Skincare goals: How to make herbal salves at home
What's the story
Making your own herbal salves can be a game-changer for your skincare routine.
Herbal salves, created with a blend of oils, beeswax, and healing herbs, provide a chemical-free option, steering clear of harsh ingredients found in many skincare products.
Our beginner's guide walks you through the essentials of creating your own herbal salves at home, emphasizing the ease and advantages of this natural skincare practice.
Herb choice
Selecting your herbs
Choosing the right herbs is key to creating a powerful herbal salve.
Calendula is healing, lavender is relaxing, and tea tree is antibacterial.
Customize your salve by looking up the benefits of each herb and targeting specific issues like dryness, acne, or inflammation.
For first-timers, it's best to stick to one or two herbs to keep things simple.
Infusion process
Preparing herbal-infused oil
Select herbs and infuse them into olive or coconut oil for added moisturizing benefits.
Combine one part dried herbs with ten parts oil in a jar. Allow it to sit in a warm location for four to six weeks, or heat in a double boiler for a couple of hours.
Strain out the herbs and voila, your herbal-infused oil is ready.
Salve making
Crafting your salve
To create the salve, warm one part beeswax in a double boiler until it liquefies.
Next, incorporate eight parts of your infused oil. Stir until they combine into a uniform liquid.
Transfer the liquid to tins or jars to cool. After it solidifies, you will have a balm that melts upon contact with the skin.
Customization
Personalizing your salve
Customizing your herbal salve involves adding essential oils and vitamin E oil for extra benefits and a pleasant aroma.
Essential oils such as rosemary or peppermint provide a therapeutic boost, but remember to use them judiciously—only a few drops per ounce of salve are needed due to their potency.
Vitamin E serves as a natural antioxidant, prolonging the shelf life of your salve and promoting skin health.
Usage guidance
Daily application tips
Incorporating herbal salves into your skincare regimen entails knowing when and how much to apply.
A little goes a long way—remember, it's potent stuff!
Apply after showering while your skin is still slightly damp, or before bed as an overnight treatment.
This gives the salve plenty of time to absorb without competing with other products or environmental factors.