Dry Skin Rescue Balm

When skin is really dry, cracked or reacting to the weather, this is the balm I reach for. It leans on evening primrose oil for its skin-calming GLA, with rich butters to seal in comfort and protect the barrier. It's water-free, so no preservative is needed. Makes roughly 60g.

What you'll need

• 20g Shea Butter (33%)
• 10g Mango Butter (17%)
• 14g Sweet Almond Oil (23%)
• 7g Evening Primrose Oil (12%)
• 8g White Beeswax Pellets (13%)
• 1g Vitamin E (1.5%)
• A drop of Rosemary Extract (ROE) to help it last

Make it a kit: the evening primrose, butters, beeswax and antioxidants here make a lovely 'rescue balm' kit for anyone with dry or eczema-prone skin.

Method

1. Melt the shea, mango butter, sweet almond oil and beeswax together gently over a bain-marie until just clear.
2. Remove from the heat and cool for a few minutes.
3. Stir in the evening primrose oil, vitamin E and rosemary extract — these delicate bits go in last, off the heat, to protect them.
4. Pour into a clean jar and leave undisturbed to set.

Tips

Keep the heat low throughout — evening primrose is a delicate oil and you want to look after it. This balm is best kept somewhere cool and used within about six months. I'd keep it fragrance-free for very reactive skin.

Steph x

Shop the ingredients

Prefer to buy just what this recipe needs, rather than a full kit? Add everything to your basket in one click — or pick just what you still need from the list below. Each one is the smallest size, and even these make several batches, so one order will keep you making this again and again.

Add all ingredients to basket

• Shea Butter — 250g, €7.38
• Mango Butter — 250g, €8.61
• Sweet Almond Oil — 100ml, €3.30
• Evening Primrose Oil — 100ml, €9.80
• White Beeswax Pellets — 250g, €8.61
• Vitamin E — 50ml, €15.38
• Rosemary Extract (ROE) — €3.69

The button adds one of each smallest size — just adjust the quantities in your basket if you'd like more.