# Hand cream



## bassmaster17327

Does anyone have a recipe to make a hand cream like Burt's Bee's Hand Cream for Farmers? I would like to make something since my hands are always dry,cracking and cut up


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## LonelyNorthwind

I've been making my own creams for several years. I start with bear or moose fat but good quality lard works just as well. On really low heat, I let it sit on a warmer on back of the woodstove, with chopped healing herbs for several hours. I use comfrey root, yarrow blossoms, cottonwood buds and a plant we have here called devil's club. Whatever your favorite healing herbs will work, dried or fresh. 
Then I strain it, add almond oil, lanolin, vitamin E oil and grated natural beeswax. I don't have a receipe, I just add whatever healing herbs & oils I have handy, add a little beeswax, let a bit cool and test the consistency 'til I have it the way I want.


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## linn

Here are the ingredients for Burt's Bees Farmers Friend Hand Salve:

Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oil, Olive Oil, Beeswax (Apis Mellifera), Tocopheryl Acetate (Vitamin E), Tocopherol (Natural Vitamin E) (vitamin E), Comfrey (Symphytum Officinale) Root Extract, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Oil, Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Flower Oil, Eucalyptus Globulus (Eucalyptus)

It looks like a pretty straight forward formula. Here is a link with a recipe for making healing salve. You can either infuse the oil with herbs or use essential oils. If you use essential oils be careful to add the e.o.s in the right proportion for your recipe.

Natural Herbal Healing Ointment Salve Recipe


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## bassmaster17327

Thank you, from those ingredients it looks like basically the same as a plantain or yarrow salve. Does sweet almond oil have any benefits over olive oil or any other oils/fats? I was hoping to be able to make something from things I can buy at the grocery store without having to order anything online because of shipping costs, i have never seen sweet almond oil before


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## romysbaskets

bassmaster17327 said:


> Thank you, from those ingredients it looks like basically the same as a plantain or yarrow salve. Does sweet almond oil have any benefits over olive oil or any other oils/fats? I was hoping to be able to make something from things I can buy at the grocery store without having to order anything online because of shipping costs, i have never seen sweet almond oil before


Sweet almond oil is used on skin for massage by therapists and is very high in vitamin E to begin with. This may allow you to not add the vitamin E to your salve. I like to use things that add what I need without having so many ingredients. Almond oil has a longer shelf life too!


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## RedDirt Cowgirl

The vitamin E also acts as a preservative, as olive oil does go rancid in time. I keep my homemade salve in the fridge, in 4 oz canning jars. I like it better without beeswax. You can usually find coconut oil in the foreign food section at the grocers; that's really easy to work with and it seems pretty shelf stable.


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## MullersLaneFarm

Vitamin E is an anti-oxidant (not preservative). Anti-oxidants help keep the oils from going rancid. Preservatives help keep the germs from growing.

Beeswax is a bit harder to work with than coconut oil but oh the many benefits there are from beeswax (or other honey bee products!). Of course, that depends on the type of beeswax you use. The less processed it is, the better. The bleached white beeswax pellets have been stripped of all their goodness. Raw beeswax will have bits of honey, propolis, bee bread & royal jelly.

eta: Since the Burt's recipe doesn't contain water, there is no need for a preservative.


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## RedDirt Cowgirl

I take this as a summation of using natural ingredients to act as preservatives. From:
http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/preservatives-in-soap.html
*Some Preservative Choices*

Below you will find a list of natural and not so natural preservatives that are commonly used in the handmade soap and bath and body making industry. 

*Grapefruit Seed Extract* - a natural broad spectrum preservative used to kill or inhibit the growth of bacteria, viruses, fungi and other nasties. It is not, in itself, a full spectrum preservative and must be used in conjunction with others broad spectrum preservatives to be effective. Can be used in quantities of up to 1% of the the recipe. Note that it can be sensitizing to some individuals.
*Rosemary Extract* - an anti-oxident that slows down oxidation of natural materials. Oil based recipes containing oils that have short shelf lives can benefit from this product. Be aware that rosemary extract smells like rosemary and may add scent to your final product. Luckily, a little goes a long way...you can use up to 0.5% in your formulations.
*Vitamin E Oil* - another anti-oxident. Usually a mix of tocopherols blended in an oil. Try to purchase one with 50% mixed tocopherols for better protection. For use in anhydrous products.


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## MullersLaneFarm

Correct.

GSE can be used as a preservative, but it by itself is not complete

ROE & Vit E are anti-oxidants. They help extend the shelf life of an oil but do not extend themselves in protection of bacteria.


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## linn

I am certainly no expert but from what I have read: Some natural ingredients may act as a partial preservative, but will not be affective against a wide array of bacteria and molds. If you are making a salve and using "no" water, then the chance of molds growing may not be great. However, everytime you dip your finger into that salve you are introducing bacteria etc.


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