Love those garden hands

Now that it’s June, I’m anxious to get outside and tackle the weeds that have laid claim to our garden. My husband had a bad case of pancreatitis in May, so I’ve been taking care of him, and the garden has been on the back burner for now. While I’m itching to get started working in the dirt, I’m going to make a batch of this homemade hand lotion up so it will be readily available for those chapped, cracked hands.

While certain oils and butters on their own will do a good job of moisturizing, I like to infuse my homemade lotion with different skin soothing, and healing herbs. I make and sell an herbal infused, skin healing salve in my shop, which you can find here that’s perfect for skin irritations like bites, burns and rashes. However, the healing salve can be a little heavy for daily, all over hand use, which is why I like this hand lotion.

Healing herbs

Calendula

This bright orange flower is good for soothing itchy, irritated skin. I use it in this salve recipe to help with eczema and psoriasis. Calendula is also good at calming inflamed and red skin, and is my number one herb for general skin healing.

Comfrey

This herb is nicknamed “bone set” because it works so quickly to help the body heal from fractures, sprains and broken bones. It’s also a quick skin healer and helps skin cells regenerate faster from damage.

Dandelion

Yes, that loathed “weed” in yards across the country is a great for soothing worn skin. It’s also great for dozens, if not hundreds of other herbal preparations and delicious edibles. So please, be kind to your dandelions!

Skin healing butters and oils

You can’t have an herbal hand lotion without something to infuse your herbs in. There are tons of good options out there, but I wanted to use something that was both deeply nourishing, but not too greasy. I’ve included mango butter, which is similar in consistency to shea, but faster absorbing.

Mango butter

Mango butter is also good for dry, itching, damaged or blemished skin. Not only does mango butter nourish damaged skin, but it helps to prevent the damage from happening in the first place. (soapers choice)

Tamanu oil

Tamanu oil is a potent smelling oil, but it’s also a potent skin healer. It’s most commonly used for acne and stretch marks, but it’s great for scrapes, burns, rashes, chapped skin and other irritations. On its own it’s very thick, but it works well and absorbs beautifully when mixed with other oils.

Beeswax helps to naturally thicken everything thing up, and the sweet almond oil gives this homemade lotion a light base. Since we aren’t using any chemical stabilizers or preservatives, this lotion should be kept out of extreme heat or cold and will only keep for a few months. If some oil floats to the top, simply stir it back in. However, if the lotion begins to smell rancid or “off” in any way, then pitch it and make a fresh batch. Vitamin E will help the oils from going rancid, but the lotion won’t last as long as a salve since it has water in it.

Herb infused homemade hand lotion

• 1/4 cup Calendula flowers – what I use
• 2 T. Comfrey leaves – what I use
• 1/4 cup Dandelion leaves and/or flower tops – what I use when I don’t have any in the yard
• 1 tsp Tamanu oil – what I use
• 2 T. Mango butter – what I use
• 1/2 tsp Vitamin E – what I use
• ½ cup and 2 T.  Sweet almond oil – what I use
• ½ cup filtered, boiled, then cooled water (or use a flower hydrosol like these)
• 6 grams Beeswax – what I use
• Glass bowl – the ones I have
• Saucepan
• scale – what I use

*all of the herbs used should be dried.

1. If you’re using whole herbs, give them a few pulses through a coffee grinder, or grind with a mortar and pestle until coarsely cut. This is the coffee grinder I have, and this is the mortar and pestle we use.
2. Combine the sweet almond oil and herbs together in a glass bowl. Fill the saucepan about halfway with water and place over medium heat. Perch the glass bowl with the oil on top to make a sort of double boiler. Keep the water at a low boil while the herbs infuse into the oil.
3. After an hour, turn the heat off and strain the herbs out with a cheesecloth, or clean, old t-shirt. I like to run it through a coffee filter too to make sure all of the small herb bits are out.
4. Put the infused oil back in a clean, glass bowl on top of the saucepan over medium heat. Add the beeswax and mango butter, stirring occasionally until melted.
5. Pour the oil mixture into your blender, add the tamanu and vitamin E oil, and let it cool for about 10 minutes in the fridge. You want the mixture to be creamy, but not cool so much that it gets hard. You can also use a stand mixer or hand mixer for this, but the emulsion won’t be as effective.
6. Turn the blender on, and slooooowly drizzle in the water through the top. The mixture will get creamy and thick. Stop the blender when it starts to sputter. If you’re using a mixer, then slowly pour the water in as you’re mixing on medium/high speed.
   Store your lotion in an impeccably clean glass jar, out of heat, sunlight or freezing temperatures. Slather generously onto skin damaged hands as needed.

The post Herb infused homemade hand lotion for working hands appeared first on The Herbal Spoon.

I just started growing calendula flowers in my garden last year. Not only are they beautiful, they’re so useful too! I love using it in a healing salve since it can treat numerous skin conditions, including eczema and psoriasis.  Been in the sun too long? Slather it on your sunburn. Bug bites? Works for that too. Calendula salve is truly a wonderful all around skin healer!

Calendula salve

Infuse Your Oil

It really couldn’t be easier to make too. There are two ways to infuse your oil. You can use the crockpot method, detailed in this post here, or you can do a solar infusion.

For a solar infusion, fill a clean, dry jar half full of dried calendula or full of fresh. Cover completely with grapeseed, coconut or olive oil and screw on the lid. Coconut oil is my favorite because it lasts longer and has additional skin healing benefits. Let this sit on a sunny windowsill for two weeks, shaking a few times a day.

Strain it Out

After the two weeks are up, strain the herbs from the oil. You can use a coffee filter, cheesecloth, or even a clean, old t-shirt. Be sure to squeeze all the herbal goodness out! If you’re using coconut oil be sure that the oil is warm when you strain it, since this oil is solid at room temperature. Just be sure it’s not so warm that you burn your fingers!

Add the Wax

Place the oil in a double boiler, or in a heavy bottomed pan on the lowest heat possible. I’m talking barely on type of heat. I like to add 1/4 cup of these beeswax pastilles per every pint. They’re so much easier to measure than the bars! Candilla wax can be used for a vegan version. Stir gently with a metal spoon just until melted.

Pour it Up

You can use pretty glass jars, or the ever classic metal tins. I prefer tins myself. Pour the hot wax/oil mixture carefully into your containers to cool. After a few minutes, I like to put mine in the fridge to speed up the process. If it’s too soft re-melt and add more wax. Add more coconut oil if it’s too firm.

How to use it

Apply this liberally as often as needed on bruises, eczema, dry skin, psoriasis, burns, rashes and the like. Safe for prolonged use and on children.

Looking for a good healing salve?

Calendula is just one of the skin soothing herbs in the healing salve over at my shop. If you don’t have the time for a diy, or you’re looking for something more, then be sure to check it out here.

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The post Calendula Salve Tutorial for Eczema and Psoriasis appeared first on The Herbal Spoon.