Easy Hand Cream Recipe with Essential Oils

This is a simple hand cream recipe that just requires two ingredients. That’s it! And it’s vegan, for all those with that need.

Of course, you can change things up and add different essential oils for scent, or different carrier oils to suit your needs. But all in all this is the most simple hand cream recipe with essential oils you’ll find.

And it works wonderfully. My family uses this recipe winter through summer, full body, hands, feet, and face. But if you’re looking for something specifically for dry hands that are washed or worked often, then this is by far the best.

Why? Because it’s thick enough to give a lot of moisturizing support, but thin enough to spread evenly. It soaks in within a few minutes, leaving hands well protected from day to day dryness.

Easy Hand Cream Ingredients

This recipe has a shea butter base. Shea coasts the skin and seals in moisture. If you don’t have shea butter, then mango butter works well, but you’ll have to beat it a little longer to get the same consistency. When purchasing shea butter, make sure to get pure shea butter, no other ingredients added. It doesn’t matter if it’s yellow or ivory. Also, shea is often melted to remove impurities like leaves, seed bits, etc. If high heat was used it will sometimes change the consistency of your final product. The shea will feel more crumbly before you use it in our recipe and may produce a more grainy finished texture. This will melt against the warmth of your skin and isn’t a problem. But if your shea feels very crumbly instead of creamy before you add it to your recipe, then leave it blending in the first step for a few minutes longer. This will help it to be extra creamy in the end.

The second ingredient is a carrier oil. I choose different oils, depending on the use and desired final effect. For hand cream I prefer the lotion to be slightly thinner and for it to soak in a bit faster. I’ve found that I like liquid coconut oil (MCT oil) best for hand cream. I also like to use apricot kernel oil, avocado oil, and sweet almond oil. MCT oil definitely makes changes the consistency of the end product though.

You really don’t have to use any other ingredients BUT if you’d like to add scent, then you’ll need some essential oils. Never use fragrance oils on or in anything that you will put on your skin or breathe in….so don’t use them at all. They are an unstudied chemical brew that there is no reason to put your body through since good essential oils are available in most locations. Essential oil brands that I trust are Mountain Rose Herbs and Starwest Botanicals.

Try it Before You Make It

If you’d like to try a lotion like this out before you buy the ingredients for yourself, I have a variety of lotions in my shop. The body lotion is similar, and you can choose the essential oil scent you prefer. Check it out here.

Easy Hand Cream Recipe with Essential Oils

This recipe will fill one 8 ounce container.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup shea butter
• 1/3 cup MCT oil (or other carrier oil)
• 15 drops essential oil

Directions

1. Use a stand mixer if you have one. If not, then you’ll need a hand mixer. Place 1/2 cup shea butter in stand mixer and blend until creamy.
2. Scrape shea butter from the sides of the mixer with a rubber spatula and add 1/3 cup coconut oi (or other oil of your choice). Blend. This will have a liquid texture and then a thin creamy lotion-like texture. Continue to whip to achieve a light and fluffy texture.
3. Add essential oil and mix in.
4. Scrape the lotion into a jar and seal. If hands are clean before use, this lotion can last about 4 months.

Let me know how you like this recipe and what you’re looking for! I enjoy putting together ingredients to help people with specific needs, so don’t hesitate to ask for help if you need it.