Herbal Salve Recipes - Gwen's Nest (2024)

Herbal Salve Recipes - Gwen's Nest (1)Salve recipes were the second thing I learned to make when getting into herbal remedies. The first thing I learned to make was herb infused oil-and salve is just one simple step beyond that. Today I will walk you through my technique for making an infused oil and turning it into a simple salve. At the end, you’ll find printables with a couple of herbal salve recipes.

I will also walk you through the dark history of my photography “skills.” I’ll let you guess which photos are from my archives of awfulness.

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Admittedly, salve is oily. The base is, after all, an herb infused oil. While that may sound, well…*greasy*, there is a really good reason for this. Oils do a fantastic job of absorbing into the skin, and pulling the lovely herbal goodness right along with it.

Another great reason to create salves is shelf life. I use dried herbs, so there is no water content in the salve to spoil it. Mold needs moisture to grow, so homemade lotions and water based preparations tend to need refrigeration or they spoil quickly. Salves have a looooong shelf life. Basically, the shelf life equals the shelf life of the oil you choose. I’ve kept salves for up to 2 years, and they are still potent and fresh!

My first batch of herbal oil was made with olive oil because that’s what I happened to have in the pantry at the moment. Olive oil is very heavy and produces a greasier salve. My very favorite oil to use is almond oil, but grapeseed is another good choice. Try testing out different oils to see which ones work best onyour skin, and you can even blend oils or oils and butters melted together for your base. I find coconut oil to be very drying for my skin, but it’s a great choice if you deal with weepy rashes.Herbal Salve Recipes - Gwen's Nest (2)

plantain leaf, comfrey leaf, and burdock root

I will recommend specific herbs below in the printable salve recipes. My go-to *must-have* salve that gets us through bug bite and poison ivy season uses plantain herb. It’s a very common yard herb that most people know as a weed. I wrote more aboutplantain hereand how to identify it. The plantain above was picked by my niece from her yard, and I dried it to use in salve. Chick Weed and Jewel weed are other common herbs thataregreat to use ina spring or summer salve. Calendula is a classic herb for skin, and makes a nice addition to any blend for skin. You may use a mixof herbs, or stick with one single herb in your salve. I usually lean toward a mix of herbs or herbs and essential oils.

I also love to add in synergistic essential oils to boost the healing properties and as a natural preservative and scent.

Tip! Gather and wash/dry small jars and containers ahead of time. The dollar tree often has sets of small 2 oz. plastic containers with lids in a 10 pack that are perfect for keeping in the first aid kit or bathroom (anywhere greasy hands and glass jars don’t mix). I also like the small 4 oz. jelly canning jars to hold salve. And the paint department at our local craft store has tiny paint jars with plastic tops that are the perfect size for samples or to carry in my purse. I usually do a mix of container sizes and make a big batch!

I’ve made *many* different salve recipes over the years. There are several techniques for making herbal infused oil, which is the basis for salve, and I’ve tried many of them. They all work well. Pick one way that sounds easiest for you, and go with it.

Cold Infusion

The simplest technique is to simply add dried herbs to a jar and cover with oil. Allow the herbs to steep in the oil for up to a month, shaking as often as you can remember. This method takes a while, but it’s effective.Herbal Salve Recipes - Gwen's Nest (3)

Stovetop or Oven

I don’t normally opt for the cold infusion. Maybe I’man impatient person by nature, butmaybe it’s because my son had a grody case of poison ivy the first time we discovered the amazing properties of plantain herb. So I needed a quicker method of creating plantain oil. I simply turned a burner on the lowest heat setting possible and gently warmed my oil and herbs together until the oil was had turned a nice, deep color and had taken on the scent of the herb. This can take several hours, since the heat is on the lowest possible setting. Alternatively, you can place your oil and herbs in a glass canning jar and place it in the oven on the warm setting for several hours, using an oven mitt to remove the jar.Herbal Salve Recipes - Gwen's Nest (4)

Tip!I find that using leaf and flower herbs produce a finished infused oil much more quickly than blends using barks or roots.

