How to Make Hand Lotion That Will Hydrate & Moisturize Your Hands

Tools and materials:

• Vegetable glycerin
• Distilled water 
• Emulsifying wax
• Grapeseed oil 
• Cocoa butter 
• Coconut oil 
• Measuring glasses 
• Hand blender 
• Spoon 
• Bottle

1. Add the water 

Pour 5 fl oz of distilled water into a measuring glass. 

2. Add vegetable glycerin

Add 1 tsp of vegetable glycerin into the measuring glass with the water. I am using vegetable glycerin because this is a vegan-friendly option. For all my vegan friends out there, this recipe is for you!

3. Mix 

Mix the vegetable glycerin and water together very well and set it aside for later. 

4. Add wax 

Add 0.2 oz of emulsifying wax to a separate measuring glass. 

5. Add grapeseed oil 

Pour 1 tsp of grapeseed oil into the mixture. Grapeseed oil is high in omega 6 fatty acids, which are great for building healthy cells. This will help hydrate and moisturize your skin.  

6. Add cocoa butter 

Add 2 tsp of cocoa butter into the mixture. Cocoa butter is also high in fatty acids, which help moisturize and hydrate the skin. 

7. Add coconut oil 

Add 2 tsp of coconut oil into the mixture. Coconut oil has anti-inflammatory properties, which makes it very beneficial for irritated and chapped skin.

8. Heat up the mixtures

Place both measuring glasses in a pot of simmering water. One with the water and glycerin mixture, and the other with the oils. 

Do not heat up the oil mixture for a long time, just until the oil is melted. 

Leave the water and glycerin mixture for one to three minutes. 

Set both aside.

9. Mix

Use a hand blender to blend the water and glycerin mixture. This is to make sure that everything is well combined. 

10. Add in the oil mixture. 

Use one hand to slowly pour the oil mixture into the water and glycerin mixture. Keep blending the mixture with your other hand as you pour. 

The cooling down phase is what makes the lotion. 

11. Continue to blend 

Once you are finished pouring in the oil mixture, continue to blend with the hand blender for one to two minutes. 

As you can see, there are quite a few air bubbles and the mixture is still warm, so I am going to wait until it cools completely to add the essential oils. 

This will take about 45 to 60 minutes. 

12. Mix 

Once the ingredients have fully cooled, give the mixture a gentle mix with a spoon. 

As you can see, the mixture has thickened to a lotion-like consistency. 

13. Add the essential oils 

I added 10 drops of sweet orange oil, 4 drops of lime oil, and 2 drops of lavender oil. Feel free to use your own choice of essential oil scents. 

14. Mix 

Mix the essential oils into the mixture with a spoon. 

You can use a hand blender for this step if you would like but I do not think that it is necessary. 

It smells so good!

15. Transfer to a container 

Use a funnel to pour the lotion into your container of choice. You can just recycle something you already own. 

This recipe makes 6.7 fl oz of lotion. If you would like more lotion, feel free to double up the recipe. 

This hand lotion can last up to 6 months. If you want, you can add a preservative that will make the lotion last longer.

How to make hand lotion

There you have it, DIY hand lotion! I added my own cute little sticker to customize the bottle. You can decorate the bottle however you would like. 

Do you plan to make this lotion? Let me know what you think in the comments!