How to Make Homemade Naked Salve
By Khrystyana Kirton
Edited by Stephanie Dawson
Reviewed by Nima Shei MD
1 cup coconut oil
1 cup organic extra virgin olive oil
4 generous tablespoons organic beeswax pastilles (Buy Online here)
½ teaspoon vitamin E oil (optional)
A large recipe like this will fill FIVE 4 oz glass jam jars. If that isn’t enough, or is too much, adjust accordingly. It’s nice to have a few small jars to take along anywhere.
On low heat, melt the coconut, olive oil, and beeswax in a warm bath, stirring with a knife every few minutes until melted. One doesn’t have to babysit the melt, an occasional stir will do! The melting process will take at least 20 minutes, and you do want a slow melt.
Pour into jars your chosen jars and place a paper towel over the jars while cooling, wait to cover with lids until completely cooled. Shelf life is approximately 4 months.
Use the salve like any other emollient – scoop a bit by hand and work into the skin. A little goes a long way.
To make a warming salve – which is especially beneficial during winter months – add two drops of black pepper essential oil to ¼ teaspoon pre-made salve. (Black Pepper is anti-inflammatory, analgesic, and stimulates circulation.) This will keep fingers and toes nice and warm or warm them up quickly after being outside. It also would be a good muscle relaxing cream. REMEMBER: Even though this is a warming oil and not a hot oil, don’t put it in or around the eyes.
This recipe is for a “naked” salve, which is a salve without essential oils. These base oils are also referred to as “carrier oils”. A carrier oil is a vegetable oil derived from the fatty portion of a plant, usually from the seeds, kernels, or nuts.
If applied to the skin undiluted, essential oils, absolutes, CO2s, and other concentrated aromatics can cause severe irritation or reactions in some individuals. Carrier oils are used to dilute essential and other oils prior to application. They carry the essential oil onto the skin.
Each carrier oil offers a different combination of therapeutic properties and characteristics. The choice of carrier oil can depend on the therapeutic benefit being sought.
Natural lotions, creams, body oils, bath oils, lip balms and other moisturizing skin care products are also made using vegetable (carrier) oils. From a simple essential oil/carrier oil blend to a more complex natural lotion, the choice of carrier oil can make a difference in the therapeutic properties, color, overall aroma, and shelf life of the final product.
Essential oils are distilled from the leaves, bark, roots, and other aromatic portions of a botanical. Essential oils evaporate and have a concentrated aroma. Carrier oils, on the other hand, are pressed from the fatty portions (seeds, nuts, kernels) and do not evaporate or impart their aroma as strongly as essential oils. Carrier oils can go rancid over time, but essential oils do not. Instead, essential oils oxidize and lose their therapeutic benefits, but they don’t go rancid.
In other words, a naked salve is the base one would then apply their essential oil to in order to safely reap their benefits. This recipe is by far the easiest and most beneficial I’ve been able to locate. Simply add a couple drops of your chosen essential oil to a small amount of this base emollient and enjoy!
SOURCES
Naked Salve, Rebecca Schiffhauer –
Carrier Oils, LiveStrong –
Best Carrier Oils…, Ananda Apothecary –
Carrier Oils for Skin, Natural Beauty Community –
Natural Oils for Skincare, Natural Remedies for Skin Care –
