What are the beeswax benefits for skincare?
Beeswax hydrates, softens and soothes with amazing benefits for skin
If you suffer from dry hands, or chapped elbows, knees or other areas of skin, beeswax skincare is a wonderful option.
The Science Part
The skin on your hands is as exposed to the elements as your face, yet your hands are one of the most neglected parts of your body. But why does the skin on our hands feel so different, and how can a beeswax hand cream help?
The skin on our palms and the back of our hands is actually quite different. Unlike other areas of your body, your palms don’t have hair and the makeup of the skin here is different to the backs of your hands.
Your palms are rich in fatty, connective tissue. The middle layer of your skin (the dermis) connects to the top level (the epidermis) through many papillae which are connective tissue. These rows of papillae form the ridges that we know as finger and handprints but they also help your hands to hold on to things and prevent your skin from tearing.
In contrast, the skin on the back of our hands has hardly any fatty tissue and is much thinner. The production of the protective sebum here is drastically lower, meaning it’s harder for your hands to hold in moisture or produce any naturally. No wonder our hands are one of the first areas to show signs of ageing!
Repetitive use of hand sanitisers and hand washing can strip the natural protective layer in the epidermis (top skin layer), leaving the skin dry and possibly chapped. During dry seasons and in individuals with dry skin, this occurs even more quickly.
Why Many Hands Creams Do Not Help?
Beeswax Hand Cream and Beeswax Hand Salve are actually different – typically Hand Creams contain water, whereas Salves and Balms do not. To help replenish and rehydrate your skin, there are many options on the market from lighter lotions, to creams and butters. However, one ingredient most of these have in common is water (aqua).
Now obviously there’s nothing wrong with putting water on your skin! However, to sell a hand cream containing water, the manufacturers are legally obliged to add a preservative. The role of the preservative is to kill any bacteria (as bacteria require water to live). As well as keeping the cream sterile and giving it longer shelf life, they can also kill naturally occurring skin flora and upset the delicate balance. Your whole body is covered with bacteria, and if you remove some of those good bacteria, they can be replaced by other, potentially harmful, bacteria. Natural bacteria are there for a reason. Many people find hand creams and lotions actually dry their skin – these added preservatives are thought to be one of the reasons for this.
If you’re concerned about putting these preservatives on your body, look for skincare without water (it’ll be listed as ‘aqua’ on the ingredients). These will either be freshly made cosmetics with a short shelf life (easy to make yourself) or salves, balms and ointments that do not contain water.
The beeswax benefits for skin
Beeswax is one of nature’s most wonderful ingredients and has been used for centuries in Salves and Ointments. Delivering anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties, beeswax is a wonderful natural moisturiser and is suitable for those with even the most sensitive skin. (For more buzzing beeswax facts check out our blog on why we love beeswax)
Our hand salves are made from 100% natural plant oils blended with our pure, wildcrafted beeswax (naturally containing honey and propolis) and fragranced using organic essential oils (note – if you see ‘parfum’ on the ingredient deck of a skincare product, this is the general terminology used for a large range of synthetic fragrances)
As well as helping soothe and soften dry hands, our Beeswax Hand Salves are also great for dry elbows and knees which suffer in a similar way to our hands. But don’t take our word for it – here are some fab comments from some of our lovely customers:
“I love this balm!! It’s so much more than a hand salve, I use this after shaving my legs and it leaves them so soft and smooth. The lavender adds that special touch” – Louise
“I have been using the Rosey Hand Salve for a few months, having come across the product in a shop. I found that it really helped to make my hands soft & smooth. The best results were with my nails. They definitely feel stronger & aren’t breaking so much anymore.” – Julie
“This salve is just great to use at the moment as too much sanitising gel is making my hands very dry. The hand salve makes such a difference” – Penny
Some of our Fave Beeswax Hand Salves
Our Rosey hand salve is great for mature skin which loses elasticity as it ages. Rose Otto is renowned for combating the signs of ageing and our super-rich hand balm is a delicious smelling solution for dry skin relief.
Rosey Beeswax Hand Salve – perfect for dry hands that need some TLCOur Lemon and Lavender Hand Salve with its twist on a traditional Lavender fragrance is popular with gardeners and non-gardeners alike. Anaother benefit of beeswax in skincare
Lemon and Lavender Hand Salve – a traditional remedy with a twistAll our hand salves contain Jojoba oil, which is close to the skin’s natural sebum, something our hands, knees and elbows lack. Another way to boost moisture for your hands is to apply salve straight after washing. Your moist skin will soak it up easier.
We also have a range of gift sets. With FREE delivery and a Hand Written Card with a message of your choice, they’re a perfect solution to show someone you care.
Our Rosey Gift Set for Soft Supple Hands and Luscious Lips that smell Rosey!Check out our range of hand salves …we also donate 10% of our profits to wildlife causes to help bring back the wildflower meadows and the pollinators they support.
Thanks for reading!
