How to make your own natural homemade calendula salve
Homemade Calendula salve
How to make your own natural, homemade calendula salve. This is a simple recipe that needs just a few ingredients.
This salve I’ve been making for my family for years is so easy to make and offers many benefits. It soothes inflammation, supports wound healing, moisturises, and is ideal for dry skin, eczema, nappy rash, minor cuts, sunburn, acne, and sensitive skin. It helps rejuvenate, hydrate, and provide a protective barrier.
It uses all-natural ingredients. Growing calendula is very easy, and it flowers for a long time, so with just a few plants, you will have enough to use in homemade salves, soaps, creams, and tea. For beeswax, if you don’t have your own bees, in most places, you can find bee associations where you can get natural beeswax. You can also buy organic beeswax online.
A good reason to have calendulas in your garden.
There are different types of calendulas; the most popular for healing properties is calendula officinalis (pot marigold).
Calendula is an edible flower that attracts beneficial insects to your garden, has many healing properties, and helps the soil.
It has numerous medicinal properties, including anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, antibacterial, antiviral, and wound-healing properties. Use on the skin for burns, rashes, and ulcers.
How to grow, care, pick and dry calendula flowers:
Grow:
You can plant seeds in the spring and/or autumn. And they can be grown in trays indoors and then transplanted outdoors, or plant them directly outdoors after the last frost in a well-drained, sunny spot
Water the soil before planting. Make a hole about 1-2cm deep to put your seeds. I put two or three in case one doesn’t sprout, cover the seeds with more soil—water again after sowing—only water when needed after that. You should start seeing the seeds germinating in about two weeks, sometimes more if it is not warm enough, in about 6-8 weeks, you will have flowering plants!
Care:
Clendula plants like the sun and not too much water. Just water your plants when they need. Don’t waterlog them. This is a straightforward plant to grow, but you will grow better plants if you care for them and pay them attention, admiring your growing plants. It’s a rewarding experience to grow your plants from seed. The Calendula plants flower for months, and some plants flower all winter, so that you can have flowers all year round!
Cutting:
Cut the flowers in the morning (after the dew has evaporated), preferably on sunny days when they are fully open, to maximise the benefits of calendula.
The more you cut, the more flowers your plant will give you. This is because if you don’t cut the flowers, they will dry and set seed, interrupting the plant’s reproductive cycle and preventing further flowering.
Drying:
Harvest the flowers on dry days and spread them on a rack or tray. You can put a newspaper under it, and put them in a dark, well-ventilated area, like a cupboard, if possible, away from wifi signals.
Leave them for about 3-4 weeks until they are fully dry. You will know they are completely dried when the petals fall off easily.
Put them away in an air-tight container away from direct sunlight.
Calendula Salve ingredients:
- Carrier oil
- Dry calendula petals
- wax
- essential oils (optional)
- You can add a few drops of vitamin E oil to act as a natural preservative (optional)
You need to create an infused oil. There are two methods:
Slow method:
- Fill a clean glass jar with dry calendula flowers and cover them with a carrier oil.
- Seal the jar and place it in a dark, warm place.
- Leave it for 2-6 weeks, shaking the jar once a day every day.
- You will know it is ready when you see the oil has turned golden or orange, depending on the flowers you use, and it smells like the flowers.
Heat infusion:
Heat infusion: this method uses heat to speed up the process.
I use this method myself for this post, so you can follow the steps below.
Best carrier oils:
- extra virgin olive oil
- sweet almond oil
- coconut oil
- I haven’t tried avocado oil, but any of these oils will be a great option.
You can experiment with one or a mixture of different oils to find your perfect combination.
What you need:
- Two clean glass containers
- A small saucepan
- cheese cloth or similar
- cosmetic jars
- a small wooden spoon
Homemade calendula salve recepie:
For three cosmetic 50-gram jars, I use:
- 100 grams of jojoba oil, but you can use other carrier oil options
- 8- 10 grams of Dried calendula flowers,
- 15 grams of organic beeswax pastilles
Step 1:
Start by measuring the oil in a clean glass container. I use an old 10 cm jam jar, but any jar big enough for the amount you are making will do.
Step 2: Prepare the infused oil:
Then add the dried flowers to the oil. Fill the jar until it’s full, so they are still soaking in the oil.
Step 3: Infused oil using the heat method:
Put water in a small saucepan halfway, then place the jar with the oil and flowers in it, forming a double boiler.
And bring the water to a boil, then reduce to a low heat and simmer for at least an hour. I cook it for two hours. Keep an eye on the water so that it does not evaporate. Add more boiling water if needed.
If you are using a block of beeswax, you can now measure and cut it into small pieces
Step 4:
When the time is up, turn it off and let it cool down a bit so you don’t burn yourself in the next step. The oil will look much more orange. Sift the flowers using a cheese cloth into another clean jar. Try to get as much oil as you can squeeze out. Now you have a calendula-infused oil.
Step 5:
Add the beeswax to the infused oil, then return it to the saucepan with water and bring it to a boil again, simmering until the beeswax has completely melted.
While the beeswax melts, prepare your ointment jars
Step 6:
Mix and add your salve to the prepared ointment jars.
Step 7:
Cool down at room temperature. It will harden as it cools, so let it completely cool down before covering it.
And there you have your own salve ✨.
Essential oils:
Add a few drops of your preferred essential oil just after the beeswax has melted, before pouring into the cosmetic jars. You can combine them to get your own personal touch. I didn’t use any essential oils, but here is a list to help you decide:
- Lavender oil: A natural hydrator with anti-inflammatory properties that can help soothe dry, irritated skin.
- Rose oil: Known for its intensely hydrating capabilities and helping to balance the skin’s moisture levels.
- Sandalwood Oil: Helps tone and soothe dry, irritated skin, and can minimise the appearance of imperfections.
- Tea Tree Oil: purifying, antimicrobial, and anti-inflammatory properties that help fight acne and support a healthy-looking complexion.
- Ambar essential oil: promotes tranquillity, reduces stress hormones, and calms the mind. Its antioxidant properties help protect skin cells from free radical damage, promote cell regeneration, and reduce the appearance of ageing signs such as fine lines and wrinkles.
- Lemongrass oil: helps with premature ageing (wrinkles, age spots) and environmental damage, promoting a youthful glow.
- Lemon vervain oil: anti-ageing. Antioxidants help repair damaged cells, reduce fine lines and wrinkles, and fade dark spots.
Tips:
- Start with small batches so you can adjust the proportions to suit you. Depending on where you live and the climate, you may need to adjust the amount of beeswax.
- You may find your salve a bit too solid; add less beeswax the next time.
- If one of the batches comes out too solid, you can use it as a lip balm.
You can buy the ingredients online in places like Etsy or Amazon
Share your results in the comments below. I’d love to hear how your calendula salve turned out!
