Hand and Foot Hot Wax Treatment

I am older and my hands are always dry and chapped from working in the yard and cleaning. I have been wanting to make a hand and foot treatment using bees wax. I was surprised to not find any online recipes. I did find a salon who made their own bees wax formula with honey so I thought I would try making a recipe adding honey.This instructable is the process I went through to make a formula for a bees wax treatment for hands and feet. Let's make a recipe~

Step 1: Tools and Ingredients

This recipe is the last of four that I made. I adjusted the recipe for a thinner consistency so it will be easier to adjust according to your preference. All of the recipes I made moisturized my hands and was very good except for the thickness of the first one.

Ingredients for 2 cups of hand or foot wax :

• 1/4 cup Raw filtered bees wax
• 1 1/4 Cups Organic Coconut oil Room temperature is best when using coconut oil.
• 1/8 Cup Organic Jojoba oil
• 1/8 Cup Shea butter room temperature
• 1/4 Cup pure raw organic honey
• Essential oil if desired
• 2 Capsules vitamin E oil
• Sugar scrub for washing hands

The tools list does not show pictures of everything; this was an experiment and I added to the list as I realized I needed more tools.Use old utensils because chances are you won't be able to use them except for melting wax or wax related projects.

Tools:

Very important you must have a double broiler or a system like it to make this recipe, because wax will ignite and cause a serious fire if not handled properly.Please do not leave the stove or hot wax unattended as long as the wax is very hot.

Old double broiler or make one like I did using a metal bowl and an old sauce pan.

Thin rubber gloves If you will be using the hot treatment

Thin cloth gloves if you will be using the hot treatment Tin foil if using a large piece of wax

Old spoon, dipper, tongs for removing large pieces of wax like mine if you don't want to melt the whole piece, strainer,extra bowl is needed if you need to strain the wax, funnel, hot pad,large towel to protect table,hand towel, old worn sheet for spills and straining wax if needed.

Paper towels if you have them.

Sterilized glass wide mouth Mason jars.I don't recommend plastic

Scissors to cut vitamin E capsules optional

Cheese grater helps for melting smaller pieces of wax, mine was much too large to use a grater

Step 2: My Experiment

Disclaimer: I am not an expert on making a treatment for my hands using bees wax, in fact this is my first attempt. I am sharing my personal experience of making a hand wax treatment that worked for me; by the way, the wax is much hotter than you think and it may or may not be the safest way to make this recipe. It needs to cool a tad bit more before applying it to your hands. Hot wax is very dangerous and can cause serious burns. Please be safe and research before making this recipe.

My first formula one part wax to a mixture of honey, jojoba oil, and 2 capsules of vitamin E oil. After making it I did not achieve the consistency that I needed to make a hand wax that was similar to the paraffin wax salons use.

I realized that the wax set up too fast before it cooled enough to stick my hand into it and I noticed it was quite sticky.I went back to the internet and found a link where a lady that experimented mixing coconut oil with bees wax here ; I wished I had found this earlier because I had already melted my wax and added the honey, jojoba oil, and vitamin E oil.

I wanted to achieve a creamy texture that could be heated in a sauce pan and not leave a wax residue and would lightly coat the hands or feet like paraffin wax. I re- melted one of the containers and added more jojoba oil,honey, and added Shea butter and Coconut oil. It was much better but was still a little too thick so I continued to tweak several jars until I was close to the mixture I wanted. I made the last recipe from scratch instead of adding to the existing jars but the honey settled to the bottom again and I don't know why. It won't matter because this mixture will be heated for a hot hand treatment anyway.

A little bit of honey settled to the bottom of the first and second batches. I had one batch that was clear but the ingredients were not noted. I am wondering why the first couple of mixtures separated slightly and one didn't.

The good news is; if you make a mistake you can remelt the mixture and make adjustments because the recipe is very forgiving.

Step 3: Set Up Work Station

Adding the ingredients to the melted wax goes pretty fast and as soon as the mixture is stirred you don't have long before it cools enough to dip your hands into the mixture, so your gloves need to be handy. It helps to have another person helping with this process.

Set up a work station with everything you need.

Step 4: Heat Water

Method:

Start heating the water.

Oil the metal or glass bowl with salad oil, Pam, or jojoba oil using a paper towel.

