DIY

Over the holidays I decided to hand out a couple of homemade items to some family members as part of their gifts. One of the things I made was an all-purpose herbal salve that I’m really quite proud of. I use this stuff for EVERYTHING from burns, cuts, scrapes, eczema/dry skin patches, and any other excuse I can come up with. I didn’t think to take pictures during the process at the time(I wasn’t blogging yet anyway) but I did manage to snap a picture of the finished product before I capped it

It’s really not that hard to make and you can get the ingredients and containers online. I get most of my herbs from a company called Mountain Rose Herbs. You can find a link to their website in the sidebar on the right side of my page. Everything else you can find on Amazon or several other places around the web(or a local supply store)

What you’ll need:

Carrier oil(I like to use almond or grape seed oil but EVOO works as well)
Herbs(this salve has Comfrey, Calendula, and St John’s wort)
Cheesecloth
Double Boiler
Beeswax
Tin containers or glass jars to store finished product(I used small tins and then when they were full I put the excess into a cleaned out coconut oil jar to keep for myself)

First step:

Make the infused oil. You can make this in a jar and do a solar infusion over about 6 weeks but I’m far too impatient so I used the quick method using a double boiler and my stove top. For this step you just need to place your herbs into the double boiler and cover with your carrier oil, leaving 1-2 inches of oil above the herbs. I honestly can’t remember the exact amounts I used but it’s really not a big deal to have exact amounts with an infusion. I’m thinking it was probably about 1/4 – 1/3 cup of each of the herbs an around 8oz of the oil. You’ll want to heat the herbs over VERY low heat for at least 1 hour but more is better. I think I did around 5 hours. Some people will heat them overnight or even longer. Make sure you control the heat though so you don’t end up frying your herbs. It should be around 100-140 degrees farenheit(closer to 100 degrees if you are leaving them overnight. When you are satisfied with your infusion, let it cool and then strain using the cheesecloth. At this point you have a nice herbal infused oil. You can continue on to the next step to make a salve or you can even leave it as is(stored in a jar with a tight lid) and use it as a bath oil.

Step 2:

Turn your oil into a salve. Place your herbal oil and about 1/4 cup(or less) of beeswax into the double boiler. Warm it over low heat to melt the wax. One the wax is melted into the oil, dip a metal spoon into the oil and place it into the freezer for about 1 minute and then pull it out and test the consistency. If it is too soft for you then add a little more beeswax and repeat this process until it is at the firmness that you want(or add in more oil if it’s too firm). At this point is when you would add a few drops of essential oils if desired. Once you have it just right, our into your containers and allow it to cool.

That’s it! You now have a homemade herbal salve! Of course you don’t have to use the same herbs I did. Depending on what you want to use it for, play around with different herbal combinations. You can use different herbs and make a salve for sore muscles, a chest rub, diaper rash, etc… I’m thinking of trying a fun, sexy combination to make a massage oil for Valentine’s Day. Have fun with it and maybe by the end of the year you’ll have the perfect combo to use for your own Holiday gifts.

I participated in Simple Saturdays blog hop and http://simplelifemom.com/2015/02/18/homestead-blog-hop-18/