Crock Pot or Bottle Warmer

Another method that doesn’t require baby-sitting is to use a crock pot or a bottle warmer for smaller batches of oil. To use your crock pot, place a rag worthykitchen towel or washcloth into the bottom to buffer the jars. I usedpint sized canning jars, added my herbs and covered them in oil. Then I sealed them and placed them into the crock pot. You can fit several jars into a large crock pot, and do a different blend of herbs and oils in each one if you want! Once your jars are in place, fill the crock pot with water to cover 3/4 of the jar, and place the lid on the pot. Cook on low heat for 3 to 4 days, adding more *hot* water down the side of the crock liner as needed. (Don’t pour cool water over the hot jars, as they can crack!) Once the oil is a deep color, allow crock pot to cool down and remove jars and strain as instructed below.Herbal Salve Recipes - Gwen's Nest (5)

To use a bottle warmer for a small batch of oil, just fill a half pint jar with your herbs and oil, cover, and follow the directions on your bottle warmer, allowing it to cook for 3-4 days. Keep the water level filled according to the directions on your model. (If it runs dry and turns off, not a big deal…just refill and get it heating again.)Herbal Salve Recipes - Gwen's Nest (6)

Herbal Salve Recipes - Gwen's Nest (7)Once your oil is a lovely shade of herb, you are ready to strain off the used up herbal material. You can strain through a normal metal strainer, but you’ll get flecks of herbs that make it through into your oil. My favorite approach is to use a clean, soft rag, and line it with a layer of paper towel. You’ll see why in just a moment.Herbal Salve Recipes - Gwen's Nest (8)

Remember though that this is oil, and oil is not easy to wash out of fabric. So you may choose to use a disposable piece of cloth for this.

I set up my large glass mixing bowl with a metal strainer over the top, lined with an old tea towel and a paper towel. Carefully pour your oil and herbs into the strainer. Once all of your herbs are in the strainer, gather up the fabric and twist to remove as much of that good oil as possible.Herbal Salve Recipes - Gwen's Nest (9)

Before squeezing out the herbs, I only had 4 cups of herbal oil. But after compressing the herbs, I hada full 6 cups!Herbal Salve Recipes - Gwen's Nest (10)

Pay close attention to your oil measurement, because you’ll use that to decide the measurement for beeswax in the next step.
Herbal Salve Recipes - Gwen's Nest (11)Lining your towel with a paper liner allows you to easily dump off the herb mess- it’s used up, so it can be discarded or mulched.I used my still clean towel to wipe out the pot that I made the herbal oil in- removing any herb flecks that may still be clinging to the sides and bottom so that it can be used for the next step:

To create salve you’re going to take your beautiful herb oil and heat it one more time with beeswax. This solidifies the oil into a creamy balm that’s much less messy to apply, and easier to travel with. I prefer a ratio of 1 cup of oil to 3 to 4 tablespoons of beeswax pellets.

So for this batch of 6 cups of oil, I’ll add 18 tablespoons of beeswax pellets (or 1 1/8 cup)
Herbal Salve Recipes - Gwen's Nest (12)

P.S. I *adore* the cook & strain stock pot (affiliate link)withpouring spouts for projects like this. Thanks Mother-in-law for this awesome gift!

Once your oil and wax is melted together, allow it to cool a bit and pour into small, cleancontainers. I like to make a big batch every year or two to give as gifts and to keep us stocked up.Herbal Salve Recipes - Gwen's Nest (13)

To Pin!

Herbal Salve Recipes - Gwen's Nest (14)

4.6 from 5 reviews

Summer Salve Recipe

This herbal salve is a must have here during the summer when we're dealing with poison ivy and bites or stings. We use it year round for burns, scrapes, and boo-boos of any kind. This recipe yields about 1½ cups of salve, but you can scale it up to make larger batches.

