As a busy Mum and Therapist, I find that I’m always washing my hands. I do try to remember to wear rubber gloves, but it’s not always possible. So after 2 years of constantly washing nappies, #hurricaneToddler, sick and food off of clothes, not to mention normal household duties, my hands are not what they used to be.
I do count myself lucky though, I get to spend a lot of time with my hands drenched in lovely vegetable and essential oils. In recent years my main bugbear is my thumbs, which seem dehydrated and rough no matter the weather. So this month I’m determined to show them some love and affection before the winter months set in and the problem becomes a lot worse.
Last year I found a beautiful recipe by Danièle Ryman in her book ‘The Secret Healing Power of Essential Oils’. It’s extremely rich so I would recommend using at night, at least 15 minutes before bed. Getting oil out of bedding and clothing can be hard work. For best results invest in some beauty/spa gloves and try not to take them off during the night as I keep doing. I would also recommend using a body scrub on your hands first, or in my case, get the pumice stone out and buffing any calluses/rough patches from pads of your fingers, thumbs and palms. Just go gently, the aim is to smooth and not cause the skin to crack or become sore. *
1 teaspoon of castor oil
3-4 teaspoons almond oil
2 drops of galbanum
Mix vegetable oils together first then add 2 drops of galbanum. Decant in a dark 25ml clean bottle
Or if you’d like to try different essential oils, I recommend these:
3 drops of True Lavender
3 drops of Benzoin
2 drops of Chamomile (Roman for dry skin, German for flaky inflamed skin)
Enjoy
PS Always do a patch test before using any new product
Added 27.3.20 Please note - If you are using this recipe and you have sore hands please do not scrub them. Just use the oil to help soothe and hydrate your hands. I would recommend swapping the castor oil with calendula oil, which is great for soothing and healing sore hands.