How to Make a Simple Herbal Salve for Dry Skin

This simple herbal salve blossoms with beautiful herbs and their gentle nature to nourish dry skin. Its silky smooth, wonderfully healing and smells amazing! Indulge your skin and blend a batch this winter season.

Winter made its presence well known recently with arctic temperatures and blustery winds. Its effect left my skin feeling tight with itchy dry patches that wouldn’t go away.

Fortunately, the solution rested inside the short little walk to my herbal cabinet a top my antique bakers hutch. There my herbal infusion of olive oil waited, which I affectionately call “Everything Oil”.

Everything, because it’s an amazing infusion of five healing anti-inflammatory herbs including lavender, chamomile and calendula. Each herb I use imparts soothing qualities for all sorts of skin irritations including dry skin.

My “Everything Oil” infusion is the bulk of this salve recipe, but the beauty of herbal skin solutions is their adaptable nature. You can infuse your oils with just one herb or a combination of several. Be creative and make it your own!

Whenever your skin needs a healing touch, glide this simple herbal salve on any spot that’s dry, red or inflamed. You’ll feel instant relief and your senses get the relaxing herbal scent of summer. It also makes a great handmade gift that shares the healing love of Mother Nature without toxic chemicals and endocrine-disrupting ingredients.

Why You Should Make This Herbal Salve

Versatile Healing Properties – While the herbs in the oil infusion are great for dry skin, they’re healing for other skin ailments as well. Minor burns from a curling iron or cast iron skillet are instantly soothed. Bug bites, minor cuts and skinned knees also find relief with this salve, so always keep a jar on hand!

Homemade is Healthier – This salve features homegrown herbs straight from nature with all pronounceable ingredients that heal instead of harm the body. No toxic chemicals required.

Smells Amazing – Have I stated this already?! Honestly, it’s so true. I was pleasantly surprised the first time I made this salve at how much the floral aroma of chamomile shines through. When paired with a boost of lavender essential oil the scent relaxes the soul and reminds the senses of a warm summer day.

Helpful Hints for a Simple Herbal Salve

• I’m a huge advocate of growing your own herbs, but if you don’t have any on hand, you can still make this salve. Order one or all of the listed herbs from a bulk retailer like Azure Standard or Mountain Rose Herbs. Or skip the herbal infusion and use all essential oils instead. The healing power is still the same!

• Aim to use a high-quality olive oil that’s organic and trustworthy. Not all olive oils in today’s modern world are created equal, oddly enough. It’s a vast topic that needs a larger discussion, but the quality of your oil is important since your skin absorbs its properties.

• Save and reuse small, cute containers for storing your salve. For example, if you’ve purchased containers of tallow balm or have a spice container laying around that’s empty, use that. Simply wash it out and remove the label with lemon essential oil. Decorate the container with a bow made out of jute twine if gifting your salve.

• When cleaning out the container used for melting the ingredients, use newspaper to wipe it out before washing with hot soapy water. This prevents unwanted buildup in your pipes.

• Be sure to use dried herbs when making the herbal infused oil. The moisture content in fresh herbs leads to mold and rancidity, meaning the infusion would have to be tossed.

How to Make This Simple Herbal Salve

What You’ll Need

• 1 quart Mason jar with lid
• 16 oz. olive oil – I use the olive oil from Jovial Foods, which is typically available at large grocery stores.
• One, all or combination of dried herbs listed below
• Lavender essential oil (optional)
• Strainer or cheesecloth
• Containers for storing herb infused oil and salve
• Double boiler or saucepan with a lip for pouring and bowl that fits over saucepan
• Spatula
• Digital scale and measuring cups

Make An Herbal Infusion

An herbal infusion is the process of extracting the properties of herbs with a liquid whether it’s water for a tea, oil or honey. It’s called a tincture when vinegar or alcohol is used instead.

The following are the five herbs that I use in my Everything Oil blend.

• Lavender – The antimicrobial properties of lavender make it perfect for skin healing. That’s why it’s great for dry skin, minor burns, insect bites, etc. The soothing scent promotes relaxation as well.

• Chamomile – Chamomile is both antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory. In this salve, it’s meant for calming irritated skin from minor burns to scrapes and other skin ailments. Chamomile is also antispasmodic so ladies with menstrual cramps can use this salve for relief.

• Calendula – This is a powerhouse of an herb with lots of healing qualities. It’s anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, anti-fungal and antispasmodic. It’s perfect for healing many skin conditions including dry skin, diaper rash, eczema and sun burn just to name a few. It’s good for wound healing, but don’t use it on an infected wound or the infection will be sealed in.

• Yarrow – Yarrow has many of the same healing qualities as the previous herbs. However, it’s especially beneficial for wound healing both externally and internally due to its hemostatic (blood stopping) properties. Yarrow is also anti-inflammatory making it great for healing dry skin or other skin conditions.

• Marshmallow – No, not the fluffy overly sweetened, chemically laden things you find in the grocery store. Besides lavender, this is my favorite herb. It grows tall and strong with properties the same from a seed you can barely see. It really makes me marvel at God’s miraculous world. While marshmallow is anti-inflammatory, it’s also a powerful emollient and demulcent, meaning it creates a barrier on the skin that soothes and protects.

Learn more about these and many other herbs in the book The Beekeeper’s Apothecary by Kaylee Richardson at The Honeystead.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Take a one quart Mason jar and place all herbs inside. I don’t have specific measurements for each herb, but generally a 1:1 ratio of each is good.

Cover with the olive oil and place somewhere out of direct sunlight. Shake once a day to help the herbs release their properties into the oil. After four weeks, strain the oil into another container using the cheesecloth or a metal strainer. Save the herbs for making compresses and poultices for minor injuries.

To Make the Salve

Heat the water in a double boiler or saucepan over low to medium-low heat. Place the oil and beeswax in the top half of the boiler or in a bowl over the saucepan. Stir until the beeswax melts, then add the shea butter.

Once the shea butter melts, remove from heat and stir in the lavender essential oil if using. Pour into containers while the salve is still warm.

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If you make this salve and love it, I’d love it if you came back and left it a 5-star review! Any comments or questions, please leave them in the comments section below. Tag me with your photos on Instagram @beckybuttlesamericana.

…and went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; then he set him on his own beast and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. Luke 10:34