Medicinal Salves
To make a salve, simply melt beeswax into oil. It’s just that simple! Salves keep longer, are less messy, and stay put on the skin better than plant oils. Wrap beeswax in a clean, sturdy cloth, then whack it with a hammer on a solid surface to break it into smaller pieces so it melts faster. If you don’ have a scale, measure by displacement: Pour 4 ounces of oils into a glass measuring cup, then add beeswax until the total volume reaches 5 ounces. If you don’t have a double boiler, simply use a metal mixing bowl over a pot of water. Salves keep for approximately a year, but can last longer when blended with potassium sorbate or other preservatives.
What You’ll Need:
- 1 ounce beeswax
- 4 ounce herb-infused oils
- Optional: 15+ drops of essential oils, 1 teaspoon of vitamin E oil, 5 drops of flower essence.
- Double boiler, spoon, glass measuring cup, scale, jars or tubes, ladle.
Directions:
- Melt beeswax in the double-boiler
- Add herb-infused oils. Stir until it’s all liquid and combined. Remove from heat and stir in any additional ingredients (essentials oils etc.,) to the base.
- Our the base into the heat-safe jars or tubes. The salve settles and shrinks a bit as it cools.
