade lotion recipe for the first time, it’s best to make small batches. This way, you can tweak the recipe to your liking without wasting ingredients.
- Experiment with Your Own Recipe. Don’t be afraid to experiment with your own recipe. Mix and match different oils, butters, and essential oils to find the perfect blend for your skin type.
- Join a Forum Community. For more tips and advice, consider joining a forum community dedicated to DIY beauty products. You can find older threads and discussions that offer valuable insights and ideas for your next time making homemade skincare products.
Final Thoughts
Creating your own hand cream with natural ingredients is not only rewarding but also allows you to avoid synthetic fragrances and other potentially harmful chemicals found in commercial hand creams. Plus, it’s a great DIY project that can be done in small batches, ensuring your cream is always fresh and effective.
By Katie Shaw
Katie shares simple, reliable recipes from her home in Virginia, where she lives with her husband, three daughters, a chocolate lab, and over thirty chickens.
Amazing ! I made it and it is a nice moisturizer for hands, neck and face. My sister took it back to Mexico 🇲🇽 as well as the recipe. She loved it.
Thanks for sharing it ♥️
Thank you Katie for sharing this recipe and can’t wait to make.
Question and sorry for my ignorance- when you say to melt the oils, I take that to mean the solid oils obviously, but what do I do with the olive oil? I did not read or missed when the olive oil is added to the melted solid oils.
Can you use another oil in place of the coconut oil? Asking due to skin sensitivity.
Hi, I was wondering if its possible to swap the beeswax for something vegan, say candellila wax? Thanks in advance
I have not made this recipe…yet. I’m excited to try it. If I add a fragrance oil – how much? Just add drop by drop until I think it smells good ? 😂
honestly… yes 😂😂😂 i mean really we’re talking DROPS since this is a small batch.
I made this recipe for my daughter. She has dry hands that crack and bleed. It did not work at all. Super greasy and doesn’t ever seem to absorb. I also couldn’t get the same consistency as in the video, even with putting it in the fridge. Next time I will omit the coconut oil and massively increase the beeswax. This isn’t working for her poor hands.
hi Bethannie I’m sorry the recipe didn’t work out for you! Be careful increasing the beeswax it can make things VERY hard!
I would switch the coconut oil out and replace it with caster oil.
How much does this recipe make? I want to make it for Christmas gifts!
about half a pint! 🙂
Could you sub mango butter for shea butter?
yes definitely!
I have made this and it is amazing. I use it on my feet and the residue left on my hands is enough rubbed it. The key I find is not to use too much at a time so it absorbs quickly. My hands and feet are now very soft. I love it
yay! i’m so glad the cream is working well for you! i totally agree about the small amount i will need to add that to the post.
I have atopic skin. My hands are so dry, I can use them as a replacement for a sandpaper. And every handcream I tried (even those recommended by pharmacists and my doctor) further aggitated my skin. Your recipe helped me a lot. Now my hands are soft and they do not hurt or itch.
Though, I have to admit, I accidentaly rised the amount of beeswax to 1,125 ounces. It was hard to whip, but I managed it and it came out fine. Nex time, I will try the correct amount and see, what works for me better. Thank you.
monika i’m so happy the hand cream is working for you! i am curious to see whether the increased beeswax is better for you. you could always just melt and shake thhe ingredients and skkip the whipping. it is more like a balm that way but still very moisturizing.
Hi Katie. I used up my first batch of hand cream. It was almost prefect but a little bit grainy. Maybe I did not mix the beeswax in well enough. But I decided to make the cream this time with only 0,125 ounces of beeswax. It did not work well for me. I realized, my beeswax is very different from the one you used in the video. Mine is yellow and looks like a chocolate bar. I melted the cream down again and added 5,125 ounces of beeswax, let it cool down and whipped it again. Now it finally looks like yours. The texture is amazing.
Thank you again.
Hi, how long does this last? Please let me know, thanks 🙂
hi ella, there’s no water in the recipe so it should last a year at least!
How many essential oils do you use for this recipe?
i just use one
Hi I am from Pakistan. Currently living in a small military town. I won’t be able to find beeswax here. Is there any alternative. Can I use candles wax instead?
there are some alternatives, but without knowing what the candle wax is made of, i cant be sure. i would just leave it out. 🙂
Do not use normal candles, as they are toxic with petroleum and also Katie can you order on line, or just research raw honey farmers in your area as they will also do melts, hope this helps😊
Hi Katie,
Can I find ingredients in Mexico?
I would think so, none of them are that unusual. You may need to order the shea butter and possibly the beeswax.
I made this for the first time, and I have a question. As I looked back at the recipe, the amount of beeswax is printed as 0. 125 with that space in there, how much beeswax do you mean? I took it to mean 0.125 or a little more than 1/10 of an ounce. Is that correct? I ask because my mixture sat overnight but was still pretty liquid in the morning. I had to put it in the refrigerator before I could whip it.
I live in Phoenix and I’m sure my kitchen is warmer than most in the north.
Kathie yes that’s the correct amount of beeswax. I’ll fix that space, it’s very strange looking! 🙂
How long will this keep for and do you need to keep on fridge. Look forward to making it. Thanks for sharing.
you don’t need to refrigerate it. if it melts, its still usable. you can always refrigerate it and re whip if you. want to too
Hi, in the recipe it calls for 0.125 oz of beeswax, but in the video it calls for 0.25.
it’s .125
This came out so oily I don’t even want to use it!! Is there any way to fix it?
joy, if you are used to store bought creams it will indeed feel heavy. the only way to get a texture like that is to add water to the recipe and you’ll need preservatives. this is just a different type of cream. it does sink into the skin after a bit and the greasy feeling goes away.
I find adding arrowroot powder greatly resolves the oily feeling. In this size recipe I add 1/2 tsp before letting solidify.
I don’t have a scale. Can you provide measurements?
Please where can I get Beeswax and Mango butter. I stay in Abuja
you can find them both on amazon! https://amzn.to/2S5BM9N
This looks so amazing! A friend made me something like this once and I absolutely loved it. It was such a good moisturizer! Thanks for the recipe!