Colder season can give you flaky and dry skin, especially those parts that are exposed like hands. What better way to treat your busy buddies but with a hand cream! Hand creams are specialized lotions formulated to smooth, rehydrate, and soften your palms and the over side of your hands.
This recipe was from the formulary of David A. Cushman (http://www.dave-cushman.net/bee/newhome.html), an established British beekeeper from the Midlands. It uses beeswax, which is a tough but fragrant wax extracted from honeycombs. Beeswax in this recipe should be the filtered and purified type, and of pharmaceutical grade. PEG 400 is also added for increased moisture. Quantities used in this recipe can be varied to suit personal preferences though Cushman suggests that adjustment should involve only one ingredient at a time. Accordingly, you can make up to 1,000 grams with this recipe and
can be scaled higher.
Ingredients:
80 gm. grated beeswax
150 gm. food grade mineral oil (liquid paraffin)
20 gm. isopropyl myristate
100 gm. PEG 400 monostearate
50 gm. lanolin
20 gm. stearic acid
1.5 gm. propylparaben
1.5 gm. methylparaben
7 gm. borax
570 ml. water
9 drops fragrance
Directions:
Heat a double boiler or a large saucepan with a wire grid on its base and partly filled with water. Prepare two tall glass jars to fill in the ingredients. In the first jar, mix beeswax, mineral oil, isopropyl myristate, PEG 400, lanolin, stearic acid, propylparaben, and methyl paraben. Melt them together over
the saucepan and heat to approximately 70°C. Put water and borax in the second glass and heat to the same temperature. Temperature is not critical as long as both mixtures are of the same degree of heat, the wax is fully melted, and the borax is completely dissolved. Add the water phase onto the oil mixture while briskly stirring with a power whisk for 10 minutes.
This recipe was from the formulary of David A. Cushman (http://www.dave-cushman.net/bee/newhome.html), an established British beekeeper from the Midlands. It uses beeswax, which is a tough but fragrant wax extracted from honeycombs. Beeswax in this recipe should be the filtered and purified type, and of pharmaceutical grade. PEG 400 is also added for increased moisture. Quantities used in this recipe can be varied to suit personal preferences though Cushman suggests that adjustment should involve only one ingredient at a time. Accordingly, you can make up to 1,000 grams with this recipe and
can be scaled higher.
Ingredients:
80 gm. grated beeswax
150 gm. food grade mineral oil (liquid paraffin)
20 gm. isopropyl myristate
100 gm. PEG 400 monostearate
50 gm. lanolin
20 gm. stearic acid
1.5 gm. propylparaben
1.5 gm. methylparaben
7 gm. borax
570 ml. water
9 drops fragrance
Directions:
Heat a double boiler or a large saucepan with a wire grid on its base and partly filled with water. Prepare two tall glass jars to fill in the ingredients. In the first jar, mix beeswax, mineral oil, isopropyl myristate, PEG 400, lanolin, stearic acid, propylparaben, and methyl paraben. Melt them together over
the saucepan and heat to approximately 70°C. Put water and borax in the second glass and heat to the same temperature. Temperature is not critical as long as both mixtures are of the same degree of heat, the wax is fully melted, and the borax is completely dissolved. Add the water phase onto the oil mixture while briskly stirring with a power whisk for 10 minutes.
When mixture cools to approximately 40°C or below, add the fragrance of your choice while stirring intermittently. When mixture is smooth, pour cream into jars. Enjoy!
