Hands

These hard-working parts of our bodies need all the love and care we can give them.

It is very common to spend a great deal of time and money on our hair and faces, and to neglect our poor hands. They are exposed to the weather just as our faces are, and they also have to contend with gardening, washing clothes, and dishes, and all the other jobs which are so hard on skin.

Essential oils are particularly good for hands as they work very quickly and are readily absorbed without leaving a greasy feeling. The following oil is a luxurious treat for the tools we use most often and usually
appreciate the least.

Lemon and Lavender Hand Softener
This is a cream for dry, rough, work-worn hands.

3 cubes (about 11/4 oz/36 g) beeswax
1/3 cup (80 ml) almond oil
1/2 cup (125 ml) olive oil
21/2 tablespoons (40 ml) glycerine
2 drops lemon essential oil
2 drops lavender essential oil

To make and use

Melt the beeswax into the sweet almond and olive oils gently in a double boiler.

Stir in the glycerine until completely blended.
Remove from heat.
Drip the essential oils into the slightly cooled mixture.
Stir mixture very well then pot.
Label and store in a cool, dark place.
Massage it into the hands before doing dirty jobs.

If your hands are really rough, use this rich cream during the evening while talking or watching television, or massage a goodly amount on before
bedtime, and cover the hands with cotton gloves to protect the bedding.

Lavender Barrier Cream

4 teaspoons purified water
21/2 tablespoons (40 ml) olive oil
2 teaspoons kaolin clay
10 drops lavender essential oil

To make and use

Mix the ingredients together thoroughly in a small bowl.
Pot up in a clean glass jar.
Label and store in a cool, dark place.
Massage cream well into hands before doing dirty jobs.

Healing Hand Cream
If you do not have the time or energy to make a cream from scratch, this blend is for you.

Buy aloe cream, not aloe ointment, from a health-food store, making sure you get one containing the largest amount possible of aloe.

The combination of the aloe cream and essential oils will heal and soften sore, dry, or cracked skin.

13/4 oz (50 g) jar aloe vera cream
1/2 teaspoon benzoin tincture or 5 drops benzoin
essential oil
10 drops sandalwood essential oil
10 drops palmarosa or lavender essential oil
10 drops lavender essential oil

To make and use

Decant the aloe vera cream into a small bowl.

In another bowl, mix all the oils and tincture together.

Add the combined oils slowly to the cream, a drop at a time, mixing constantly.

When the oils are thoroughly incorporated, spoon the cream back into the jar.

Label and store in a cool, dark place.

Use it after washing your hands and at bedtime.

The back of the hands are exposed to more sunlight than any other part of the body. Apply hand cream at least three times a day.

Buff and file your nails once a week before applying moisturizer.

Tip: The skin on the hand contains very litt le oil. Use suitable gloves for gardening, housework, etc., and use a rich hand cream whenever
possible.

Hand and Nail Oil

The combination of the aloe cream and essential oils will heal and soften sore, dry, or cracked skin.

5 x 250iu vitamin E capsules
4 teaspoons sweet almond oil
2 teaspoons avocado oil
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 teaspoon jojoba oil
20 drops evening primrose oil
5 drops benzoin essential oil
10 drops sandalwood essential oil
10 drops lemon essential oil

To make and use
Prick the vitamin E capsules and squeeze the contents into a 2 fl oz (60 ml) bottle.

Add all the other oils and shake to blend.

If possible, leave for four days to synergize.

Label and store in a cool, dark place.

Pour four to six drops into the palm of
your hand.

Massage oil into the skin and around the nail bed until absorbed. Repeat.

Hand Lotion

This lotion keeps well without refrigeration except in very hot weather.

1 teaspoon distilled witch hazel
4 teaspoons vegetable glycerine
5 teaspoons cologne

To make and use

Mix all the ingredients together in a small bowl.
Pour into a small bottle or clean glass jar.
Label and store in a cool, dark place.
Apply a few drops and massage in well.

Luscious Lotion Bar

Lotion bars look like a bar of soap but melt into your skin. They are great for moisturising work-worn hands, feet, or anywhere that the skin is very dry.

If you are giving these bars as a gift, they can be wrapped in either cellophane or greaseproof paper.

4 oz (120 g) cocoa butter
1 oz (30 g) shea butter
1 tablespoon (15 ml) almond oil
1 teaspoon calendula infused oil
30 drops phenoxitol
30 drops essential oils of your choice

To make

Place the cocoa butter, shea butter, and the almond and calendula oils in a double boiler and heat until just melted.

Remove from the heat and stir well to mix.

Allow to cool until the outside of the pan is just above hand heat.

Add the phenoxitol and essential oils and stir really thoroughly to incorporate.

Pour into small soap or chocolate molds and freeze for a few minutes until hard, then tap from the molds.

These bars are best kept in a covered container in the refrigerator, unless your storage area is very cool.

Hand-care tips

• Manicure your nails every week.
• Wear gloves when doing the dishes, hand-washing clothes, and gardening.
• Keep a cut lemon close to the kitchen sink. Lemon juice removes stains, whitens the skin, and cleans the nails.
• Use a hand cream after doing dishes, gardening, or any DIY work about the house.
• Use a sunblock cream on your hands in summer.

USANA PERSONAL CARE PRODUCTS - Intensive Hand Therapy

Fight the damaging effects of the environment and keep hands and cuticles soft with this concentrated hand cream. Cocoa and shea butters, apricot kernel oil, aloe, and beeswax lock in moisture as USANA Intensive Hand Therapy refines with mulberry and bearberry leaf and protects with green-tea and whole-grape extracts.