2/19/2016. Laurence Smith. Hands-on Uses. Make Your Own Salves, Ointments, Creams, and Lotions. Where Did I Start and Why?

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1 Laurence Smith Hands-on Uses Make Your Own Salves, Ointments, Creams, and Lotions Where Did I Start and Why? I m An Herbalist 1

2 Let thy food be thy medicine and thy medicine be thy food. -Hippocrates- Most of the spices in your kitchen are medicinal look them up. Harvesting/Collecting The best ingredients make the best medicine! Think like a plant where is it putting it s energies? Greens in the spring Flowers at their peak Roots in the fall Harvest conscientiously! Avoid pollution Infused Oils 2

3 Oil Infusion Method 1 Primarily for external use Cover dry herb with Olive, sesame or sweet almond oil, etc. Add oil until covered with 1/2 inch oil. Stir/shake daily for 14 days Press/strain Store in a cool place. Oil Infusion Method 1 DEMO Double Boiler Method 2 Steep the herbs in the oil until the oil takes up the color of the herbs (usually about an hour), in a very low heat. Deep-fried or overcooked herbs are not medicinal. 3

4 Double Boiler Method 2 DEMO Oil Infusion--The Quick Blender Method 3 Add ½ part vodka to 1 part dry herb. Allow to soak several hours. Put in blender with 7 parts oil. Blend until sides of blender are warm. (2-5 minutes) Strain and bottle. Oil Infusion--The Quick Blender Method 3 and 4, Demo 4

5 Oil Infusion--The Quick Croc Pot Over Night Method 4 DEMO Making Salves from Oil Infusions Ingredients for Making Herbal Salves Herbal salves are made with herbal infused oils and thickeners/solidifiers. Wax and other thickeners are used to solidify the oil. Base oils include: Almond oil Olive oil Grapeseed oil 5

6 Basic Herbal Salve Recipe 4 oz of infused oil or any combination of oils ½ oz wax 20 drops of Essential oil (optional) 4 drops of Benzion or Vitamin E Containers Calendula a healing herb for rough and damaged skin. Comfrey healing and soothing. Speeds up cell renewal, good for rough and damaged skin. Dandelion good for cleansing lotions for dry skin. Has emollient properties. Elderflower a good herb for all skin types. Good for older skin, smooth wrinkles, fades freckles and soothes sunburn. Lavender heals and is a gentle cleanser. Marshmallow heals and softens dry skin, chapped hands and sooths sunburns and reduces inflammation. Mullein has wonderful healing properties. Heals wounds and is antiinflammatory. Peppermint is an astringent herb that clears the complexion. Rosemary a good tonic that has antiseptic properties and boost circulation. Deep cleans the skin. Sage is cleansing and stimulating with astringent properties. Thyme stimulates and gently cleans with antiseptic properties. Yarrow heals and cleans with astringent properties. Yarrow heals wounds and stops bleeding. Making Salves from Oil Infusions A salve is just a thickened oil. Warm up the infused oil in a double boiler. Stir in beeswax at a rate of 1 ounce of wax (weight) to 1 cup oil (volume). The more wax, the stiffer the salve. Pour it into little jars or tins and let it firm up. Label & store in cool place. 6

7 Making a Salve from an INFUSED OIL - DEMO Adding essential oils to a Salve - DEMO Bone/Skin Poultice and Comfrey Salve 7

8 Coconut Oil Salves ½ cup dry herb to 1 cup coconut oil 1 cup fresh herb to 1 cup coconut oil Steep in double boiler for 1 hr. Don t overheat the herbs! Add beeswax to thicken. Cold spoon test. Tools Needed: A double boiler or crock pot Cheesecloth, old cotton t-shirt or cotton pillowcase Bowl, Mason jar, etc. Whisk or blender Coconut Oil Arnica Cayenne Salve 2 cups coconut oil.6 ounces dried arnica montana flowers 3-6 tbsp. dried cayenne powder ½ cup beeswax granules (scant) ½ tsp. rosemary essential oil (optional) From Jessica Espinoza at Health 8

