Making It: Radical Home Ec for a Post-Consumer World (18 page)

A STARTER TINCTURE

In Project 13, we talked about how to source willow bark to make a pain-relieving tea. Try tincturing willow bark as described in this section: i.e., steep willow bark in vodka at a 1:5 ratio for 6 weeks. The standard dosage for willow bark tincture is ½ teaspoon mixed in water or juice, taken up to 3 times a day for the relief of headache and muscle pain. Remember to follow all precautions generally given for aspirin when using willow bark.

36>

Making Salves

Salves (balms, ointments, unguents—whatever you want to call them) are easy to make and endlessly versatile. Using one simple technique, you can make lip balm, healing salves, deep moisturizing balms, aromatherapy preparations, and even deodorant.

Salves can be made with anything from goose fat to petroleum jelly, but we make them with vegetable oils and beeswax. Beeswax binds and thickens oils and also soothes, protects, and hydrates skin. We consider it an indispensable ingredient in any healing salve, but if you’re a vegan, you can use candelilla wax, derived from plant sources, as a substitute.

First, we’re going to give some general tips for making any salve. Then we’ll give recipes that illustrate some of the many different ways salves can be used. We hope you’ll soon be inventing your own salves.

TIPS FOR MAKING SALVES

BASIC RATIOS:
To make a salve, all you have to do is melt enough beeswax in oil so that the oil turns solid when it cools. The ratio of oil to wax varies from 3:1 for a hard salve to 8:1 for a loose salve. The ratio you choose depends on what kind of feel you want for the final product.

MEASURING INGREDIENTS:
For some recipes, we’re sticklers for exactness and ask that everything be weighed. For salves, though, the measurements can be casual, by volume instead of weight, using measuring cups and spoons or even eyeballing it. Since salves are often made in small quantities, measuring by the spoonful is a straightforward way to compare volumes. To measure solid oils, like coconut oil, pack them into measuring spoons. Beeswax comes in blocks and in small beads, also called pastilles. Solid beeswax can be grated and packed into a spoon; the beads measured as they are.

HEATING SALVES:
Oil and wax should be combined over a water bath or double boiler, instead of over direct heat, to prevent scorching and possible combustion. If you’re making a small quantity of salve, just a few tablespoons’ worth, all you need to make a water bath is a Pyrex (heatproof glass) liquid measuring cup and a saucepan. Combine the wax and oils in the measuring cup. Put the cup in a saucepan of gently simmering water and stir until the wax melts. The lip of the measuring cup makes it easy to pour the salve into containers.

A water bath
(left)
and an improvised
toiler (above).

TESTING DURING COOKING:
If you wish, test the salve while it’s hot by putting a few drops on a chilled plate. It will set up fast, giving you a preview of the final texture.

TROUBLESHOOTING:
If the finished salve comes out too soft or hard for your liking, just scoop it out of the containers, return it to the water bath, and melt it down again. Add a touch more wax to thicken, a touch more oil to soften, or a few more drops of essential oil to up the scent.

Skin-Healing Salve

PREPARATION:
10 min

Once you begin making herb-infused oils, as described in Project 35, you can put them to use in healing salves. Different herbs bring different properties to the salves. Half the fun of keeping a home pharmacy is learning the properties of different herbs and how to apply them to your specific needs. It’s particularly satisfying to use herbs you’ve grown or foraged yourself. When you
know
a plant, when you’ve read about it, when you’ve raised it in your garden or located it growing in the wild, when you’ve take the time to harvest it and transform it into medicine, your relationship to that medicine becomes both intimate and profound. The difference between a jar of homemade medicinal salve and some anonymous tube of drugstore ointment can be likened to the difference between fast food and a meal cooked with the freshest ingredients and lots of care. There’s power in the
intention
and
attention
you put into making your own medicine.

This general-purpose salve speeds healing of minor cuts and scrapes, rashes, burns, bug bites, and sores. To make it, you will first have to make oil infusions of calendula
(Calendula officinalis)
and common plantain
(Plantago major).
Both are renowned for their skin-healing abilities, and either one would make a fine salve on its own. Their medicinal uses overlap in many ways, but they’re combined here to take advantage of calendula’s skin-regenerating properties and plantain’s astringent qualities.

