You can find numerous recipes for healing salve with essential oils. But I think I’ve found the easiest.
You need just three ingredients, in addition to the essential oils of your choice.
There’s no need for a double boiler. You could use one, if you own one. But many of us don’t. Double boilers are what one of my great aunts probably used, when she whipped up a delicious dessert.
Most of us have no time for them. We need convenience. So, if that describes you, this is the easiest healing salve recipe I’ve found.
This is the recipe I’ve made myself, repeatedly. I’ve made it with different kinds of essential oils. I’ve made a sleep salve, a pain-relief salve and also a general soothing hand salve.
Basic Salve Recipe With Essential Oils
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My healing salve recipe is so easy that you don’t even have to measure anything. Although you can if you want. All it requires are three equal parts of coconut oil, shea butter and beeswax.
This recipe only takes a few minutes from start to finish. Most of the “work” is spent melting these three ingredients in a sturdy stove top pan. Then you have to wait about a half hour until it hardens. This can be shorter or longer. It all depends upon the temperature.
How To Make Essential Oil Salve With Beeswax
But the end result is a firm salve about the consistency of lip balm. (You can also use it as a natural lip balm or moisturizer.)
I like to make a relatively firm salve that holds up well in warmer weather. However, you can choose your own consistency. Not using as much beeswax will make it creamier. Omitting the beeswax altogether will result in a body butter. (You’d have to whip it with an egg beater to get a whipped butter consistency.)
Salve Recipe With Beeswax and Shea Butter
This is one of several posts I’ve done on healing salves. All of them included beeswax. Once, however, someone asked for a substitute. She is allergic to bees and didn’t want to chance it.
At the time, I told her she could potentially use organic soy wax instead. That’s because the vast majority of soy grown in the United States is genetically modified. However, I wasn’t able to find any good suppliers of organic soy wax.
I’ve made a point of keeping GMO foods and products out of my house. That’s because the jury is still out on the potential health risks. One study from France found that lab rats fed genetically modified food developed huge mammary tumors.
Herbal Salve With Beeswax
After seeing a video of these animals, I decided to go GMO free. The good news is that anything labeled USDA-certified organic cannot, by law, contain GMOs.
How To Make Salve Without Beeswax
Another possibility might be candelilla wax. This wax is derived from a shrub, and it’s often used in cosmetics. However, I have no personal experience with candelilla wax, and I don’t know if you can use it exactly the same as beeswax.
I’ve read that candelilla wax is harder than beeswax. So I’d suggest making a very small batch first and playing around with the proportions. Beeswax is what adds firmness to the salve. So you’d probably need a slightly smaller amount of candelilla if you’re switching it out for beeswax.
Herbal Salve Recipe for Arthritis
If you suffer from chronic pain, such as arthritis or fibromyalgia, you may want to think about adding a pain-relief blend to your salve. This is what I used last year, when I had excruciating jaw pain. (This was caused by TMJ.)
My pain would flare at night. Having pain salve by my bed spared me from having to get up, and mix an essential oil blend in the middle of the night. The salve was ready to use.
Also, when I took a cross country trip, the salve went into my checked baggage. This was a much better option than packing essential oils, plus a bottle of carrier oil. The oily carrier oil could have opened, and ruined my clothing.
You can read this post to find out exactly how I made this natural pain relief salve, which contains a special essential oil blend designed to reduce inflammation. It could potentially be used for arthritis, as well as for fibromyalgia and other types of chronic pain.
Salve Recipe With Coconut Oil
Nearly every salve recipe I’ve seen calls for coconut oil. But other ingredients are needed, in addition. That’s because coconut oil turns to liquid when the temperature hits 76 degrees F. So it would be impossible to make a salve with just coconut oil.
Shea butter is more solid. But not solid enough for a salve. That’s why beeswax is needed. You can get beeswax bars or pure beeswax pellets. I prefer the latter. Beeswax is relatively difficult to melt. Pellets dissolve with heat as long as they’re mixed with oils. So it helps to put a little oil in with the pellets. I try to melt the pellets first, at least part way. They take longer to become liquid, compare to the oils.
Herbal Salve for Eczema
Herbs and essential oils are often used as natural remedies for eczema. I can’t claim or promise that anything I write about here will cure eczema. But I can pass along information as to what others are doing to tackle this stubborn skin condition.
I am unaware of any comprehensive, controlled studies that show essential oils can help eczema. So everything here is to be considered a folk remedy. I did see some anecdotal reports of eczema clearing after using essential oils. But this is not the gold standard of proof we’re looking for.
One of the oils most commonly recommended for skin eruptions is lavender essential oil. Another is chamomile essential oil. Both of these aromatics are well known for being soothing.
Basic Salve Recipe
Okay, so here’s my basic salve recipe. Easy as pie. (Actually, I shouldn’t say that because I’m not a baker. So making a pie would be really difficult, at least for me.) You may have the following ingredients in your house. If not, you can either find them at your local health food store or order them online.
1/4 cup of organic coconut oil (You can get it here)
1/4 cup organic shea butter (You can get it here)
1/4 cup of small beeswax pellets (You can get them here)
Put these ingredients in a sturdy saucepan. I’m so glad I didn’t need to run out and buy a double boiler. Melt them over low heat. Stay close to the stove, so the mixture doesn’t smoke. Remove from heat as soon as they become liquid. Add the essential oils of your choice and pour into a container. (Lavender essential oil is a great choice.) I use empty mint tins.
Cayenne Salve for Pain Relief
Some people find relief from pain with cayenne pepper. I’m not one of them. But I can’t discount it for anyone else. We’re all so different. What works for one person may not work for another. Fortunately, God has given us a wide range of natural remedies. If one doesn’t work, we can always try another.
Cayenne pepper will color the salve recipe a reddish orange. Make sure not to use it on inflamed skin, broken skin or sensitive skin. If it were me, I’d even do a 24-hour patch test on a small spot on the inside of my arm. If there was no irritation, it should be safe to use on wider areas of the body. Definitely keep it away from your eyes.
If I were to make cayenne salve, I’d use the above recipe and add 3/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper to the mix, right after I finished heating it.
Disclaimer
These statements have not been approved by the FDA. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Women who are pregnant or nursing should not use essential oils unless directed to do so by a healthcare professional.
