[Sca-cooks] Re: Hand cream

[Christiane]

At last, a question I know I can answer!

Here is my period hand cream redaction. I learned it as a volunteer at Pennsbury Manor, a 17th century historic site, and in doing some research found Elizabethan versions. It's an oil and beeswax handcream, the oil is steeped in fresh roses, and rosewater is used to "whiten" and mix the oil and wax together.

My hand cream was made this way:

For the oil of roses, take 2 or so pounds of fresh, strong-smelling roses. I gather mine from my apothecary, my Tudor, and my damask rose bushes.  Stuff the some of the roses into a covered crockery pot,  pour in some olive oil, add some more roses, pour in some more oil, until the jar is stuffed absolutely full. Place in the sun,  covered with a loose crockery lid, for a week, or place the jar in a pan of hot water.  Strain the oil through muslin, discarding the pulped rose goop, and place the oil in a brown glass bottle. This can keep for quite awhile in the refrigerator.

For the cream take a couple of ounces of the oil, 2 or so of yellow beeswax, and melt the beeswax in the oil over a double boiler. When the wax is just melted, pour the oil-wax mixture into a ceramic bowl inset into another bowl partly filled with cold water. Add rosewater in a steady stream, beating the mixture with a small spatula until I judged the mixture thick/thin enough and cannot absorb any more rosewater (you can pour the excess off). I then add four drops of lavender essential oil, two drops of rosemary essential oil, and 12 or so drops of orange blossom essential oil, beating well between each mixture. Other good essential oil additions could be tuberose, rose (if you have the real deal), thyme, and bergamot.

Here are period recipes for the Oyntment of Roses:


>From the Widowes Treasure , printed by Edward Alde for Edward White 1588 at London. 

To make the Oyntment of Roses 
Take oyle of roses foure ounces, white waxe one ounce, melte them together over seething water, then chafe them together with Rosewater and a little white vinegar. 

John Partridge, The Treasurie of Hidden Secrets and Commodious Conceits, 1586

To Make Oyntment of Roses 
Take oyle of Roses four ounces, white wax one ounce, melt them together over seething water, then chafe them together with Rose-water and a little white vinegar. 

This recipe by Alethea Talbot, printed in Natura Exenterata,  is out-of-period by 1655. but it was the only citation I could find for what Oyl of Roses was.  I assume when she says "leaves," we would say "petals." 

To make Oyl of roses. 
Take a pound and half of red Rose leaves, cut away the whites, and 
stamp them small, and put them in a glasse or earthen pot; put 
thereto a quart of Oyl Olive; and let the glasse be full of Oyl and 
leaves within an inch of the top, then stop it close with paste, that 
no air come into it, and set the glasse in a pot full of Water, as high 
as the Oyl is, and no higher; and set the glasse fast that it fal not, 
with some Hay under it at that it break not, and let it seeth in the 
pot til the water be half wasted; then take the pot from the fire, and 
let the glasse stand in it without removing til it be cold, afterward 
take out the glas and pour out the Oyl, and put it in another glas, 
and put fresh rose leaves to it. This manner is to be observed in 
making Oyl of all other Herbs. 

Gianotta