Loriel’s DIY Healing Salve

May 25, 2025

I was reminded of this recipe again this week as I’m recovering from what appears to have been a combination of poison sumac, bug bites, and hives all in the same weekend! It’s three weeks later and I have sores from the blisters, lingering hives, and lots of dry skin.

I remembered years ago this salve that I made, but when I opened my little jar I realized it was too old and stale now to use, so I tried to find a replacement. At Walgreens I found Burt’s Bees hand salve (https://www.burtsbees.com/product/hand-salve) and it’s almost exactly the same. If you’re not up to all the fuss of a handmade version, theirs is working for me just fine.

But when I went to look up the recipe again, the website was gone. So I’m posting it here in her honor.

Ingredients

2cups - infused olive oil (google how to infuse herbs into oils; for this healing salve recipe I infused 4 Tbl comfrey, 4Tbl plantain, and 2 Tbl calendula.. You can find my favorite organic, sustainably harvested herbs here.) — Nat’s note: I used regular olive oil and added essential oils instead.

1/4 cup - beeswax pastilles (sustainably sourced beeswax here)

6 drops - lavender essential oil

5 drops - tea tree oil

1 tsp - vitamin E

Steps

Using a cheesecloth, strain the oil out of the herbs; let the oil run out and then squeeze to release more oil; discard herbs (composting is best!) — Nat note: skip this if you don’t infuse the oil

Combine oil and beeswax in a glass bowl

Melt down the beeswax and oil by placing the glass bowl over a pot simmering with hot water; you can stir with a wooden spoon to encourage the beeswax to melt

Once everything is melted, remove from the stove. It's important to wipe off the condensation from the bowl so no water goes into your product as you are pouring.

Add in the essential oils and vitamin E; stir

Pour into desired containers; let the mixture set and then you are good to go to use your new healing salve on any ouchie that comes your way.

What I did this weekend instead of making this again…

I haven’t been feeling up to DIY so I grabbed Burt’s Bees Hand Salve from Walgreens and put it in a pot of shallow water. I turned it up on low heat until it melted to a liquid, and then I poured a few tbsp into a smaller jar I keep in my purse.

It works great on my blisters and dry skin on my wrists and arms, and it works as a lip balm too! It’s very similar to Neosporin in its healing ability.