Given a chance, the perfect salve will heal most aliments of the skin.
When I first began making homemade salve, the first obstacle I had to overcome was fear. I was afraid I wasn’t going to get it right! I had no idea what I was doing. But…I did it anyways. Today, it has become a form of creative expression for me; and, another way I am able nurture my family without spending tons of money.
I first learned the basics of salve making from these two posts over at the Simple Green Frugal Co-op and FIMBY (I highly recommend that you take the time to read these posts as I will not cover the details as well as these writers have). When making salve, it’s always best to first consider what you are attempting to treat. My formulas are almost always multi-functional, made with ingredients that I have on hand at the time.
Fresh lemon balm abounds in the herbal garden these days. It is super easy to grow and is one of my most favorite herbs. For our purposes today, I will focus on the external uses and medicinal benefits of lemon balm.
I make a lemon balm infused olive oil (it sounds so sexy doesn’t it…lemon balm infused olive oil). Anyway, to do this chop up one cup of fresh picked lemon balm, place it in a jar, and pour one cup of olive oil over it. Let it sit in the sun for at least two weeks, strain, then bottle for use.
Lemon balm contains antibacterial and antiviral properties. Medicinal benefits include the treatment of:
•Shingles (herpes zoster)
•Insect bites
•Rashes
And here’s the recipe for my Rash Treatment Salve:
1 tbsp. (1 oz.) Beeswax
8 tbsp. (4-5 oz.) herb infused carrier oil such as olive, jojoba, almond, avocado, coconut, shea butter
2 tsp. vitamin E oil
3 drops tea tree oil
4-5 drops lavender essential oil
Melt carrier oil, beeswax, and vitamin E oil over low heat. Remove from heat and add tea tree and lavender essential oils. Pour into prepared jar for storage. This recipe makes enough to fill two 2 oz. glass jars.
Notes:
-Calendula is another very good herb/flower that is useful for skin health. Calendula is very easy to grow and reseeds itself well. You can easily substitute it for the lemon balm here.
-In my recipe I used a mixture of carrier oils. You don’t have to stick to just one. Just be sure not to exceed the 4-5 ounce mark.
-We use the Rash Treatment Salve on everything. In fact, my baby has never had a diaper rash thanks to the use of this salve with every diaper change. If you are worried about the lavender essential oils you may omit them for your newborn.
Homemade Diaper Area Wash – For use with cloth wipes
I’m not able to infuse any herbs right now as I’m needing it rather quickly, so is it just as effective to make the recipe without rhe infused oil? Also I have 15% tea tree oil. Is that safe to put in it and any other of your recipes that call for tea tree oil? Thanks!
I would love to make the rash treatment salve, but what is lemon balm and where do I get it. Also what is infused carrier oil and where do I get it. Thanks so much!
Hello! If I were to substitute dried lemon balm in the carrier oil, would I half the amount (like I would do for cooking with it?) or does it absolutely have to be fresh?
I only have dried lemon balm & calendula. Can I use these & if so what do I do differently? Thanks!
You can use dried herbs the same way. Put them in a glass jar and cover with oil 🙂 See this post: http://frugallysustainable.com/2012/03/building-your-medicine-chest-herbal-miracle-salve-recipe-and-a-giveaway-for-you/
Hi Andrea….I recently found your page and LOVE it! I shared your lemon balm and olive oil infusion on my blog and linked it back to you. I hope some of my readers enjoy your blog as well….it is a wealth of information! I can’t wait to sit down with a hot cup of tea and read more!!
Blessings,
Lavender
So I’ve been reading that to infuse the oils the herb needs to be totally dry, no moisture due to it rotting in the oil b/c of the added moisture. I’m new to this, and totally confused with this…why can you infuse fresh herbs and why is it so important that the jar be dry if you can put fresh herbs in, and those are not dry? Thanks!
Great questions Margie! I’m getting ready to address those very concerns today in a video 🙂 Should have it posted this evening!
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THANKS,
LISA
I wanted to know if it would be ok to use dried lemon balm. I don’t have any and I was going to order some of the dried herb to make this, but I wanted to ask if you think that would work. This is a great idea!
Thank you.
I made some of this salve for a friend of mine who has been suffering from shingles. She said it works awesome! I gave some to another friend for the same reason and he has not gotten back to me, but I expect it will be the same. Thanks so much!!!