YOU’LL NEED

• 2 ounces calendula-infused olive oil
  
• 2 ounces plantain-infused olive oil
  
• 1 ounce organic beeswax (½ ounce for a softer salve)
  
• 5 drops lavender essential oil (optional)
  
• 4-ounce jar or 4 (1-ounce) tins
  

PUTTING IT TOGETHER

Combine the oils and wax over a water bath. Bring the water to a low simmer to heat the oil, stirring occasionally to speed the melting of the wax. When the wax is entirely dissolved in the oil, take the mixture off the heat.

Stir in the lavender essential oil, if using. The lavender won’t contribute to the healing qualities of the salve, but the calendula and plantain oils don’t have much scent on their own, and the first thing everyone does when they open a jar of salve is sniff it. Lavender is a soothing scent that most people like, and lavender essential oil won’t irritate the skin.

While the oil-and-wax blend is still hot, pour it into clean containers. We recommend that you keep this salve in a few small containers rather than one large one. Small tins stay more hygienic, and spares can be kept in the fridge for long-term storage or given as gifts. This recipe will fill one 4-ounce jar or four 1-ounce tins. After pouring, let the salve cool until solid. Then put the lids on the tins and label them.

Makes 4 ounces

Note:
Other herbs that make excellent skin salve ingredients are comfrey
(Symphytum officinale),
chickweed
(Stellaria media),
and chamomile
(Chamomilla recutita).

Headache Balm

PREPARATION:
10 min

Pleasant scents don’t relieve pain, but they do help you relax. Rub this salve on your temples, nape, wrists, and sternum; take a deep breath; and let go of the tension of the day. The scent of lavender is relaxing, and rosemary has long been associated with both clearing the mind and soothing headaches. The peppermint helps you breathe easier and also makes the skin tingle slightly, which distracts you from the pain. If you’re not a fan of menthol sensations, reduce the amount of peppermint.

Since the scents of essential oils fade over time, it’s best to make this balm in small quantities. Therefore, this recipe is presented in spoonfuls.

YOU’LL NEED

• 4 tablespoons organic sunflower or extra-virgin olive oil
  
• 1 tablespoon organic beeswax
  
• ¼ teaspoon lavender essential oil
  
• ¼ teaspoon rosemary essential oil
  
• 3/8 teaspoon peppermint essential oil
  
• Jar with a 2-ounce capacity, or smaller containers with a total capacity of 2 ounces
  

PUTTING IT TOGETHER

Measure the sunflower or olive oil and wax into a Pyrex (heatproof glass) liquid measuring cup. Set the cup in a small saucepan of gently simmering water. As the oil heats, stir it once in a while to speed the melting of the wax. When the wax melts in the oil, take the cup out of the saucepan.

Stir in the essential oils while the oil is still liquid. Then pour the finished balm into clean containers to cool. Once cool, cap the containers and label them.

Makes 2 ounces

Note:
Substitute any of the essential oils with other types if you wish, using any scent you find soothing. You might want to try eucalyptus, lemon balm, or chamomile essential oils.

No-Nonsense Lip Balm

PREPARATION:
10 min

Lip balm doesn’t “wear off”—we eat it off. What we don’t consume by licking our lips is absorbed into our skin. Most commercial lip balms are made with ingredients we wouldn’t otherwise eat on purpose and may not even want on our skin: things like petroleum products and artificial scents, flavors, and preservatives. Homemade balms are truly edible, truly nontoxic, truly natural. They’re also easy to make. Just melt and pour.

Most lip balm tins hold ¼ to ½ ounce. Lip balm tubes hold less than ¼ ounce—0.15 ounce, to be precise. A little lip balm goes a long way, so this recipe makes only 1 ounce. It can be scaled up easily, but, in general, it’s better to make a fresh batch every few months. Olive oil stays sweet longer than most cooking oils, and beeswax never goes bad, but this is a preservative-free recipe, so spoilage is possible.

Olive oil and beeswax are a fantastic healing combo. Use the recipe for your lips, but it will also soothe angry cuticles and cracked, dry skin.

Balm intended for tubes should be made stiff, at a 3:1 or 4:1 oil-to-wax ratio. For use in pots or tins, it can be made anywhere from 4:1 to 8:1, depending on how soft you like it. This recipe is formulated at 4:1.

YOU’LL NEED

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  
• 1½ teaspoons organic beeswax
  
• Clean lip balm tubes or tins, enough to hold 1 ounce of balm total (You can repurpose old tubes and tins or order new ones online. See the note below.)