How We Make Our Gardener's Hand & Body Cream
Our Gardener's Hand & Body Cream starts well before I turn on the equipment in the lab. There's the comfrey root to harvest, wash and chop, then the tincture to prepare. That part takes six months.
The video below is an earlier look at making the cream. I've kept it here so you can see some of the work behind the finished product, alongside a written outline of the process.
Starting with our herbs
We grow herbs on our family permaculture farm in Wyndham, on the Far South Coast of NSW. For this cream, the comfrey root is prepared as an apple cider vinegar tincture.
When I'm ready to make the cream, I also prepare a fresh herbal infusion using echinacea, calendula and chamomile. The tincture and the infusion are different preparations, and both involve work before the cream-making begins.
Making the cream in stages
Each cream has its own formulation. We don't use one base and simply give every jar a different name.
In the making process shown here, I prepare the base, melt the waxes and blend the oils, then bring in the prepared herbal ingredients. Blending and cooling follow, with the essential oils added in the later stage.
This is a look at our making process, rather than a complete recipe. It doesn't give the quantities, temperatures or production checks needed to reproduce the formulation.
Watch the making video
Where the cream fits into hand care
Our Gardener's Hand & Body Cream is made to moisturise and soften dry, hardworking hands. Use a small amount and spread it gently, adding more only if needed. Follow the directions on the product and patch test before first use.
If you prefer a richer balm for small dry areas, our Calendula Ointment is a separate, water-free product made with calendula flowers infused into olive oil and Australian beeswax. You can read more about it in our Calendula Ointment ingredient article.
Buying the cream or choosing a gardening gift
The standalone Gardener's Hand & Body Cream is currently listed in a 250 ml size. Check the product page for current prices, ingredients and availability.
For a gift, our Let Love Grow Christmas set brings together hand cream, secateurs, chamomile seeds and a garden tag. See the set's own listing for its contents; the standalone cream size isn't a statement of the size in the gift set.
We grow the herbs, formulate the cream and make it in our off-grid, solar-powered lab. Being able to show you that work is an important part of what we do.
Chat soon,
Kay