Hempseed Lotion 

Hempseed Hand and Elbow Cream

More details about the ingredients used in this lotion, short of the actual recipe. This rich lotion is made for crafty hands; it nourishes and protects skin exposed to both weather and human ingenuity.  It is on the thicker side, not quite a cream.

Ingredient List for the Hempseed Hand and Elbow Cream

(In order of amount by gram weight):
Purified water, E-wax, Hemp seed Oil, Coconut Oil, Red Palm Oil, Glycerin, Vitamin E Oil, Optiphen, Essential Oils (Patchouli, Sage, White Grapefruit).
 

Active Lotion Ingredients in more Detail:

[It's good to understand what you are putting together, and putting on your skin.]
Distilled water- Pure water to hydrate the skin. Less in a cream than is a lotion.
Hempseed Oil- High Gamma-Linolenic Acid (GLA) content, which helps with skin oil balance and cellular repair (supports skin’s ability to heal). This is a dark green liquid oil at room temperature with a slightly nutty/earthy scent. It is completely non-comodegenic, (it does not clog pores), and the GLA content reduces dermatitis or skin inflammation over time.
Coconut Oil- Contains medium chain fatty acids that soften skin, increase tensile strength of skin by improving elasticity, also offers mild protection from UV rays. Solid at room temperature, melts at body temperature. Puts creaminess in cream.
Red Palm Oil- Very dense in beta-caotenes and a rich reddish yellow colored culinary oil. Recently in vogue for the rare tocotrienols and tocopherols of the vitamin E family, and high anti-oxidant content found in this oil. Concern over destruction of orangutan habitat has lead to controversy about cultivating red palm in Southeast Asia after it was "discovered" as a health food. This oil comes from Ecuador, which is not where orangutans live. Also there is no added color to this lotion but it is so full of carotenes that this oil is naturally bright orange.
E-wax or Emulsifying Wax- This is the hydrophilic substance that attaches a water molecule to a fatty acid molecule. It joins oil and water, which is what lotion is, an emulsion. This emulsion delivers hydration and nourishment to your skin. It also forms a layer of protection against potentially harmful elements in the environment such as sun, wind, and extreme temperatures. It is created by a process that exposes a substance such as soy lecithin to a detergent, which refines and increases the properties that emulsify. 
Vegetable Stearic Acid- Basically this is a wax like fatty acid composed of 17 carbons in a linear chain plus a carboxylic acid group. It is bonded to as many hydrogen atoms as possible, so it makes the oil feel much more friendly toward water; less greasy. It is also used to harden soaps and candles. When it is whipped into lotion it keeps the fluff factor intact. It helps decrease lotion separation because if there are lots of temperature changes over time there are no plastic chemicals in this recipe to keep that from happening. 
Optiphen (Non-Paraben preservative)- A biodegradable preservative for skin care products. I will just refer you to the MSDS. At full strength it can irritate the eyes, and it has been tested on bunnies, but probably not lately. It does not contain stuff that breaks down into formaldehyde. Also it prevents molding and bacterial growth in cosmetic preparations (stored properly in a cool place). It would be irresponsible to sell vegetable based cream without a preservative. I also vaccinated my children. So yeah. You're welcome. (Do I sound slightly defensive about it organic off-grid vegan friends?) 
Vegetable Glycerin- Has many dietary, medicinal, and industrial uses. In lotion it is a humectant (attracts moisture to the skin), which leaves your skin hydrated. In cosmetic products that deliver an active ingredient, glycerin increases the solubility of the active ingredient, making it more easily absorbed by the skin.
Vitamin E Oil- Antioxident that prevents damage from free radicals and ROS (reactive oxygen species). Sort of like rust prevention for your cellular membranes. It also boosts collagen production, a connective tissue that keeps skin elastic, and also decreases wrinkle formation. As a nutrient it supports new skin cell growth and speeds up cell regeneration.
Patchouli (Dark) Essential Oil- Used for thousands of years in India. Healing for dry cracked skin. A resinous oil that gets better with age. It has an earthy, woody, musky sweet penetrating scent. Anti-anxiety, anti-fungal, decreases appetite, repels insects, increases libido. 
Sage (Dalmatian) Essential Oil- Known for it's purifying and strengthening properties. Increases mental alertness in small amounts, in large amounts it has the opposite effect.
(White) Grapefruit Essential Oil- Energizing, fresh, uplifts mood. Promotes a can-do attitude for the highly capable. Own that Maker Space!

Disclaimer: There is a hypothetical possibility of allergy to anything you put on your skin. Ingredients in this lotion are not generally considered allergenic. That said, I do not recommend this lotion for pregnant or breastfeeding women or people undergoing chemotherapy or radiation treatments. The most common adverse effect of patchouli is nausea and lack of appetite.
Note: There are people who really love patchouli and those who do not. In my opinion, if you recently returned from Burning Man or a Rainbow Family Gathering, wear any kind of lotion you want, but Patchouli does not take the place of a bath friend.
Be Well.
P.S. Thirty years ago when I first wrote this, Burning Man was a yearly gathering of Performance Artists, desert rats, and hipsters on bikes, with a symbolic efigy dedicated to bad break-ups, not the huge mega event it is today.  The Great Quentini was my ex bro in law.

-Alice