Using Snake Oil in a Hand Cream

Last week, I shared the adventure that brought a jar of Snake Oil Cream to my attention. Jerry helped me find some snake oil online. When I first received the bottle, it was cold outside and the snake oil had solidified in the bottle. I wasn’t sure how I was going to get it out of the narrow mouthed bottle. Fortunately, once the snake oil sat in my apartment for a day, it became a clear liquid. Soooo, here is your reminder because my brain wasn’t working! Oils change during shipping during hot or cold weather! :)Snake oil has a “meaty” odor to it, so I would recommend using a small amount if you are going to use it. According to some of my extended family here in Beijing, snake oil is used in traditional medicine as it is said to help relieve pain if applied to painful joints. It is also used in cosmetics because it is a favorite for making skin softer and more pliable. Emu Oil is very similar to snake oil, so you can even try out this formula using Emu Oil! Ready to go check out the rest of the ingredients that I chose for this recipe? Let’s take a peek! I chose Macadamia Nut Oil because it is a light weight oil and I wanted to make a hand cream that was to be applied and then the user could go back to their project of choice. I wanted to ensure that my cream wouldn’t separate, so I used Emulsifying Wax as my emulsifier. I added a little bit of Stearic Acid to give the cream some body without making it waxy or too heavy. I decided to use Hydrovance as my humectant for the long term moisturizing. You can use any humectant of your choice, so don’t feel limited by my choice! As I haven’t worked with snake oil before and I wanted to help extend the shelf life to help the accuracy in my personal testing of this recipe. I added Vitamin E Acetate as an antioxidant to help slow the oxidation of the cream. Liquid Germall Plus is one of my go-to preservatives because it has a low required usage rate. (Which means money saved!) It also is compatible with most cosmetic ingredients so I don’t have to worry as much about a failed preservative. Should we go make some hand cream now? Let’s go! Collect needed items: Ingredients Water Macadamia Nut Oil Snake Oil (You can use Emu Oil with no difference to the texture of the recipe.) Emulsifying Wax Hydrovance Stearic Acid Vitamin E Acetate Liquid Germall Plus Equipment Scale Microwave Safe Container Spoons Pipettes Recipe: (Makes 4 ounces or 115 grams) Recipe in ounces: 3.02 ounces Water 0.32 ounces Macadamia Nut Oil 0.2 ounces Snake Oil 0.2 ounces Emulsifying Wax 0.12 ounces Hydrovance 0.08 ounces Stearic Acid 0.04 ounces Vitamin E Acetate 0.02 ounces Liquid Germall Plus Recipe in grams: 86.8 grams Water 9.2 grams Macadamia Nut Oil 5.7 grams Snake Oil 5.7 grams Emulsifying Wax 3.5 grams Hydrovance 2.3 grams Stearic Acid 1.2 grams Vitamin E Acetate 0.6 grams Liquid Germall Plus Recipe in Percentages 75.5% Water 8% Macadamia Nut Oil 5% Snake Oil 5% Emulsifying Wax 3% Hydrovance 2% Stearic Acid 1% Vitamin E Acetate 0.5% Liquid Germall Plus

Completely cooled cream on my finger. Snake and Macadamia Oils. These ingredients are ready to be melted! Melted ingredients after being briefly mixed. The hand cream after cooling for a few minutes.

Weigh all ingredients except the additives (Vitamin E Acetate and Liquid Germall Plus) into a microwave safe container. Heat in the microwave using short time bursts until everything is melted. Blend the ingredients to a smooth, creamy consistency using the immersion blender. Add the additives once the temperature drops to approximately 120° F in the mixing bucket. Stir gently until completely mixed. Pour into containers and allow to cool completely before labeling.

Cream Notes: This is a hand cream that almost is a mid weight feeling cream. I applied it to my hands and found that it did take some time to absorb, but once it had absorbed my hands didn’t feel greasy. I have left a few oily fingerprints on my keyboard. I would apply this after a shower for the best results! I think this cream feels great, which surprised me because I was more hesitant than usual about trying a new recipe.

The meaty odor of the snake oil does not completely dissipate after being mixed with all the other ingredients. It would be easily covered up or act as an accent note to earthy or plant like fragrances. Think Autumn Afternoon, Berries & Twigs, Earth or Sandalwood.

Well, this was interesting! Ready for a surprise? Tomorrow, I’ll show you a soap that I made with snake oil. (Then I won’t make anything else with snake oil!) See you tomorrow!