Hand lotion

[jms]

Can anyone share a good recipe for hand lotion using honey or beeswax?


Thanks,

jms

[hobbee]

from google-

Honey Hand Cream
Ingredients 1 tablespoon beeswax
1 tablespoon shea butter
1 tablespoon wheat germ oil
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 teaspoon rosehip seed oil (or contents of liquid vitamin c capsules)
5 capsules of vitamin E (contents of capsules)
2 drops lemon essential oil
2 drops sandalwood essential oil
2 drops rose geranium essential oil

Instructions
Melt beeswax, shea butter, and wheat germ oil in double boiler. Remove from heat and whisk in honey, rosehiip seed oil, and vitamin E. Continue to whisk until cool. When almost set stir in essential oils. Store in widemouthed jar.

Cocoa butter can be used in place of shea butter.

[George Fergusson]

The stuff I make:

A tablespoon or so of finely powdered hard red propolis.

About a half cup of olive oil.

Mix the propolis with the olive oil in a jar and put it in a warm place for a few weeks. Shake occasionally. When it smells good, heat it up to about 150° or so, and mix in roughly 3 tablespoons or so of melted beeswax. Cool some in a spoon to see if it's the right consistency- the right consistency being whatever you think is right. If too thin, add more wax.

You can put this on your hands and arms and it will deter bees from stinging you. You can waterproof your boots with it, polish furniture with it, whatever.

I call it Epiphany, for Beekeepers :)

[Mabe]

Tried out George's recipe for "Epiphany For Beekeepers" because it sounded like a great healing hand balm....and as it turns out, it does seem to keep the bees from stinging. I tore apart and rearranged a string of hives yesterday, pulling some more supers of capped honey. No gloves, lots of agitated bees on my hands, no stings!!!

Thanks George!


Mabe:)

[gardenbees]

First of all I have a question for George. How do you powder your propolis without gumming up whatever machine you use?

I use propolis in my products as a natural preservative, first disolving it in Everclear. The resulting tincture can be used in many applications including straight on the skin as an anesthetic after a sting. But I suppose using it to prevent the sting in the first place makes more sense.

Propolis has a remarkable ability to help skin conditions of all types. I have had people that use my propolis cream claim that it helps with bacterial and fungal infections. This is backed up by scientific research done mostly in eastern europe where honey bee products have been used for centuries.

Some studies suggest that it prevents dental decay when used in toothpaste and mouthwash which makes sense if you believe the antibacterial studies. I also use it internally to ward off colds and such. Just swallow a pea sized peice a couple times a day till the symptoms are gone. Furthermore, bacteria apparently don't become immune to the killing affects of propolis because of the mechanism of action. It is different from the way our antibiotics attack bacteria. Overall, I'd say it's pretty amazing stuff and best of all for us beekeepers it's free. I realize that some of you out there won't buy all of this but if you do a little reasearch I feel it's pretty well substantiated.

A caveat: some people do have allergic responses to propolis and it seems that a contact dermatitis is more common than when it is taken internally. Interesting. Theresa.

[deantn]

How does George get his propolis hardened off?
Maybe lay out in the sun for a couple of days, taken some from a couple of hives a few days ago and still sticky as it was when taken from hive.

[Hobie]

Could you put this stuff (Epiphany) on leather gloves? For those of us who aren't quite ready to toss away the gloves yet, but still don't want stingers in the leather....

[Jeffzhear]

Could you put this stuff (Epiphany) on leather gloves? For those of us who aren't quite ready to toss away the gloves yet, but still don't want stingers in the leather....

Even for those who put the gloves away, there is still a time and place for gloves...at least for me.:) Seldom as it is, there is a need on occassion.

[sc-bee]

Here's a web site:
http://www.halderman.net/soap/recipes.htm

[ooptec]

Jf you dissolve the propolis in methanol and then evaporate off the solvent for external use and same thing using everclear if internal.

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/4382886.html

cheers

peter