I use dyes, solvents, and contact cement a fair bit in my day job, and I am constantly making things with heavy leather. Especially in winter, the skin on my fingertips can get very dry and rough from this work. What's worse, I frequently get painful hangnails and sometimes the callouses crack on my thumbs and index fingers. Regular lotions and balms work fine on my hands in the summer, but are not protective enough for winter.
I created a "bartender balm" a few years ago that I use when my hands are in trouble. It's a lotion bar that leaves a definite waxy coating on the skin. Most people probably wouldn't like it for everyday use -- only when your hands need extra protection. I rub it into my cuticles and fingertips before and during work. It also is nice to pack around a painful hangnail, put a band-aid on, and leave it overnight to soften and heal.
Here's a recipe to make 4-6 lotion bars about the size of mini peanut butter cups. I make the bars small so they get used up fast and so it's no great loss if one gets dropped on my dirty shop floor.
Beeswax 25 g
Cocoa butter 20 g (use deodorized if you don't want a chocolate scent in your product)
Liquid oil 5 g (I have used meadowfoam, sweet almond, or rice bran, but any oil will do)
Fragrance 0.5 to 1 g
Hold the bar in your hands for a moment to let it soften with body heat, then rub it over the areas you want to protect including the creases around your nails.
I infuse the liquid oil with calendula for a little extra healing and soothing. I've only used cocoa butter to make this bartender balm, but other butters should work well with some tweaks. Shea melts at a lower temperature than cocoa butter, so if you want to use shea, you may have to alter the proportions to use a bit more wax and less shea. Mango butter melts about the same temp as cocoa butter, so you might be able to sub it directly for the cocoa butter.
I created a "bartender balm" a few years ago that I use when my hands are in trouble. It's a lotion bar that leaves a definite waxy coating on the skin. Most people probably wouldn't like it for everyday use -- only when your hands need extra protection. I rub it into my cuticles and fingertips before and during work. It also is nice to pack around a painful hangnail, put a band-aid on, and leave it overnight to soften and heal.
Here's a recipe to make 4-6 lotion bars about the size of mini peanut butter cups. I make the bars small so they get used up fast and so it's no great loss if one gets dropped on my dirty shop floor.
Beeswax 25 g
Cocoa butter 20 g (use deodorized if you don't want a chocolate scent in your product)
Liquid oil 5 g (I have used meadowfoam, sweet almond, or rice bran, but any oil will do)
Fragrance 0.5 to 1 g
Hold the bar in your hands for a moment to let it soften with body heat, then rub it over the areas you want to protect including the creases around your nails.
I infuse the liquid oil with calendula for a little extra healing and soothing. I've only used cocoa butter to make this bartender balm, but other butters should work well with some tweaks. Shea melts at a lower temperature than cocoa butter, so if you want to use shea, you may have to alter the proportions to use a bit more wax and less shea. Mango butter melts about the same temp as cocoa butter, so you might be able to sub it directly for the cocoa butter.
