Have you read the back of your bottle of favorite hand lotion lately? If you have, you probably found a huge list of ingredients you cannot pronounce. It’s likely that most of them are not good for you. Did you know that by the time you finish your morning routine, you’ve likely applied more than 200 such chemicals to your body? Having a hand lotion with essential oils available will not only nourish your hands, it will keep at least some of those chemicals off your skin.
It’s nearly impossible to find a lotion with healthy ingredients such as nourishing coconut oil and essential oils, especially one that is affordable. In my effort to rid my home (especially my medicine cabinet, cleaning cabinet, and cosmetic bag) of harmful chemicals, and save a little money, I have begun making a lot of my own personal care and cosmetic products. This hand lotion with essential oils is one I have settled on after trying and tweaking a few different recipes.
It’s healthy enough you could almost eat it and it will leave your skin feeling incredibly soft. You can choose any essential oils you love, both to scent the lotion and to add even more health-giving properties.
Homemade Nourishing Hand Lotion with Essential Oils
Ingredients
2 T beeswax pellets
1 tsp vitamin E oil (great for the skin and acts as a preservative)
Directions
- Fill a pot with a couple of inches of water and place over medium heat on your stove.
- Add all ingredients except essential oils to a glass bowl and place in the pot.
- Ingredients will begin to melt; stir continually to combine ingredients.
- When all ingredients are completely melted, remove from the stove and allow to cool.
- Once the lotion cools down a bit, stir in your essential oils. Start with 10 drops and then add more to make the scent stronger if you wish.
- Pour the lotion into the jar you will use for storage. I use these pretty 4 oz. jelly jars with these lids.
- For a lighter variation, whip in your mixer or use an immersion blender to create a whipped cream
This recipe makes 2-4oz. jars, so you could even make 2 different scents if you want.
The lotion is very nourishing and a little goes a long way. I love it as a hand lotion, but it’s gentle enough for all over body care, even your face, or for babies over 6 months (use baby-safe essential oils). Since it does not have water and the ingredients used are shelf-stable, especially with the addition of vitamin E oil to help preserve, it does not have to be refrigerated. It should last for several months (though I challenge you to keep it that long!).
This lotion is more like a cream, too thick for a pump, so be sure to store in jars.
My current favorite online store to purchase essential oils is Simply Earth, but you can certainly purchase from your favorite supplier.
Here are some of my favorite essential oils to add to this lotion:
Precautions
Never use essential oils undiluted, in the eyes or mucus membranes. Do not ingest unless working with a qualified practitioner. Keep essential oils away from children. If applying an essential oil to your skin always perform a small patch test to an insensitive part of the body (after you have properly diluted the oil in an appropriate carrier oil).
For educational purposes only. This information has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.
This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
Simply Earth Essential Oils Recipe Box
Several months ago I began receiving the monthly Essential Oils Recipe Box from Simply Earth. I’m going to share with you generally about this subscription box and more specifically about the current July 2020 box, but if you’re reading this after July, don’t let that stop you from clicking over to see what’s in the current box.
If you’ve been around here very long and have read any of my articles about using essential oils, you know that I have pretty strict standards for the companies I purchase oils from and use with my family. So of course, before I began receiving the Simply Earthboxes, I did my due diligence to make sure they were selling pure oils (as evidenced by the availability of GC/MS testing), included safety information on their website, recommended safe use of essential oils (ie: not recommending ingestion or neat use), and employed certified aromatherapist.
Once I felt comfortable that Simply Earth met my stringent criteria, I asked them to send the first box to me, and now many months later, I’m still getting them. Here’s why:
They love teaching folks how to use essential oils for toxin-free living. Isn’t that the bottom line? So many people purchase oils but then don’t know where to begin actually using them. Simply Earth makes this their main mission.
Simply Earth has a motto: “make your home natural.” But it’s not just a motto; they actually show you how to do it. And one of the best ways they do this is with their subscription boxes.
Also, they also have a free member site for essential oil courses and recipe creation, plus, a private subscriber Facebook group where ideas, tips, and recipes are shared. I also enjoy their very active YouTube channel where Katie and Shylah (who are very fun!) unbox each month’s recipe box and demonstrate the recipes.
Speaking of recipes. Each montly box comes with 6 new aromatherapist-created recipes. And they come printed on colorful recipe cards. Are you wondering what else comes in the box? Let me tell you.
For just $39 per month, Simply Earth will send you a box with approximately $150 worth of products, including 4 bottles of essential oils (usually 15ml each), the 6 recipe cards for DIY products that use the oils in the box, and fun toxin-free extras you’ll need to complete the DIY recipes. They don’t include common items you probably already have in your cupboard.
Each month has a theme and all of the oils and recipes focus on that theme. They even include labels for all of the recipe creations! In addition, with your first order, you also receive the Big Bonus Box. This box is valued at over $40 and includes carrier oils, beeswax, and bottles (both roller and dropper) to help you make your recipes. And, if you continue your subscription month after month, you’ll get a new Bonus Box every 6 months thereafter – absolutely free.
The July box will be shipping soon and the theme is “salon in a box!”
This month, we’ll make non-toxic shampoo, conditioner, and nail recipes to have beautiful hair and nails without all the icky chemicals.
The recipes are made using these full-size bottles of essential oils:
Rosemary
Palmarosa
Spearmint
Fit (a lovely blend of Grapefruit, Spearmint, and Lavender)
Any of these oils would be great for the hand lotion recipe I gave you above!
This box also includes some fun extras (such as the bases for shampoo and conditioner). And you get it all for just $39! Plus, if you use my special promo code: MARCYFREE you’ll also receive a $40 gift certificate you can use to pay for the next month’s box or just to shop at your leisure for other essential oils on your wish list. Visit Simply Earth to get your monthly recipe boxes started.
Don’t wait to make your purchase. These subscription boxes always sell out and this one is sure to be very popular. (if you happen to be reading this after July 2020, go ahead and take a look at the current box. I’m sure it will be just as special! And the MARCYFREE code works all the time, but only when you subscribe to the recipe box.