In Winter when the weather is at its driest, regular lotion just doesn’t cut it. This is why rich, luscious and deeply moisturizing hand creams are favored among those with dry skin. Whether your skin is naturally dry or a victim of Winter weather, hand cream can help heal and restore much-needed moisture to chapped, flaky skin. 

Essential oils can also take your unscented hand cream to the next level by adding skin-loving essential oils and a beautiful aroma. In this guide, we will look at the ins and outs of this moisturizing favorite, including the best essential oils to add to hand cream, how to choose a good hand cream and even a natural homemade cream recipe. Read on to learn more. 

Essential Oils For Hand Care

While we do love good-smelling hand cream, we don’t love the irritation, dryness and damage that fragrances and perfumes cause. Unfortunately, commercial hand creams are often riddled with synthetic fragrance. 

The solution? Opt for an unscented hand cream and add one of these skin-loving essential oils or essential oil synergy blends. 

Age Defy Synergy Blend

One area of the body that tends to reveal one’s age? The hands. 

Aging gracefully is something we all dream about. Instead of injecting your skin with paralyzing serums or slathering on strange chemicals, you can incorporate the Age Defy synergy blend into your daily routine.

Signs of aging are often caused by inflammatory damage. When environmental pollutants and UV rays penetrate the skin, it can create unstable particles driven to bond with others, thus spreading the damage.

Adding a few drops of Age Defy into your hand cream is a natural way to reduce the appearance of wrinkled hands.

Skin Love Synergy Blend

Like other pure essential oils, Skin Love synergy blend has anti-inflammatory and calming properties. In addition, it is formulated to help boost cell regeneration and support glowing and radiant skin.

Skin Love contains powerful, skin-loving oils like Frankincense, Sandalwood, Lavender, Helichrysum, Chamomile, Rose, and Rosehip CO2. This makes it one of the most appropriate essential oils for dry, flaky skin. 

Rose Bulgarian Absolute

Rose is thought to help moisturize dry skin and reduce the appearance of wrinkles. Dior’s team of scientists has analyzed the chemical composition of roses at length and discussed their findings in Scientific American. They find that rose:

• Contains micronutrients

• Is full of skin-nourishing fats

• Can help effectively treat under-eye skin to reduce dark circles

However, you don’t need to buy high-end cosmetics to experience the benefits of Rose essential oil. Instead, you can incorporate Rose Bulgarian Absolute into simple homemade skincare remedies.

Sandalwood Essential Oil

Sandalwood essential oil has been used in clinical trials to support healing the following skin conditions:

• Blemishes

• Irritated skin

• Warts

• Bumps and raised spots

In a 2017 review of scientific literature, researchers note that Sandalwood has proven antibacterial, antiviral, and anti-inflammatory effects. These can make Sandalwood essential oil a great aid for improving blemishes and uneven skin texture. Sandalwood may also help reduce signs of aging. 

Consider adding this ingredient to your skincare routine if you are battling acne-prone skin. A few drops mixed with a carrier oil for proper dilution can help improve stubborn blemishes and texture. You can choose to add grounding Sandalwood to your hand cream or carrier oils such as Jojoba oil, Sweet Almond oil, Avocado oil, Argan oil, Apricot Kernel oil, Fractionated Coconut oil and more.

Natural Hand Cream Ingredients

When choosing an unscented hand cream, look for these ingredients.

Shea Butter

Shea butter is commonly used in a variety of cosmetics such as body lotion and lip balm due to its moisturizing properties. You can often find shea butter as the main ingredient in many natural moisturizers. Throw it in your homemade cream, recipe to say goodbye to cracked, dry hands. Extracted from the nuts of the African Shea tree it’s commonly used to help alleviate several skin issues, including:

• Dry skin

• Chapped lips 

• Blemishes

• Wrinkles

• Sunburn 

• Dermatitis 

• Allergies 

Along with shea butter, look for other natural butters in your hand cream, such as:

• Cocoa Butter

• Mango Butter

• Avocado Butter

• Olive Butter

Jojoba Oil

Jojoba carrier oil is harvested from the nuts of the Simmondsia chinensis shrub, native to the Southwestern U.S. and Northern Mexico. It has a slightly nutty aroma.

A common misconception consumers have about carrier oils is that they can leave you with greasy or oily skin. In reality, most carrier oils may help restore your skin’s natural sebum balance and rid the skin of excess oil. Jojoba mimics your skin’s natural oil levels so that your skin can maintain a healthy and vibrant appearance. 

• For dry and itchy or greasy and uncomfortable symptoms, this might be the best carrier oil to help your skin find the proper, happy medium.

• Loaded with vitamins B and E, Jojoba may also help brighten dark spots on acne-prone skin and minimize the appearance of pores.

Good hand cream will include one or more natural carrier oils, such as:

• Camellia Seed Oil
• Avocado Oil
• Sunflower Oil
• Vitamin E Oil
• Sweet Almond Oil
• Coconut Oil
• Olive Oil
  
  

DIY Essential Oil Hand Cream

We know it’s tough to find good, natural products. That’s why we developed our own DIY homemade hand cream recipe with pure, natural ingredients and essential oils. 

Yield: Approximately 7 oz of hand cream

What You Need

Oil Phase

• 30 g Jojoba Carrier Oil

• 16 g Shea butter

• 12 g Emulsifying wax

Water Phase

• 136 g Distilled water

Cool Down Phase 

• 2 g Age Defy synergy blend

• 2 g Preservative (manufacturer’s recommended amount)

• 2 g Vitamin E
  
  

How To

In a double boiler, add distilled water. In a separate double boiler, add Jojoba oil, shea butter and emulsifying wax. Heat both to 158° F at the same time. Once 158° F has been reached, slowly pour the oil mixture into the water mixture while using a stick blender to combine. Blend for 10 minutes. Once the hand cream has been cooled to 104° F, whisk in Age Defy, preservative and Vitamin E. Transfer to an airtight container. 

Note: This product has a recommended 1-2 month shelf life. Store in the fridge and use a spoon to scoop out hand cream to maximize shelf life. The exact shelf life of a product cannot be confirmed without testing.

Moisturize On

At Edens Garden, we offer a variety of natural products made with organic ingredients, including non-drying bar soaps and moisturizing body oils. Plus, all of our natural body care products contain our 100% pure, GC/MS tested essential oils. Meaning you can rest assured you’re getting the very best. So whatever your skincare needs, we’ve got you covered. 

Sources: 

1. Dume, Bell. “For Better Skin Care, Start With Better Combinations of Ingredients.” Scientific American 4 May 2018. https://www.scientificamerican.com/custom-media/for-better-skin-care/
2. Moy, Ronald L, and Corey Levenson. “Sandalwood Album Oil as a Botanical Therapeutic in Dermatology.” The Journal of clinical and aesthetic dermatology 10.10 (2017): 34-39. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5749697/