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PRESERVATION AND STORAGE

Salves are well stored in dark-colored or opaque glass, tightly capped jars that have openings sufficiently large to allow easy access to the semi-solid ingredients. Salves are best kept in cool locations. They don’t preserve as well in locations where they are subjected to continual melting and re-cooling (like in automobile glove compartments and similar environments). In some instances the presence of benzoin as a preservative in salves can cause irritation on tender and already irritated skins.

DOSAGE

Use as much salve as needed, but it can be bothersome to leave too much on the skin surface unless it is to be covered.

GENERAL NOTES

•Other ingredients such as vitamin E, honey, or essential oils, etc., can be added and stirred into a salve mixture as a very last step before pouring the salve into its final storage container(s).

• The best way to add essential oils to a salve is to drop them into the container just prior to pouring in the warm salve mixture.

• Some of the ingredients (other than the infused herbs and essential oils) added to the salve mixture can separate out and settle to the bottom of the container during the sitting and cooling period. While the salve is sitting in the final storage container(s), still a little warm, becoming firm, but not quite hardened (you’ll know the right moment), stir the entire mixture (especially the bottom portion) briskly with a chopstick. This will suspend all the ingredients throughout the salve base, which will now quickly harden and retain the added ingredients in a suspended condition. But now the top surface will look weird. If you care about this, place the uncapped jars of salve in a hot oven for a few moments. This will melt the very top surface of the salve rendering it flat, smooth and, to some folks, more visually appealing. Or melt the tops by heating them with the hot air of a hair dryer. I used to use a hand-held propane torch (available in any hardware store) for this job when preparing large quantities of salves for my small cottage industry. Let the surfaces harden, then cap, and store them in a cool location.

TO MAKE A SIMPLE SALVE STARTING WITH

DRIED HERB(S), FIXED OIL, AND BEESWAX

1. To each cup of fixed oil (Olive oil, Sesame oil, Almond oil, etc.) stir in approximately 1 to 2 oz.* of dry herb or a formulated combination of dried herbs.

2. Place this mixture in an uncovered container. Put it into an oven leaving the oven door slightly open or place it over a burner using a flame shield to disperse the direct heat. Heat the mixture at a low heat (preferably between 100 and 140° F.) for 3 to 5 hours. Check the temperature of the mixture periodically, each time stirring it thoroughly.

3. Line a large strainer with a cotton muslin cloth.

4. Remove the mixture and, while it is still warm and flowing easily, pour it into the strainer to separate the spent herbs from the oil infusion. Let this sit until well-drained, press out remaining oil if you want to, and discard the marc.

5. Measure the amount of infused oil you have at this point and place it in a suitable container over low heat.

6. Add shaved beeswax (approximately 1 oz. of wax per cup of oil) to the oil infusion and proceed as outlined in steps 4 through 10 on the following page.

TO MAKE A SIMPLE SALVE FROM A

PREVIOUSLY PREPARED HERBAL OIL INFUSION

1. Measure 1 cup of a previously prepared herbal oil infusion or 1 cup of a formulated combination of two or more oil infusions.

2. Set aside a small amount of the same oil or oil blend which can be added later, if necessary, to alter the consistency of the salve (see step 8).

3. Pour the measured oil into a stainless steel, earthenware, unchipped enamel, or glassware container that can be heated.

4. Add 1 ounce of beeswax that has been shaved or grated into small pieces. Set aside a small amount of beeswax that can be added later if you decide to alter the consistency of your salve (see step 8).

5. Warm this oil infusion and beeswax mixture over low heat