I have been experimenting with recipes to help dry skin for awhile now. I tend to have dry, rather than oily skin and my hands crack in the winter from dry heat. What I’ve come up with are 6 different recipes to help sooth and heal skin. These recipes can help sooth dry skin, sunburn, “dishpan” hands, wind-dried skin, mild cases of eczema, rashes, chaffing, and over-worked hands (think gardening).
All the recipes can also be used in place of massage oil, which when combined with a good massage helps to relax tired muscles. They all have a relaxing aroma, are super easy to make, are cheaper than buying a commercial product and are completely natural with no chemicals.
How To Make A Soothing Salve–6 Different Healing Recipes
First you’ll need to find a few containers to put your salve in. I like these 4 oz Mason jars. I also like the 4 oz and 2 oz metal containers to slide into my purse.
The second thing you’ll need is essential oils. The oils that help heal skin are clove, frankincense, lavender, rosemary, geranium, chamomile, myrrh, and patchouli. You can use melaleuca oil (tea tree oil) for skin that is prone to blemishes. However, I prefer to use melaleuca mixed with witch hazel so I did not include it in these recipes.
I use Spark Naturals oil for quality and price.
The next thing you’ll need is a pot and measuring cup to make a double broiler.
For the first salve base you will need coconut oil, olive oil and beeswax.
I added vitamin E using these capsules I found at the dollar store. Adding vitamin E
is optional.
Salve One
Beeswax Base
1 c Coconut Oil
1 c Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2T + 1 1/2t Beeswax
2 capsules Vitamin E (optional)
Place your double boiler on the stove over medium heat. You don’t want the water to boil. The idea is to heat the ingredients slowly to combine them.
Add the olive oil.
Then the coconut oil.
Then the beeswax.
I just used an ice pick to puncture the capsule.
It really doesn’t work if you try to just squeeze the Vitamin E out. It is sort of like squeezing a gummy bear. You just have a mussy mess.
Squeeze the punctured vitamin E capsule out into your mixture.
While you wait for the mixture to slowly melt you can mix your essential oils. Don’t go too far from the stove. You want to keep a close eye on your salve. You don’t want it to get too hot and boil.
Soothing Skin Blend One (with beeswax base)
3 drops Clove Oil
6 drops Frankincense Oil
6 drops Lavender Oil
6 drops Rosemary Oil
Soothing Skin Blend Two (with beeswax base)
3 drops Geranium Oil
6 drops Lavender Oil
Soothing Skin Blend Three (with beeswax base)
8 drops Chamomile Oil
8 drops Myrrh Oil
2 drops Patchouli Oil
4 drops Lavender Oil
Once your base has melted completely then pour it into your containers.
This base will start to harden almost immediately so if it hardens too much before you’ve placed it in your containers just put it back on the stove to warm it back up.
It will take a few hours for the salve to harden completely. I placed the lids on top but did not tighten them to allow air to get to the salve. This helps it harden faster.
This salve is thick and has the consistency of an ointment or petroleum jelly.
For the second base I used shea butter, coconut oil, almond oil and cocoa butter.
This was my first time working with cocoa butter. It smells just like chocolate. It’s really heavenly if your, ahem, into that sort of thing. Yes, I love chocolate! Yes, this is my favorite base. Ok, I said it. I presented the other base very fairly, wouldn’t you agree?
Here’s a close-up of what the cocoa butter looks like after you’ve shaved some out of the container.
Salve Two
Cocoa Butter Base
1/4 c Coconut Oil
1/4 c Cocoa Butter
1/4 c Shea Butter
1/4 c Almond Oil
2 capsules Vitamin E (optional)
Combine all your ingredients and melt them slowly in a double boiler over medium to low heat.
Add vitamin E. (See above for detailed directions.)
Add your oils. These are the same blends as above but this will be a different base with a different consistency and a different aroma. I’m telling you, the cocoa butter makes it!
Soothing Skin Blend One (with cocoa butter base)
3 drops Clove Oil
6 drops Frankincense Oil
6 drops Lavender Oil
6 drops Rosemary Oil
Soothing Skin Blend Two (with cocoa base)
3 drops Geranium Oil
6 drops Lavender Oil
Soothing Skin Blend Three (with cocoa base)
8 drops Chamomile Oil
8 drops Myrrh Oil
2 drops Patchouli Oil
4 drops Lavender Oil
Pour the hot salve into your containers.
This salve does not set-up right away. Actually, I thought it would never set-up because it took days to thicken. I thought I had done something wrong but my patience was rewarded.
This salve is not as hard and waxy as the beeswax base. It’s silky and creamy. Did I mention it smells really really good? These bases are both made with natural ingredients so remember the consistency and texture can vary by batch and by the time of the year. Coconut oil is not as solid in the summer as it is in the winter. So if you’re making this in the summer and you want it to be thicker you can cut down on the amount of olive oil or almond oil (the oils that are liquid at room temperature) to make the finished product more solid.
I hope you try making your own salve. You’ll save a ton of money, heal your damaged skin, and do good thing for the environment. Let me know how it goes!
Don’t forget that I highly recommend Spark Naturals for all your essential oil needs and when you use coupon code AWCOW you’ll get 10% off your purchase.
