Salves are my favorite DIY thingies to make. They are simple and provide endless benefits for the skin, depending on the ingredient you use.
This skin salve recipe includes ingredients with numerous skin healing benefits, slight anti-aging properties, and a highly moisturizing effect.
The Ingredients Combine into a Highly Beneficial Skin Salve
Vitamin E is an antioxidant as you may already know. Yeah, yeah, but the real question is how exactly antioxidants, vitamin E in this case, benefit us? Vitamin E prevents the oxidation of molecules in our body. When the molecules in our body oxidize, they can create free radicals and excess free radicals cause structural damage to healthy cells. So, in short, free radicals are the bad guys and antioxidants are the good guys.
As an antioxidant, vitamin E, will prolong the shelf life of the skin salve as it prevents its oxidation.
Beeswax, a basic ingredient in many DIY formulations, forms a protective barrier on the surface of the skin and protects it from irritants. It heals and softens the skin and prevents chapped lips when used in lip balms. I use white beeswax that has been naturally bleached. Because of the refinement, white beeswax is better for cosmetic products.
Almond oil slows down the aging of the skin. It has emollient properties which rejuvenate and soften the skin.
Coconut oil is excellent for moisturizing dry skin. It protects the skin from the UV rays with the SPF around 4 – 10, but don’t go sunbathing with just coconut oil on your skin, it’s not enough.
Shea butter will soothe, hydrate and balance your skin.
Make sure to use unrefined oils and butter as only unrefined oils and butters retain complete therapeutic qualities.
This skin salve recipe fills a 4-ounce container.
Dry Skin Salve Recipe:
Ingredients:
- 1,5 tablespoon of beeswax
- 2 tablespoons of coconut oil
- 4 tablespoons of sweet almond oil
- 1 tablespoon of shea butter
- 10 drops of vitamin E oil
Instructions:
- Melt the beeswax, coconut oil, almond oil, and shea butter in a double boiler. You don’t have to mix it, the ingredients will combine without it.
- Add 10 drops of vitamin E oil.
- Pour the mixture in a container right away because beeswax tends to solidify really fast. If you wait, the salve will solidify in a pan and you will have to melt it again.
If you want a softer skin salve, reduce the amount of beeswax to 1 tablespoon.
Shelf life: minimum one year or as much as the ingredient with the shortest expiration date.
Storage: keep it out of the sun and places too warm. Preferably in a cold place.
How To Use:
This dry skin salve is great to use on your entire body. But avoid using it on your face because it might cause breakage due to a highly comedogenic properties of coconut oil.
Use it to heal dry and cracked skin and to recover the skin from winter moisture loss.
If you have oily skin type, you can keep an eye on how your skin reacts on it, but it should be fine using it on the body.
Are you going to try this skin salve recipe?
