Oh So Salvy
I have extremely sensitive skin and have tried all kinds of products from the store to sooth general irritation, bug bites, too much sun exposure, mild rashes and reactions to detergents, and more. If it kind of worked ok, it was greasy and had a nasty smell. Some smelled great but did next to nothing to sooth and heal my irritated skin. Some had petroleum or some other un-pronouncable chemical or synthetic and none of it was good for my skin or the environment.
After searching for products or even recipes that I could try, I read about narrowleaf plantain – considered a weed and likely growing near you. I read about how crushing or chewing the leaf to make a poultice can be applied to mosquito bites and it helps bring the redness and swelling down and sooth your skin. My herbalism books shared how it may be helpful for soothing and healing various skin conditions like eczema and psoriasis.
I’ve read various blogs about advanced herbalism masters creating salve formulas that work well for them and their family, and have developed something that works well for ours. Everyone does things a bit differently. After making various sample batches that we’ve shared, all have expressed gratitude for the near-instant relief they felt and how much better their skin felt and they felt great about using something completely natural for them, their spouse, their kids, their elderly relatives and more.
It absorbs quickly, cools gently, soothes irritations, and smells like a snazzy spa treatment though it’s perfectly suited for every day use. I keep a container of it in my purse, on the bathroom counter, in the fridge, and in our camping and outdoor gear bags. You probably get the picture. This has become our only go-to #1 for all things skin irritations from minor burns, cuts, scrapes, irritation, insect bites, bee stings, and general skin conditions.
With added pure essential oils that cool, calm, moisturize and sooth while being antibacterial/antiviral, it’s not only relief at the moment, it’s going to treat and heal the affected external area.
Ingredients
1c fresh, dry narrowleaf plantain leaves
1.5c olive oil
4-5T beeswax pastilles
2t of 70,000iu pure vitamin E
25 drops lavender oil
15 drops peppermint oil
10 drops tea tree oil
Directions
Loosely chop plantain and put into a jar.
Cover completely with olive oil
Place a square of cheesecloth over top and secure with a rubber band.
Put a dish towel in the bottom of crockpot and place the jar on top of the towel, add water to crockpot so the jar is about 1/2 submerged in water, turn it onto warm.
After 12-24 hours, turn off crockpot, strain the oil, and let sit for several hours. If you see water at the bottom, either use a turkey baster to remove the oil and leave the water or carefully pour the oil and not water.
Use a double boiler to melt beeswax on low, add the strained oil and whisk until both have melted together.
Add vitamin E oil.
Let cool for a while before adding in essential oils.
Pour into clean jars and use any time you get a mosquito bite, spider bite, bee or wasp sting, dry and itchy patches of eczema or psoriasis. This has been a work in progress for a few years now, and we now have something we are confident has improved our health and wellness not to mention saved $$$ on store-bought chemical-filled crap products that cost an arm and a leg and don’t work well. This is the most soothing, gentle and effective pleasant-smelling salve we have made and has a shelf life of approximately 2 years.