Recipe: How To Make Your Own Healing Salve
Posted on September 01 2022
Are you new to making healing salves? They can be made easily from home, and because they are so simple to store and transport, you will find that you turn to your healing salves more often than you think! Healing salves are typically solid at room temperature, but when they are applied to your skin, the botanicals are released for absorption, allowing you to reap the benefits.
In this guide, we will show you how to make your own herbal healing salve.
What You Will Need
Before getting started, you will need to have the following ingredients ready:
- A base oil, carrier oil, most commonly olive oil, almond oil, or jojoba oil (you may also choose to use a thicker oil such as shea butter or coconut oil, however it can be tricky for beginners)
- Herbs of your choice
- Beeswax
- Containers to store the final product — our storage pucks at ONGROK are perfect for your purposes. They are made of aluminum and are the perfect size to store in your pocket or bag and bring out and about!
Starting the Process
Now that you have all the essential ingredients ready, it’s time to get to work. Follow these steps to make your own herbal healing salve:
- Infuse the Oil and Herbs
To get started, the first thing you will need to do is infuse the oil with your chosen herbs. You can do this with the help of a botanical infuser. If you do not have one, you can fill a mason jar about 2/3 full with your herbs and fill the remaining space with your carrier oil. One drawback of this method is that you would ideally wait for three to six weeks for the herbs to infuse into the oil before straining it.
- Heat Up Your Herbal-Infused Oil
Once you herb-infused oil is ready to go, the process is very simple. Start by pouring the oil into a bowl and adding an inch of water to a pot. Next, place the bowl over the pot in a way that you can steam it. The oil will be heated slowly by the water as steaming takes place.
- Add the Beeswax
The purpose of heating up your oil is to allow the beeswax to melt when you add it in. As such, your oil will only need to be warm enough to melt the beeswax, which is approximately 845 degrees Fahrenheit.
There’s no golden ratio as to the amount of oil and wax you should add in, and this typically depends on your own preference. You can experiment with anything from one part wax to anywhere in between four to twelve parts of oil. This will only affect the consistency of your herbal healing salve and should not have any impact on its benefits. Your salve should have cooled to room temperature and be in a semisolid state before you start using it.
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