Note: We recently updated this recipe to include an emulsifier and preservative to keep the honey from separating and your balm from going bad prematurely. If you prefer a more natural product (and can overlook some separation), stick with the first recipe. Otherwise, we recommend following the emulsifier recipe.
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 the elements and are badly 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. For an added boost, apply before bed, cover with cotton gloves, and let this recipe work magic on your hands overnight.
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, or for 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 [source].
In addition to its calming and healing properties, here are several other ways honey helps combat dry winter skin:
Antimicrobial
Honey is naturally antibacterial and antimicrobial [source], so it can keep skin bacteria in check and help prevent future infections.
Anti-inflammatory
Honey has been directly observed to reduce skin inflammation after being applied to wounds [source]—what better way to soothe chapped, red hands!
Balances skin pH
Because it’s slightly acidic, honey helps regulate skin pH [source], thus promoting skin healing and regeneration.
Natural moisturizer
The sugars in honey act as natural humectants [source], meaning they help increase moisture in the skin and reduce dryness, even after being washed off.
High in nutrients and antioxidants
Honey delivers key amino acids, vitamins, enzymes, and antioxidants to skin cells [source], 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 essential oil 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. To a lesser degree, peppermint falls into this category, too—a little goes a long way.
Honey Hand Balm FAQs
We’ve been getting a few questions in the comments I wanted to address.
What if the honey settles at the bottom?
I’ve made this a few times over the years and haven’t had this issue when making my balm. I noticed a tiny bit of settling, which is natural, but nothing to write home about. If you see a lot of separation (like all of the honey ends up at the bottom of your container), it could be caused by the brand of honey or the temperature of the oils when you added the honey.
Let the melted oils cool as much as possible (think: barely lukewarm but still soft) before adding the honey. If you still see separation, you can always use an electric hand mixer to blend the oils with the honey, once the balm has completely cooled, then spoon it into your containers.
You can also use an emulsifying wax to hold everything together (see the second recipe below).
Can I use other oils in place of the almond/olive oil?
Yep! Any liquid-at-room-temperature oil should work.
Can I use other butters in place of the shea butter?
Yep! Any solid-at-room-temperature butter should work.
What’s the shelf life?
Without a preservative, it should last 1–2 months without needing refrigeration. With a preservative, it should last about a year. But like all homemade beauty products, if you notice a change in smell or consistency or if you see mold, toss it out.
Rich Honey Hand Balm
Equipment
- 8 ounce jar or several small tins with lids
- Microwave safe bowl
- Double boiler (optional)
Materials
Simple Honey Hand Balm (without Emulsifier or Preservative)
- 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 of your choice
Honey Hand Balm with Emulsifier and Preservative
- 1/4 cup coconut oil
- 1/4 cup almond oil
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 3 tablespoons shea butter
- 1/4 cup beeswax pastilles
- 1/4 cup emulsifying wax pastilles
- 2 tablespoons raw honey
- 1 tablespoon Leucidal Liquid SF or any other natural preservative
- Essential oils
Instructions
- Combine everything except for the raw honey, Leucidal Liquid SF (if using), and essential oils in a microwave safe bowl.
- Microwave in 30-second increments for 1–2 minutes, until the oils and beeswax have completely melted. Alternatively, you can use a double boiler to melt your oils.
- Place the bowl of melted oils in the freezer for about 2 minutes. When you take it out, the mixture should be solid around the edges but still liquid in the middle.
- Stir for about 15 seconds until the mixture comes together almost like a thick batter.
- Add the honey, Leucidal Liquid SF (if using), and essential oils. Stir again. While the Leucidal SF says to let the mixture cool overnight before adding, I've found that the balm is much too solid at that point to mix well. I prefer to add it when the balm is barely at room temperature and still mixable.
- Spoon the balm into a lidded glass container, and pop it into the refrigerator for 15 minutes to cool completely.
- Let the balm solidify before using.
Notes
This post was medically reviewed by Dr. Jennifer Haley, a board-certified dermatologist with extensive experience in medical, cosmetic, and surgical dermatology. Learn more about Hello Glow’s medical review board here. As always, this is not personal medical advice, and we recommend that you talk with your doctor.
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I made this recipe the original way two years ago. After the first go I worked out how to stop the honey separating and that was to sit the jars in really hot water. I'm making it again this year as my family keep requesting more and have told me it's better than anything they've every used before. Thank you
I found it a bit sticky after it had dried on my skin. When I washed my hands the stickiness went and they felt much better. The oils and wax worked wonders but I'm not sure what went wrong with the honey. No-one else here seems to have the same problem. I might leave the honey out next time.
This recipe is similar to the body butter I make. Try adding some castor oil it's a humectant and emulsifier so should help stop separation
For adding the honey to the balm, I think that you could use less beeswax to give it a salve texture. Then when it has set up to a jelly like salve, then whip the honey into the salve. It may work, or it may not, but I will try it. The recipe sounds wonderful. Thank you for it.
This is such a great idea. I am all about skin care and body care products with honey right now! Love how easy this is to make, too.
I have every dry skin so, I am going try this. Thank you for sharing.
I tried this recipe using coco butter instead of shea and it was great! I recommend it.
thank you for this information and advice keep it up
Beeswax 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.
I’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!
03/18/19
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..
Can 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
I 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.
I 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?
My honey settles at the bottom of the cream :(
How should i fix this?
What 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?
Just 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.
Did 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.
Try 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
Try 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.
What can be used as a preservative to keep this from going bad. Also what is a good emusifier?
Break a Vitamin E pill and squeeze it into the balm while stirring. Vitamin E oil is also sold in bottles. I hope this helps.
Hi! I was wondering if I can use simply grated beeswax instead of pastilles thank you!
I’d imagine so, the beeswax is just melted in with the oil mix so grated would be fine.
Thank 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!! :)
This 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.
I 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.
Thank 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?
Sitting 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!
Oh 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!
As 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.
How many drops of vitamin E did you add?
This is such creamy, luxurious lotion. I love it!
Can you whip this into a body butter for a lighter texture?
I’ve been looking for a good winter balm recipe, this one looks simply perfect!
My hands are always so dry! I’ll have to try this out sometime soon.
– goloveyrself.com
THIS IS GREAT. I REALLY LOVE IT. GOD BLESS YOU REAL. CAN I USE ANY OTHER OIL IN PLACE OF ALMOND OIL?
How long is the shelf life of this product? How to keep this product?
THIS IS GREAT. GOD BLESS YOU REAL.
I love making hand salves and lotion bars. The addition of honey is something I never thought of, but it sounds amazing.