Author: Gwen

Ingredients

  • 2 cups almond oil or oil blend- you can use olive oil, coconut oil, etc.
  • 2 tablespoons dried plantain leaf
  • 2 tablespoons dried comfrey leaf or root
  • 2 tablespoons dried burdock root
  • ¼ to ⅓ cup beeswax pellets
  • 1 teaspoon vitamin E oil, optional preservative
  • 20 drops lavender oil, optional

Instructions

  1. Place herbs and oil into container of your choice to create an infused oil. You can heat the oil and herbs in a pot on very low heat for 3 hours, cold infuse them for one month in a quart canning jar, or use a crock pot or bottle warmer to steep the herbs for 4 days to extract the herbs. (see blog post for additional details)
  2. Once oil is fully infused, strain off herbs into a glass measuring cup. Place a strainer lined with fabric and a paper towel over the measuring cup and pour your herbal oil into the strainer.
  3. Gather up the fabric and twist and squeeze the herbs to extract every last drop of oil you can.
  4. Check the measurement of your oil. For every cup of oil you'll add 3-4 tablespoons of beeswax pellets. For every ¼ cup of oil, you'll add 1 tablespoon of beeswax.
  5. Add your strained oil to a small pot on the stovetop and add in beeswax. Heat over low heat, stirring until it's fully melted. I like to test the texture by placing a spoon into the freezer to firm it up quickly. If your salve is too soft, you can add more wax. If it's too hard, you can add a little plain oil.
  6. Remove pot from heat, and allow to cool down enough to add essential oils.
  7. Stir in lavender essential oil and vitamin E oil as a preservative.
  8. Pour into clean dry jars, and allow to cool.

Notes

Herbal Salve Recipes - Gwen's Nest (16)


4.6 from 5 reviews

Eczema Salve Recipe

Herbal Salve Recipes - Gwen's Nest (17)

Print

This salve is drying and offers natural, herbal relief for eczema outbreaks and other skin rashes. It yields around 1½ cups of salve, but can be scaled up or down to create larger or smaller batches.

Author: Gwen

Ingredients

  • 1⅓ cups extra virgin coconut oil
  • ⅔ cup avocado oil or shea butter
  • ⅓ cup dried calendula flowers
  • 1½ tablespoons neem oil, optional (it's stinky)
  • 20 drops lavender essential oil
  • 20 drops tea tree essential oil
  • 20 drops rosemary essential oil
  • 1 teaspoon vitamin E oil as a preservative, optional

Instructions

  1. Combine oils (or oil and butter) in a small saucepan and warm to melt them together. Add calendula flowers and cook on lowest heat for 2 to 3 hours until oil has taken on scent and color of the flowers.
  2. Strain oil through a fabric and paper towel lined strainer over a glass measuring cup. Once you've poured all of the herbs into the strainer, gather up fabric and twist and squeeze to get every drop of oil that you can out. Discard herbs.
  3. Check the measurement of your oil. For every cup of oil you'll add 3-4 tablespoons of beeswax pellets. For every ¼ cup of oil, you'll add 1 tablespoon of beeswax.
  4. Add your strained oil to a small pot on the stovetop and add in beeswax. Heat over low heat, stirring until it's fully melted.
  5. I like to test the texture by placing a spoon into the freezer to firm it up quickly. If your salve is too soft, you can add more wax. If it's too hard, you can add a little plain oil.
  6. Remove pot from heat, and allow to cool down enough to add essential oils.
  7. Stir in essential oils and vitamin E oil as a preservative.
  8. Pour into clean dry jars, and allow to cool.

Notes

Herbal Salve Recipes - Gwen's Nest (18)

Resources

Mountain Rose Herbs is a one stop shop for great quality organic herbs, essential oils, base oils and beeswax pellets. (affiliate link)

Herbal Salve Recipes - Gwen's Nest (19)

Amazon also carries a wide variety of herbs, base oils, essential oils(NOW and Eden’s Garden are great brands), and beeswax pellets.(affiliate links) And they offer sweetfree shipping deals.

Herbal Salve Recipes - Gwen's Nest (2024)

FAQs

What are the best herbal salves to make? ›

Which herbs can I use to make a salve?
  • Arnica – fresh flowers.
  • Burdock root.
  • Calendula flowers.
  • Chamomile flowers.
  • Lavender flowers.
  • Lemon Balm leaf.
  • Marshmallow root.
  • Mint leaf.

What are the ratios for making salve? ›

Mixing Your Salve

I typically make my salve with an oil to beeswax ratio of 3:1 or 4:1, which results in a thick but still easily spreadable texture. For example, in my latest batch I had about 100 mL of melted beeswax so I added about 300 mL of oil.

