Hand Cream

I would like to share a hand cream that I found a recipe for on another blog (My Healthy Green Family).  It is a very basic recipe.  Here is a summary of the recipe but for a full picture tutorial please check out her blog. In no way do I mean to steal from others and I like to give credit where credit is due.

Whipped Body Butter Recipe

Ingredients:
6 oz. Coconut Oil (fractionated coconut oil is less greasy but any kind will work)
2 oz. Cocoa Butter
Essential oil if desired.

Directions:

1. In a small pot or double boiler, over low heat, melt 2 oz. of cocoa butter.
2. Add and melt 6 oz. of coconut oil.
3. Once oils are melted but NOT boiling, immediately remove from heat, pour into mixing bowl and refrigerate.
4. Once your mixture looks slightly opaque, remove from fridge and whip.  I use a stand mixer which makes the process go a lot faster.  It will get creamy quickly, but won’t whip immediately.
5. Once it is creamy put it back in the fridge for another 5 minutes or so and whip again.
6. Once it starts to whip like whipping cream, you know you have it.  If it doesn’t, put it back in the fridge for a few more minutes and try again.  It could take up to 10 minutes of solid whipping to turn it into whipped butter.  It will get quite “stiff” and feel like chocolate mousse if you whip it long enough.
7. Once it starts to form soft peaks you can add your essential oil (if desired) and you are done!
8. Spoon it into jars and put lids on.
9. Store in a cool location.

I have now been using this recipe for a month and a half and greatly enjoy its effects on my skin.  In fact, my wife the chef puts her hands in bleach water many times through out the day so just before bed I put this cream on her hands and it has saved them from beings so raw and dried out.  I am about to make my second batch and was reminded to share this.  I especially like what it doesn't do or have.  This hand cream doesn't have a bunch of unknown ingredients, it don't leave my hands extra dry later in the day, and it is not greasy feeling.  Please enjoy this recipe.

Soapbox:
I am an ingredients reader and I know just enough about chemistry to understand most of the ingredients on lists.  I have always been leery of water in lotions.  That has never made sense to be.  I don't wash my hands to moisturize them.  I also question the use of Glycerol (or glycerine, glycerin).  Yes it absorbs moisture from the air but as a chemical it can not discern pulling moisture from the air or from your skin beneath it.  I have heard that it pulls moisture from inside your body to your skin but how does it stop from pulling it out of your skin?  Also, some people use petroleum products such as petroleum jelly.  This has been suggested as a carcinogen and I don't really want to be the tester for this theory.  Many lotions also add alcohol to their brew.  This is to evaporate the water quickly so as not to leave your hands wet feeling.  Every alcohol I have come across is a drying agent.  And lastly I am becoming more and more apposed to the use of "fragrance" as an ingredient whether natural or not.  Companies should not be embarrassed as to what they put in their products so should list what is in them.  Although not a fragrance cyanide is natural... and organic.

Although I have written other small blogs of my travels and such this is my first public blog.  I have decided to write this blog because I am a life time learner of the world.  By far I do not claim to know everything, nor am I an expert on anything.  I have many interests and enjoy researching to make life better.  I hope to bring into light and experience things that others might not have the time to research but are interested in.

A bit about myself:
I am in my early thirties. I have a bachelors degree in zoology.  I also minored in chemistry and soil science.  I am married to a chef but our marriage is not recognized in the state that we currently live.  I do not have children but I have many pets that I will probably write about.  I really enjoy all sciences although I have not dove into the soft sciences such as psychology or philosophy.  I am not a great speller and my grammar could probably use some work.  I was born and raised in the Willamette River watershed of Oregon but now live in the Greater Miami River watershed of Ohio.  I strive to live as ecofriendly as I can with in the budget I have. I have many interests, as you will probably see.