Raise your hand if your skin takes a beating during the cold winter months. Unless you’re lucky enough to live in the tropics, it’s safe to say that your hands are most likely chapped from frequent washings and in need of a little extra TLC. But one thing you learn rather quickly during the winter is that high-quality hand balm can cost a small fortune–especially if you’re looking for something thick and creamy but also non-toxic. Luckily this homemade honey balm is the perfect antidote for all your dry-skin woes. Just slather on a little bit in the morning and wave goodbye to dry, cracked, irritated hands.
Rich Honey Hand Balm
Trust me when I say that this stuff works miracles. While it makes an amazing hand balm, you can also use it as an after-shower lotion, cuticle cream, hair conditioner, and on anything else that might need a little extra moisture this winter. My husband even has a jar of his own that he uses as a beard balm and sparingly as a hair gel. But the real beauty of this balm is that it’s made with beeswax and raw honey so it’s thick (and I do mean thick!) enough to lock in moisture while the honey helps heal wounds and calm irritation.
In addition to its calming and healing properties, here are several other ways honey helps combat dry winter skin:
Antimicrobial
Honey is naturally anti-bacterial and antimicrobial, so it can help to calm inflammation and help prevent future infections.
Balances skin pH
Because it’s slightly acidic, honey help regulate skin pH, thus promoting healing and regeneration.
Natural moisturizer
The sugars in honey act as a natural humectants, meaning they help increase moisture in the skin and reduces dryness, even after being washed off.
High in nutrients and antioxidants
Honey delivers key amino acids, vitamins, enzymes and antioxidants to skin cells, helping to nourish the skin and prevent free-radical damage.
When it comes to texture, this recipe is somewhere between a firm wax and a creamy oil. But if you would like a thicker, more solid balm, increase the amount of beeswax. If you would like a creamier, more spreadable balm, add more oil. It’s a rather forgiving recipe so feel free to play around with it until you find the texture that is right for you.
A note about choosing scents: This time of year something wintery is always a good choice. Try adding eucalyptus for the sinuses or something simple and classic like lavender and vanilla. I would stay away from cinnamon because, while it smells super warm and festive, it can be rather irritating on the skin. And peppermint, to a lesser degree, falls into this category too—a little goes a long way.
Rich Honey Hand Balm
Yield 8 ounces
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup coconut oil
- 1/4 cup almond oil
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 5 tablespoons beeswax pastilles
- 1 tablespoon shea butter
- 1 1/2 tablespoons raw honey
- Essential oils
- 8-ounce glass jar or several small tins with lids
Instructions
- Combine everything except for the raw honey in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave on high in 30-second increments for 2 minutes, until the oils and beeswax have completely melted.
- Whisk in the raw honey and 10-20 drops of the essential oil of your choice and immediately pour into a glass jar.
- Let cool to room temperature before testing. If you would like to adjust the texture, re-melt the balm and add either more beeswax or more oil until the desired texture is reached.
meera says
April 23, 2019 at 2:51 amthank you for this information and advice keep it up
Pooja Jain says
April 6, 2019 at 12:37 amits is a very useful for me………….great…….thank you for sharing
lyn sanderson says
March 21, 2019 at 11:01 pmBeeswax pastilles, 5 tablespoons, useless to me as we have our own beehives and have plenty of wax, can you give me a weight in grams please. the rest I can manage.
SaraMc says
March 23, 2019 at 12:51 pmI’m about to try this recipe so went ahead and weighed my 5tbls of bees wax for you. Mine weighed 42.75g. As I’m sure you’re aware of the inconsistencies of volume vs weight for recipes, I’d use it as a rough guide. Hope it helps though! Good luck!
liberty says
March 18, 2019 at 4:08 pm03/18/19
thank you for this recipe.. i have this one problem spot on the knuckle on my right hand.. i’ve tried numerous products and nothing works quite like this balm.. i tweaked it a bit to my liking and the final product is blissful.. i decreased the amount of honey and i added it at the end while the liquid was still warm using a chopstick to stir.. it is a bit greasy/oily but i think if i tweak it a bit more i’ll get the consistency just right.. if you have any suggestions please let me know.. thank you again..
Mel says
February 7, 2019 at 2:46 pmCan I not use almond oil as I’m Allergic, will it still work? Also what would we need to do that’s different with the honey as some are having difficulties getting the texture right? I really want to try this!
Thanks x
Lynn says
January 24, 2019 at 1:28 pmI made my usual beeswax balm the other day but added honey. It never did mix in completely and stayed mostly at the bottom of the jar even with constant stirring. I had 3 smaller containers to divide it into. I don’t think the first one even got any honey, the last one did for sure. I doubt I’d bother with honey again unless it was a single, undivided batch.
Sandi says
March 14, 2019 at 1:02 pmI want to try making this. Has the author replied about the problem of honey not mixing in but settling on the bottom of the container?
Seher says
January 1, 2019 at 12:22 pmMy honey settles at the bottom of the cream :(
How should i fix this?
Aida says
December 27, 2018 at 11:03 pmWhat is the cause of honey from the worm? Two phases (separation of the base phase of the cosmetic cream and the honey phase)
Can raw honey be added to the base cream mix alone?
Jooliejay says
December 2, 2018 at 4:02 pmJust made this and used a tad before setting. It’s wonderful and luxurious. No problems with the honey but I used a whisk and the oil mix was very hot.
One thing I have noticed is that the shea butter smells overpowering and even though I used a lot of drop a of lemon eucalyptus and a little lavender oil, I can still smell the shea on my hands and in the kitchen.