Step 5: Melt Wax

Method:

Place the wax into the broiler until it is completely melted.

Add the coconut oil and Shea butter and allow mixture to melt.

Remove the bowl using a hot pad.

Allow to cool until mixture is cool enough to touch comfortably.

Step 6: Add Oils to Wax

Incorporate ingredients:

Add the oils and essential oils to the cool mixture.

Mix thoroughly.

Step 7: Oil Hands and Apply Wax Mixture

While the mixture is hot I decided to try out the formula. If you won't be doing this then go ahead and pour the mixture into the jars following the instructions in step 9. Even though the pictures show this is thick it worked on my dry hands very nicely.My last batch had a little creamier texture like a salve.The last four pictures in this group shows the last formula I made and it is close to a paraffin wax.If it is too thin you can add a small amount of wax to thicken it up. It will be a lot easier to thicken it if the mixture is too thin than too thick.By the way the coconut oil and honey smell so good~

Method:

Wash hands using sugar scrub.

Rinse and dry hands.

Oil hands with jojoba oil.

Remember this mixture tends to be a tad bit hotter once it is applied to the skin.

Dip hands into the mixture and let the wax form and dip your hands a couple more times allowing the wax to coat the hands or feet.

Put the rubber gloves over the hands. Use a plastic bag for the feet and the foot socks over the plastic bag.

Put on the cotton gloves.

Relax for an hour or longer.

Step 8: Remove Wax

Method:

Carefully remove your gloves and throw them away.

You will notice how clean your hands are, thanks to the oil used before dipping into the wax.

Wipe the excess oil and wax using a paper towel.

Wash hands with soap and water and rinse and dry. Repeat if necessary.

Step 9: Reheat Mixture

Method:

Allow the mixture to cool for a couple of hours; this will give you a good idea how it will set up.

Add more oil or wax to the mixture if you do not like the consistency.

Reheat mixture until it has re- melted.

Allow to cool before pouring into glass containers but watch it closely so you can still pour it into a container so it will look like a finished product with no lumps.

I don't know for sure but I think this mixture will keep for a couple of months before going bad. It has honey and vitamin E oil and these are known to keep at room temperature.However I would keep it in the refrigerator if you will be using the coconut oil because on my bottle it says to refrigerate after opening.

Step 10: Sunshiines Final Thoughts

This recipe is great for those who are sensitive to paraffin wax. My hands feel so amazing~ Honey and wax are a great combination for dry hands and feet and the added oils really make it a wonderful hand and foot treatment. I am very happy with the results and will be making this again tweaking the recipe each time. I will make another recipe without the honey for everyday use. I hope you give the wax a try. This time of the year ants can be a problem so it is a good idea to make sure no wax is on the outside of the bottle.

I wish to thank contributors for making instructables the best place to hang out on the internet~ Thanks for stopping by and do have a great week~

sunshiine~

Comments

[sunflowerdeby]

Hi! How has this recipe continued to improve? I just found this and was wondering after 7 yrs if you’ve made any changes? My wax question is if you’ve used beeswax pellets and i just saw on Amazon a beeswax melting machine, the melting bowl is made of silicone. It’s actually for melting beeswax for hair removal but hey… I thought that might work! Looking forward to hearing back from you!
Sunflower Deby

[ultradeluxe]

The mixture separated because it hadn’t reached emulsification-next time, add a very small amount of liquid lecithin, no more than 1 teaspoon, and use an immersion blender to mix it very well. It should be completely homogenous.

[JadeyBT]

I will be giving this a try but I wanted to ask if you think it could work in a paraffin heater as I own a treatment bath already. I have been a fan of the results but was not keen on paraffin due to it being from crude oil avoiding patrolleum etc. Like yourself I had not found a natural alternative to use at home... till now. Thanks for sharing.

[sunshiine]

I have not used a paraffin heater or paraffin wax before so I do not know if bees wax could be used in your machine or not. This was my first experience melting wax. I have a hunch that the paraffin wax is a softer wax and probably does not retain the heat like bees wax does. I would do an online search and see if other people are using bees wax in their machine but I am not sure I would use bees wax in the machine until you work a little bit with bees wax using a low temperature heat source. I was thinking about using one of those heat elements to burn candles in jars and see how it would work. What I am thinking is the bees wax may be too hard and ruin the sides of your machine but I really do not know. That is why I suggest you to melt some bees wax with some sort of heat element in a container that may be similar to what your machine is and then try to clean it afterwards. I wished I could be more help. I hope it works great for you~ Thanks for asking and do have a super week.
sunshiine~

[LisaP232]

So?? Did it work with your paraffin machine? Im very curious.

