Natural products have always been a part of my life, with oversensitive skin there is only one shampoo and very few beauty products I’m not allergic to.  With my extra time during the pandemic I started learning more about these products and how to make them myself.  One of the first things I started working on was an herbal salve.  I wanted something that would work not only as a moisturizer but also to heal and nourish my skin while minimizing the number of ingredients.  I tried different recipes and made adjustments until I came to a consistency I love – deeply moisturizing but not too oily.  During this time, I was also working on an herbalism certificate – learning about different plants and flowers and how beneficial they are to us.  I began infusing my oil with calendula and felt the result was even better than without.  After some time I also added broadleaf plantain and yarrow for their healing benefits.  As a result, I love this salve not only for a face and body moisturizer, but I use it on cuts and scrapes before putting on a bandage, as well as on rashes or other skin irritations. 

I think there’s such power in making things tailored to yourself, I’ve written the process below in case you want to try it sometime.

Infusing Oil

To begin, choose which herbs you want to include.  I typically do equal parts of fresh or dried calendula, yarrow, and broadleaf plantain. I chop them into pieces and place them in a wide-mouth glass jar and fill it about 2/3 up.  Cover the herbs with oil (I use olive oil), and make sure they are completely covered.  Set the jar in a sunny spot and shake it every day or two.  Around the 4-6 week mare your oil can be strained (I typically use double layered cheesecloth) and placed in a bottle.  (This process can also be used for edible uses like rosemary garlic infused oil for cooking).

Making Salve

To turn your oil into a salve, take a small pan to heat the oil.  Add in all natural beeswax and stir occasionally until melted together.  (the next step will help you find the consistency, but I start around 1 c oil to 1 ¼ c beeswax).  To reach the consistency you want, put a little on a spoon and stick it in the fridge for a few minutes.  Once it’s cool determine if it’s too soft or too firm and add either oil or beeswax to adjust. Retest until you’re happy with the consistency.  Pour into a glass jar or tin and leave until fully cool.