How do you make all purpose salve? ›

To make a salve or balm, simply heat 1 part beeswax with 3 to 5 parts natural oil of choice in a double-boiler until combined (see detailed instructions below). For example, ¼ cup of beeswax pastilles or shavings and about 1 cup of oil, or 1 cup of beeswax for every 3 to 5 cups of oil.

How do you thicken homemade salve? ›

If you prefer a thicker salve, add another half ounce of beeswax. (This recipe is based on an 8:1 oil:wax ratio. You can increase it up to 6:1.

What herb is best for joint pain? ›

Herbal supplements such as evening primrose and valerian may help ease aching joints. Evening primrose is an oil containing high levels of omega-6 fatty acids. It may help to decrease pain and inflammation and reduce morning stiffness. Valerian is an herbal supplement from the roots of the valerian plant.

What is the shelf life of homemade salves? ›

Like the herb-infused oil, salves have a shelf life of 6 months – 3 years depending on the oil used. Use them for the desired effects whenever you need, or share them with friends and family to spread the plant love around.

How do you infuse herbs into salve? ›

In a dry, pint-size jar, crumble 1/2 cup dried herbs and cover with 1 cup of olive oil (ratio 1 part dried herbs : 2 parts oil). Cap and place the jar in a soup pot filled with water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, then simmer for 1 hour. Strain the herbs from the oil with a piece of clean cloth.

What makes a good salve? ›

Best Herbs for Salves
  1. Arnica flowers.
  2. Burdock root.
  3. Calendula flowers.
  4. Cayenne powder.
  5. Chamomile flowers.
  6. Chickweed.
  7. Comfrey leaf and/or root.
  8. Echinacea herb and/or root.
Aug 23, 2019

What is the best carrier oil for herbs? ›

The roots and seeds of the herbs are rich in vitamins, minerals, and essential nutrients that are fat-soluble. While any Carrier Oil can be used as a base oil, Coconut Oil and Olive Oil are the most common in herbal oils because they have longer shelf lives and are versatile in application.

How do you make self heal salve? ›

Self Heal Salve Recipe

To make: Combine about 1/3 cup crumbled dried self heal with about 3/4 cup oil of your choice (olive or sunflower works well for salves). Leave uncovered and set the jar in a saucepan with a few inches of water; heat over medium low for 2 to 3 hours.

What is the difference between a balm and a salve? ›

Salves tend to be more oily and thinner in consistency, while balms are more thick and waxy. Salves can be better for moisturizing dry skin or treating specific conditions, while balms are better at sealing in moisture and creating a barrier against environmental irritants for general skincare.

What is the main ingredient in a salve? ›

Salves are solid combinations of oils and a wax such as beeswax or soy wax. Creams and lotions, as you're likely familiar with, vary from thicker to more light in texture, and combine oils with water to create a hydrating topical treatment.

Why is my homemade salve sweating? ›

Water in the salve may be caused by condensation, especially if you covered the salve with the lid before it fully cooled. To fix this, remove any visible water and store the salve in the fridge.

Why does my salve crack? ›

IS THERE SOMETHING WRONG WITH IT? No! Cracks form naturally on the surface of the salve as it cools, especially in our glass jars. Droplets can form when the salve is stored at warm temperatures in transit, and evaporation takes place.

Why is my homemade salve grainy? ›

Basically, the issue is crystallization. When a butter or wax is not sufficiently heated and/or not quickly cooled down, it oxidizes and forms granules or crystals. What is this? To get even more technical, there are different melting points of the different fatty acids in the butter.

What herbs to grow for salves? ›

Good options include arnica, calendula, coltsfoot, comfrey, echinacea, elder flower, German chamomile, goldenseal, horsetail, lavender, lemon balm, marshmallow root, mullein, plantain leaf, roses, St. John's wort, and yarrow. The first step to homemade herbal salves is to make your herb infused oil.

How do you make natural antibiotic salve? ›

Homemade Antibiotic Ointment Directions

Add the tea tree oil, vitamin E oil, lavender oil, and lemon oil, stirring with a wooden spoon. After the oils are thoroughly mixed, pour into a small sterilized container, and let it cool until solid. Add a lid and label it with the contents and the date!

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