How To Make an Herbal Salve
Salves are herbal infused oil combined with a ratio of beeswax to harden and preserve. You can make salves for all different things, some of my favorites being beauty purposes, cuts and scrapes, bug bites, rashes, congestion, and achey muscles/joints. They are versatile and last years, easily thrown into your bag, your first aid kit or kept on your desk at work. The beeswax itself has healing properties, and if you do a little digging you can probably find a local bee keeper who is willing to sell you their beeswax! If not, there are plenty of bulk beeswax suppliers online, just make sure it is pure. Following the general guidelines below will yield a nice salve that can be built upon and adjusted for any use! Get creative with you infused oils and you can create salves for many different purposes.
Ingredients
1 oz. beeswax
4 oz. herbal infused oil(s) of your choice
10-20 drops essential oil of choice (optional)
Directions
Place beeswax in a double boiler and warm over low heat until the beeswax melts completely.
Add herbal oils and stir over low heat until oil and beeswax are fully incorporated.
Remove from heat and add essential oils (optional)
Stir in essential oils thoroughly
Quickly pour warm mixture into prepared tins. Gently scrape any salve that hardens to the sides of the pouring jar and reheat. repeat until you’ve used all of the salve mixture. Allow the salve to cool in completely before putting the lid on.
Store in a temperature regulated place. Salves are good for up to 2 years.
Tips: Cleaning hardened beeswax is a pain in the butt! You can gently reheat your pot until everything becomes a liquid, wipe off as much as you can with a paper towel when its still hot (be careful) and scrub the rest with HOT water and soap. Most will get wiped off with the paper towels, making it easier to clean. Salves can be made into all different consistencies simply by adjusting the oil to beeswax ratio. You can create more of a balm by adding less beeswax, and a harder salve by adding more beeswax. There is a time and place for both! Play around with adding things like coconut il, chia butter, coco butter, etc! You can test the consistency by taking a little bit of the hot liquid salve on a spoon and placing it in the refrigerator for a couple of minutes until it hardens, prior to pouring into jars.