9 Finishing Oils and Cayenne Salve - DEMO Preparations Step 1 When you first get the arnica, whiz it gently in a food processor to start bruising the flowers. You could also use your hands to crunch the flowers up. This will help the flowers start to break down and make the infusion of arnica happen a little faster. Preparations Step 2 Since you are using dried arnica, you will get best results if you can allow the arnica flowers to steep in the coconut oil for hours. I used a double boiler and kept my stove on the lowest setting possible. Some people prefer a crock pot, and using this method will allow you to let the herbs steep for a longer period of time. 9

10 Instructions Step 3 Place the dried arnica into your double boiler or crock pot..6 ounces dried arnica montana flowers If you are making the cayenne salve, add the cayenne to the arnica at this time. 3-6 tbsp. dried cayenne powder Instructions Step 4 Pour two cups of coconut oil over the arnica and cayenne and stir to ensure that all of the flowers are completely submerged in the oil. Cover and let infuse on low heat (warm setting on the crock pot) for hours. You can stir it every so often if you desire. Keep an eye on it to make sure all of the arnica stays submerged and also to ensure that it doesn t get too hot. Instructions Step 5 When the allotted time has passed, turn off the burner or crock pot and let the mixture cool for an hour or so. You don t want it to completely cool, as the coconut oil could start to solidify but you want it to be cool enough that you don t burn yourself. 10

11 Instructions Step 6 Place your cheesecloth, t-shirt, or pillowcase over your bowl, jar, or measuring cup. Carefully pour the coconut oil into the cheesecloth and let the mixture drain into the bowl below. If it s not too hot, you can pick up the cheesecloth and squeeze the oil through the fabric to speed up the process. Instructions Step 7 Once you have strained out the herbs, you can place the filtered oil back into your double boiler. Add your beeswax and whisk until completely dissolved. The scant ½ cup of beeswax will yield a very soft salve. If you want it firmer, you can add more; softer, you can add less. Instructions Step 8 You can test the texture by dipping the back of a metal spoon into the mix and then allowing to cool and applying to your skin. Once the beeswax is melted, remove from heat and let cool for about minutes. Stir in your essential oils and then pour into containers. (10-20 drops) 11

12 Coconut Oil Arnica Salve 2 cups coconut oil.6 ounces dried arnica montana flowers ½ cup beeswax granules (scant) ¼ tsp. peppermint essential oil (optional) ¼ tsp. lavender essential oil (optional) Herbal Lotions / Creams Herbal Lotions / Creams Heat your salve in a double boiler Add 1 cup water per cup of salve You don t have to use plain water Be creative! Teas, tinctures, essential oils can all be used as well Mix with an automatic mixer or blender. 12

13 Converting a Salve to a Lotions / Creams - DEMO Homemade Eczema Cream Homemade Eczema Cream Recipe from DIYNatural Equipment Double boiler or a makeshift double boiler Wide-mouth mason jar or other container Hand mixer Ingredients ½ cup pure shea butter ½ cup coconut oil 1 tablespoon honey 40 drops Chamomile EO (Lavender, Helichrysum) 5-10 drops tea tree essential oil 13

14 Directions Using a double boiler, melt down the shea butter and coconut oil until they re combined. Next, add the honey and allow it to melt. When everything is in a liquid state, let cool a little and add the lavender and tea tree oils and stir to combine. Directions When your solution has thickened up, but is still liquid, go ahead and give it the first round of mixing. Mix for several minutes until the color has lightened and the solution has a frothy appearance. As the solution solidifies, mix every ten minutes or so, until it is at its peak solid state (similar to a lotion consistency). Mix one more time and transfer to the mason jar or other container. Nourishing Hand and Body Cream 14

15 Nourishing Hand and Body Cream Heat 1/8 cup each of cocoa butter and shea butter and ¼ cup of coconut oil over low heat, till melted. Remove from heat, add 1 tablespoon of Herbal Trim, 1 tablespoon of Jojoba or Massage Oil and 5 to 10 drops of Recover essential oil blend and stir firmly to mix them well in the oil-butter mixture. Cream/lotion is ready to be used and can be stored in canning jars or tins. Summary Fall in LOVE with nature! Try Something! Practice, practice, practice! Become empowered! Thank you Laurence! 15