Making a simple salve or balm is a simple process with many many variations and possibilities!
The basic process goes back thousands of years. Our forbears were adept in thickening oil, probably olive oil with wax which would have been beeswax.
Why?
Oils thickened and cooled in this way are stable and will not wick out of containers causing loss and mess.
A very simple basic formula is: one ounce of beeswax melted together with eight ounces of oil.
Pour the melted combination into jars and voila! You’ve got salve.
And then there are the possibilities!
I personally don’t like oil and wax only as it has a thin and flinty feel so I always add a plant butter like shea, mango or cocoa butter to my salve formulas.
And then the oils!
There are so many to experiment with to make any number of combinations. You can play with different liquid oils and botanical infusions.
Exotic raspberry or hibiscus seed oils, therapeutic hemp or black seed oils. It’s hard to know where to start.
So to entice you into the wonderful world of salve making here is a recipe that I used to make when I had an herbal products business.
You’ll note that this is a variation on our basic 1/8 ration of wax to oil. But that is the beauty of the lipid raw materials, so many variations and options!
Below is a recipe taken from my old notes and it made eleven one ounce jars.
Calendula Salve Recipe
1.3 oz beeswax
1 oz Shea butter
8 oz Calendula infused oil
1/2 oz Tamanu oil
1/2 oz Rose hip seed oil
6 drops Calendula CO2 total
1/2 oz Vitamin E
[Free] Calendula Salve Recipe Card
Download a PDF of the calendula salve recipe & making notes
Notes and Ideas
You can replace the beeswax with a plant based wax to make a vegan salve.
However because of the different melt points, and the plant waxes being harder the final result will have its own characteristics.
Scent, color, all the different carrier oils and saturated plant butters, and infused oil possibilities make for nearly limitless opportunities in formulating.
What recipes are you working on? leave a question or a comment below
I’m interested in a really good salve for leg and foot swelling.
Can I use the flowers from my calendula plant? Fresh or dried?
Thank you.
I’m always making pain salves… Comfrey, wild lettuce, willow bark and more. Plain or with THC.
What other oils are good for pain?
My mom has had back surgery and is in constant pain.
Wow! Thank you. I am new to this but excited to try. I am going to have to learn more about the ingredients.
I’m a beginner!
WOW. Where to start. I’m totally at A Loss. I will have to get more information. That You for everything I have read today.
What is the shelf Life
Shelf life is going to depend on the oils used but, I have found that salves made with beeswax last a good long time – at least 1 to 2 years.
What oil do you use to infuse with?
What is calendula CO2 total?
I use calendula infused in oil 2-3 times. I drain the first infusion, use the same oil with more calendula over & over. It stops the itch/sting of misquote bites, bee/wasp stings, spider bites, & even flee bites. It brings relief in less than 5 min. It has for everyone I’ve given it to.
Wonder if Calendula co2 would make it better
Excellent idea, making a super potent infusion. It is really great stuff, Calendula. The CO2 would add to the healing properties and it is a very strong yellow so would deepen the color of whatever you make.
Hi Susan. This looks like a great recipe. Can you tell me please, what is calendula co2? Thank you!
Hi jan, CO2 extracts are plant extracts made in a closed vessel and carbon dioxide is used to release the compounds from the plant – these can be the volatile compounds like essential oils, lipid compounds from the plant seeds and the waxy, heavier plant compounds as is the case with calendula. These are sometimes called Totals – I just call these the good stuff.
Where can these be found?
Thank you for your help. I am just learning.
Thank you
Ok, what it it used for?
Kathy, balms or, salves are used for dry skin and can be helpful to treat minor cuts and abrasions of the skin. Once cooled take a small amount and rub it into the skin in the area you want to help.
Thank you, I have some lovely calendula infused in coconut oil. Would baobab oil be a good exchange for tamanu oil?
Rachael, I think baobab would work well in the place of the tamanu. They will give different results but still produce a nice balm.
Thank you, I will give this a try when I can find the herb. They’re not so easy to find in saint lawrence county, new york
Try Starwest Botanicals. Online only. Their herbs are top notch.
Hi Marcia, I would be happy to send you some — dried from my garden!
Thank you Susan ,
I cant wait to make this salve
Thanks, Susan for sharing that recipe. Although I’ve been studying your courses along with herbalism and skin care, I’ve yet to infuse my own oils.
This is a good starting point for me to explore!
Thank you so much for this! We have been infusing our own homegrown calendula flowers in organic unrefined argan oil and are wanting to make our own salve. We already make a CBD salve using organic shea butter, org. beeswax, CBD infused org. refined coconut oil and organic lavender EO which people find very beneficial. Excited to use your recipe here!