Soothe dry, cracked hands with my simple and natural hand salve recipe. This is a great salve to use if your hands are prone to losing moisture and cracking, which can be pretty irritating. You’ll just need three ingredients and 10 minutes to get started, plus this recipe keeps for an entire year.
What is Lanolin?
Lanolin is one of my all-time favorite natural ingredients. It is the wax secreted by wooly animals and the type often used in skin products comes from sheep. If this sounds familiar, it’s most likely because you’ve seen it used as nipple cream as it protects delicate skin and is safe for babies. Tip: If you have chapped lips, applying lanolin directly to your lips works like magic and is so much better than the generic stuff you’ll find near the cash register.
For this recipe, we’ll be heating lanolin along with castor oil (moisturizing and anti-inflammatory) and shea butter (high in fatty acids and also reduces inflammation, making it very nourishing for your skin).
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- 3 tablespoons unrefined shea butter
- 3 tablespoons lanolin
- 3 tablespoons organic, cold-pressed and hexagon-free castor oil
- 5 drops myrrh (optional)
- 5 drops patchouli (optional)
- 5 drops geranium (optional)
- In a double boiler, add the shea butter, lanolin and castor oil. Heat until all the ingredients become liquid.
- Transfer to the jar and cool for 10 minutes before stirring in the essential oils. Cool completely without putting the lid on.
- Label (include product name and date). Store at room temperature and use within 12 months.
Customize Your Hand Salve with Essential Oils
You can personalize your hand salve with essential oils, depending on the scent and benefits you want. I recommend adding not more than 15 drops total to this recipe. I like to do 5 drops each of myrrh, patchouli, and geranium. However, calming oils like lavender, chamomile and rose would be great too – the options are endless, so have fun with it.
Where to Find Ingredients
Here are our suggestions for some of the ingredients in this salve.
Unrefined Shea Butter: Sun Potion
Lanolin: Velona
Can you use bees wax in place if lanolin? It’s not an ingredient I have readily at home during this time.
In place of lanolin, you will want to find something that is highly moisturizing. Their are lots of options out their that you can play around with (for example, Jojoba oil). Beeswax would not be a good option as far as a moisturizing component.
Healthy Regards,
HB Team
Can you give us any info on how to buy lanolin and shea butter? Sources you would recommend? How greasy is this to use?
Thank you!
You would want to find a source that is organic, pure, and no additives.
Here are a couple I found online that could work. =)
lanolin- https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B077CTYCXZ/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=hormonesbalan-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B077CTYCXZ&linkId=55a9a07031083bb5cf9575786adadc4e
Shea- https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06ZY4J8Z6/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=hormonesbalan-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B06ZY4J8Z6&linkId=1f2ad6e982b13974344b0c4539009072
Healthy Regards,
HB Team
Any substitute for lanolin?
Meadow foam oil is fastly absorbed as well as castor oil, jojoba and argan oils! You getting into a lot of money with these but are very moisturizing and great for many things
Essential Depot.com
Nature’s garden candles.com
Soapers choice.com
These places are great places as well as brambleberry.com
Soapers choice is closest to wholesale as I have found! Essential depot sells wonderful shea butter !
Hope this helps…
Lanolin is Not very greasy at all it’s more of a waxy sticky substance but works wonders!
What can I use in place of lanolin? I have pure shea butter and castor oil and various essential oil, cedar wood, or lemon grass or
lavender?
In place of lanolin, you will want to find a highly hydrating/moisturizing oil (for example Jojoba).
Otherwise, you could play around with the recipe and try it without lanolin (in which case you may want double up on the Shea).
I have not tried the recipe this way, but would love to hear how it turns out!
The essential oils you listed sound like wonderful additions. Just be sure to stick with adding no more than 15 drops of essential oils to this recipe.
Healthy regards,
HB Team
Can you show the answers to the questions. These reflect my questions.
Responded to the questions below. =)
Please feel free to reach out to [email protected] with any further questions!
Healthy Regards,
HB Team
NOW Foods sells pure lanolin. I got mine at Vitacost.
Thank you for sharing Kyle! =)
Can you use sweet almond oil instead of castor oil?
HI Daniel, We haven’t tried that with this recipe, but you are welcome to try it. Let us know how it works. Jennifer @HB Support