Easy Homemade Hand Cream Recipe (Non-Greasy)

Looking for an easy homemade hand cream recipe? This one is a keeper. It’s rich enough to deeply moisturize dry hands, but it has a lighter, less greasy feel than many DIY hand creams.

This simple DIY hand cream uses nourishing oils and butters, comes together quickly, and can be customized with essential oils if you like. Even better, it works beautifully as a homemade hand lotion for dry skin, especially in winter.

This recipe is especially great if you have dry hands, wash your hands frequently, or want a natural, non-toxic alternative to store-bought hand creams.

I love making as many of my personal care items in order to cut down on toxins in our home and on our bodies.

I've made Eye Makeup Remover, Alcohol-Free Hairspray, Sugar Scrub, Nourishing Lip Scrub, Hair Rinse, Homemade Body Wash, and more. I've been looking for a homemade lotion recipe that works for a long time, and I finally have it.

I can't stand forking out a ton of money for something when I can make it for a fraction of the cost myself.

This recipe is based off of a recipe that one of my readers shared with me. I liked it a lot, but ended up tweaking it to make it even better.

Why You’ll Love This Hand Cream

This homemade hand cream is

• deeply moisturizing for dry hands
• non-greasy compared to many DIY hand creams
• easy to make with simple ingredients
• customizable with different oils, butters, and scents
• doubles as a hand lotion or body cream

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Why This Hand Cream Works Better Than Lotion Bars for Me

I love the concept of lotion bars, but I've found them to be hard to use due to how long it takes for them to soften. When I try to use them before they’ve softened enough, they pull on my skin, which I don’t love.

This hand cream is solid at room temperature, but it isn’t super hard and softens up really quickly in your hands, even in our home in winter, and we don't keep our heat turned up that high.

Why This Hand Cream Feels Less Greasy

The simple step of adding arrowroot powder helps this hand cream feel much less greasy on your skin. So simple!

Arrowroot is a great oil absorber. It can be used for removing oil stains from clothing and it’s also a great ingredient in DIY dry shampoo. In fact, we often use arrowroot on its own as a super quick “I didn’t have time to wash my hair” solution.

Of course, arrowroot doesn’t remove all of the oil in the recipe (that would be ridiculous), arrowroot absorbs some of it so that the resulting lotion is a great consistency and also a non-greasy treat for your skin.

You can also use cornstarch or tapioca starch, and you should get the same or a very similar result.

How to Use This Homemade Hand Cream

You can use this homemade hand cream

• before bed
• any time of day for dry hands
• to soften cuticles
• for rough patches anywhere on hands or body
• elbows/knees if desired

You can simply apply this hand cream anytime, but here are a few ways to make it work even better.

• Use a Sugar Scrub followed with this cream for hands that feel super soft and revitalized. The moisture left from rinsing off the scrub is sealed into your skin by the cream.
• Put this body cream on before bed (misting your body with some water first is best) and wake up to healthy, nourished skin.

Hand Cream vs. Hand Lotion: What’s the Difference?

Hand cream is usually thicker and more concentrated than hand lotion, which makes it especially helpful for dry or rough hands. This recipe has the richness of a hand cream, but thanks to the arrowroot, it feels lighter and less greasy than many homemade versions. So while I call it a hand cream, many people would think of it as a homemade hand lotion too.

How to Customize This Hand Cream for Different Skin Needs

By choosing essential oils for your specific skincare need, you can turn your lotion from being simply moisturizing to something that really addresses what is going on with your skin.

• Dry or aging skin? Try rose or geranium.
• Need to be energized and refreshed? Try lavender, lemon, and grapefruit.
• Troubled skin? Try helichrysum, frankincense, lavender, sandalwood, chamomile, rose or jasmine.
• Want to avoid stretch marks? Try helichrysum, lavender, patchouli, neroli, rose, or geranium.

Recipe Notes

• Essential Oil Options: Use whatever combination you like. I've used orange, which was really heavenly smelling, especially combined with the fragrance of the coconut oil. It smelled kind of like a creamsicle. Lavender would be very soothing as well.
• Butter/Oil Options: This recipe is very versatile. I've used extra coconut oil and shea butter when I was out of cocoa butter, and it still turned out great.
• Container Size: This makes a small amount: just enough for small canning jars like these.
• Solidifying Problems: Please note that some (including me) who have made this have had issues with it not solidifying. I suspect it has to do with the type of shea butter used.  It seems that if you use a raw shea butter, the resulting product is not as firm. Even if your hand cream is more liquid, you can still use it. In fact, you could put it in a pump bottle and use it that way.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use this as hand lotion?

Yes. This recipe is thicker than a typical hand lotion, but it spreads easily and works beautifully as a homemade hand lotion.

Why is this homemade hand cream non-greasy?

Arrowroot powder helps absorb some of the oils, so the finished cream feels less heavy and greasy on the skin.

Can I make this hand cream without shea butter?

Yes, but the texture may change. You can experiment with more coconut oil or another butter, though the finished cream may be softer or firmer depending on what you choose.

Why didn’t my hand cream solidify?

Different brands and types of ingredients can affect texture. If your cream stays softer than expected, you can still use it in a jar or pump bottle.

Can I use cornstarch instead of arrowroot?

Usually yes. Tapioca starch may also work similarly.

More Homemade Personal Care Products You'll Love

• Homemade Shea Butter Lotion – non-greasy and great for all skin types, including aging skin and acne-pron skin.
• Homemade Lip Scrub – so healthy you can literally eat it!
• Apple Cider Vinegar Hair Rinse – makes your hair super healthy!
• DIY Sugar Scrub – get spa results without the spa prices
• Black Cumin Face Oil Blend – get amazing skin without paying a hefty price

Not Wanting To DIY?

If you aren't really in the mood to make your own lotion, or just are out of time, you can buy clean lotions too. I'm really careful to avoid using anything with artificial fragrances.

Poofy Organics has a lot of great options at a reasonable price. Their Skin Hero lotion is fantastic. Use code WNM to get 10% off your first order.

Have you ever made your own homemade hand cream?

Photo credits – Naomi Huzovicova