Sabrina Alicia Ross says
January 4, 2019 at 8:56 amDid you use Raw Shea butter. It does not have a strong scent. If you used conventional Shea it probably has some strong stuff in it. I purchased 100% raw African ivory Shea butter from Amazon.
Lisa says
April 1, 2019 at 4:24 pmTry using Cocoa butter instead of the shea butter.,I have switch them out in different recipes with no problem. Alot of people do not like the smell of shea butter.Lisa
Good luck
PashasOrganics says
April 22, 2019 at 6:24 amTry using refined shea butter, it won’t smell. Though unrefined have more benefits and for that use a little different essential oil like Lavender or rose or vanilla.
Hope says
November 8, 2018 at 9:56 amWhat can be used as a preservative to keep this from going bad. Also what is a good emusifier?
Lorraine G. says
April 12, 2019 at 12:11 amBreak a Vitamin E pill and squeeze it into the balm while stirring. Vitamin E oil is also sold in bottles. I hope this helps.
Emilija says
October 22, 2018 at 8:48 amHi! I was wondering if I can use simply grated beeswax instead of pastilles thank you!
Jooliejay says
December 2, 2018 at 4:03 pmI’d imagine so, the beeswax is just melted in with the oil mix so grated would be fine.
Kerin says
October 16, 2018 at 4:07 amThank you for this recipe! I have tried making this balm and it is great but I cannot get the honey to mix with the oils. It starts separating into tiny little bubbles and won’t mix. Does anyone know what I did wrong? Please let me know thank you!! :)
Esther says
October 21, 2018 at 4:49 pmThis happened to me, too, Kerin. :( Quick online search says we need to use an emulsifier, but I didn’t have anything on hand that would work. Also I found a suggestion to use a preservative to prevent mold or bacteria growth in recipes calling for honey.
I’m going to look into both of those before trying this recipe again.
Elizabeth says
May 28, 2019 at 8:27 pmI see that others have asked about this above. And I had the same problem. I wondered if Liesel’s comment below might be the secret, that letting the oils cool slightly before whisking in the honey, might be the answer. Have to make sure it is raw honey, as the liquid honey will definitely settle at the bottom (I made this mistake, thinking the honey was raw). I tried the recipe again, oils were quite warm but not cooled, (before reading Liesel’s comment) using raw manuka honey and it still seemed to settle at the bottom somewhat, not as bad as the liquid honey. Did feel kind of sticky, though. So, maybe cooling the oils a little after melting, then adding raw honey? Maybe add less honey? I wondered about then using a whisk attachment, or a handheld immersion blender? Would the immersion blender add too much air into it? I don’t know…. Re: Preservatives: In doing a search online, I read a post by someone who makes skin care products professionally, said that even with honey, if the product is being made for sale, still need some sort of preservative.
Lolo says
February 9, 2018 at 4:28 pmThank you for the recipe! I can’t wait to see how it helps my hubby’s poor cracked hands! But my honey wouldn’t dissolve, just spread out on the bottom. How can I avoid that next time?
Leo says
January 24, 2018 at 4:07 amSitting here with cold and dry hands… I guess I really have to try this one. :) Cannot rate the recipe yet though, as I haven’t tried it yet. It does sound really good though!
Pamela says
December 30, 2017 at 3:58 pmOh my goodness, what a great balm. Haven’t used it on my hands yet, still too hot, the balm, not the weather, but, it’s the best lip balm I’ve ever used. Thanks and Happy New Year!
Liesel says
January 27, 2017 at 9:31 amAs I have gotten older my face (mainly forehead) dries out at night. Have made several batches of lotion and none have worked. Till now… I have used this recipe with a couple of tweaks (drops of E and Argan oil) and it has worked wonders! My face no longer feels like stretched leather in the morning. Especially with the heat on. I may not need during summer but for now, yippee! I did find that letting oils cool slightly and then whipping honey in made it mix better. So my skin and I thank you.
Karyn says
October 22, 2017 at 12:38 pmHow many drops of vitamin E did you add?
Holly says
January 12, 2017 at 9:46 amThis is such creamy, luxurious lotion. I love it!
Fran says
January 10, 2017 at 9:02 amCan you whip this into a body butter for a lighter texture?
Biene says
January 8, 2017 at 1:10 pmSounds like a great recipe and easy to make! I even have everything on the list at home, so maybe i give it a shot!
xoxo,Biene
http://lettersandbeads.de
Kristy, Life-n-Reflection says
January 4, 2017 at 10:27 amI’ve been looking for a good winter balm recipe, this one looks simply perfect!
Maia says
January 4, 2017 at 9:50 amMy hands are always so dry! I’ll have to try this out sometime soon.
– goloveyrself.com
OBENDE ONIZE says
January 4, 2017 at 4:17 amTHIS IS GREAT. I REALLY LOVE IT. GOD BLESS YOU REAL. CAN I USE ANY OTHER OIL IN PLACE OF ALMOND OIL?
Eren Varımlı says
December 1, 2018 at 6:10 amHow long is the shelf life of this product? How to keep this product?
OBENDE ONIZE says
January 4, 2017 at 4:13 amTHIS IS GREAT. GOD BLESS YOU REAL.
Jan Jones says
January 3, 2017 at 8:19 amI love making hand salves and lotion bars. The addition of honey is something I never thought of, but it sounds amazing.
Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog says
January 2, 2017 at 1:50 pmThis really sounds like something I need since my hands are very, very dry. I never use hand lotions (oops, too lazy)…
Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog
http://charmainenyw.com