Lisa

[sunshiine]

Hi lisa, I do not own a machine, so I am not sure about it but I did find this link for you to read and make your own decision. Thanks for stopping by and do have a great day~ https://www.thriftyfun.com/tf27493428.tip.html
sunshiine~

[WendyK16]

This sounds so heavenly esp on the feet thanks!

[ThisIsMyNameOK]

The very first project that came to mind when I was thinking about things to do with wax was a hot wax treatment. Only I was thinking more of a dip for treating arthritis, which requires a lot more wax and would be very expensive to do with beeswax. It's expensive enough paraffin.

I used to like using Burt's Bees cream on my hands when they got bad, and this seems like this would work just as well, probably even better. I don't think I would want to apply it while it's hot though. Not if my hands were severely dry. Sounds painful.

[sunshiine]

You wait until the wax just begins to set up and then test it by dipping your finger into it just a little and wait a couple of seconds to see how hot it is. A person might be able to set up a heating device that the heat can be controlled so the wax stays hot enough not to set up but cool enough to touch. I read somewhere that bees wax was very beneficial for arthritis and this formula would probably be good to use for that. I would probably use a tad bit more wax to the recipe say about 1/8 to 1/4 cup more if not using it as a hot wax. Thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts. Have a splendid day!

sunshiine~

[ThisIsMyNameOK]

Of course, I read your instructions and I know that you let the wax cool until it was comfortable before applying it. I am very tired and not thinking too clearly.

I was thinking back to when my hands used to get dry and cracked from work. It got so bad that it was very painful to put anything on them. I tried several things and couldn't tolerate any of them, not even the Burt's Bees cream. Then one day at work, when I was concerned about one of the cracks that had started to bleed, I put some Polysporin on it. And it didn't hurt. That night I coated the backs of both hands in Polysporin and wrapped them with gauze. The next morning they were almost completely healed. And I've been a huge fan of Polysporin ever since.

Anyway, you did a great job of formulating this recipe and documenting it. I'm sure it will be helpful to many people. =)

[sunshiine]

Your not the only one who feels like they aren't thinking clearly. I have been experiencing a lot of that lately, I didn't take it wrong at all. I will do a search on polysporin it sounds interesting. We usually use vitamin E on our cuts and it helps heal them fairly quick. You sure got my curiosity up about polysporin I have never heard of it. Thanks for sharing~

sunshiine~

[ThisIsMyNameOK]

Polysporin is an antibiotic ointment. You should be able to find it in your local drug store. I prefer the "triple antibiotic" one. I just automatically dab it on any cut I get, especially if it was from a knife in the kitchen or anything that might have bacteria on it. It has a petroleum jelly base though which I know some people don't like. Tea tree oil is a great natural antibiotic, and the raw organic honey you used in your cream is supposed to be very good as well. I was planning to add a section to my Instructable about both vitamin e and tea tree but I didn't have enough time.

[sunshiine]

Thanks so much for sharing this information. Have a great day~

sunshiine~

[sabu.dawdy]

I tried this with paraffin wax before you even posted. It works wonder. In India this is used commonly. I was about to post project on this too but my pictures were not so great. One more thing, you can even apply layers of oil on skin and then dip your foot in parrafin but be careful.

[sunshiine]

Hello sabudawdy, thanks for stopping by and commenting. It is always a joy to see your projects!

Paraffin wax is a lot cheaper than bees wax. It is common here to use paraffin also but from what I understand is paraffin wax is made from crude and does not burn as clean as bees wax. Bees wax is a lot more natural and is a great alternative for people who sensitive to paraffin wax. Have a splendid week~

sunshiine~

[Sunglowart]

There you go again sunshine...just another wonderful intractable, just in time as i needed it.

[sunshiine]

Thank you so much for stopping by and taking a peek. My hands are loving this stuff. Even hubby noticed how hydrated they were. My hands get a lot of abuse from using them all the time. Have a beautiful day, your comment meant a lot~

sunshiine~