This homemade Calendula Salve came out so creamy and smooth. With just a few ingredients, including the ultra-healing calendula flower and raw yellow shea butter, this salve is a soothing, and healing product that can help with rashes, cuts and scrapes. It is also great for soothing tough skin conditions such as eczema and psoriasis.
Before I get into the recipe, here is a bit more about each of the ingredients I used.
Calendula Flowers (also known as Pot Marigold) is a gentle, healing flower that can help soothe a wide range of skin concerns. It is normally found in baby products because of its gentleness, but it’s beneficial for people of all ages and all skin types. Calendula is named as such because it is a flower that blooms on the first of every month, which is called the calends in Latin. It has been in use for thousands of years. Calendula is edible and is sometimes used in teas and other recipes such as stews and soups (hence the “Pot” in “Pot Marigold”).
Another beneficial aspect of Calendula is that it’s actually moisturizing on its own. In this recipe I infused a carrier oil (almond oil) with whole Calendula flowers. Which allows for the oil-soluble vitamins and nutrients from the flower to combine with the benefits of the almond oil and adds great benefits to the recipe.
Almond Oil itself contains Vitamin E, cell-renewal boosting Vitamin A, and many minerals. Additionally, the silica in almond oil helps strengthen skin in order to promote more rapid healing.
Yellow Shea Butter is another fantastic healing ingredient that we carry in our shop. It consists of unrefined shea butter with one extra ingredient: the extract of the Borututu tree (Cochlospermum angolense). The beautiful deep golden yellow color from this tree is completely natural. It provides a boost of healing to your skin along with an extra silky texture to the butter. When applied topically, it enhances the anti-inflammatory effect of shea butter due to the presence of Hydroxybenzoic acid.
Yellow Shea Butter has been steadily gaining popularity in the last five to ten years for cosmetic applications. It is an exceptional styling product for facial hair and also helps soothe dry itchy skin.
Beeswax from Texas Beekeepers is another product that I absolutely love to use. I very much appreciate being able to support the local population of bees and their contributions to our food crops by sourcing from Texas apiaries. Texas Beeswax is a beautiful dark tan and smells like lush honey and wildflowers. It contains all the nutrients from the foliage that the bees visit, as well as the natural products of the bees and their hive – propolis, royal jelly, and pollen. Beeswax as a skincare ingredient has been in use for thousands of years as well – it was an ingredient in the very first recorded face creams, and it has humectant properties that make it able to pull moisture into your skin. Furthermore, it creates a barrier on top of your skin that provides a physical shield from harsh weather, pollution, and dry air or desert conditions.
Calendula Salve Recipe
Let me show you how I put this salve together. It’s a simple process that does not take much hands-on time, as most of the time needed is for the infusion process of the flowers and oil. If you already made the calendula oil from our previous blog post, then you can simply use that. If not, here is the oil infusion technique I used for this recipe.
Phase I (Infusion of Oil)
Ingredients
- 1 cup Dried Calendula Flowers
- 8 oz Almond Oil
- In a glass, heat-proof container, pour almond oil over dry calendula flowers
- Place container in a pot of water over low heat for 4 hours
- Let your oil cool until it is safe to handle
- Strain the oil well through a colander.
- You may compost the leftover flowers, or throw them in your garden as a fertilizer.
As a note, there is a slower method for infusing oil that is also quite easy: You simply leave your calendula flowers steeping in oil in a glass jar for anywhere from 4-8 weeks. You may use either method for this recipe and you will get similar results.
Phase II (Calendula Balm)
Ingredients
- 5.6 oz Calendula-Infused Almond Oil
- 1 oz Texas Beeswax
- 0.30 oz Yellow Shea Butter
- Melt yellow shea butter, beeswax and your calendula infused oil over a double boiler system
- Once melted, remove from heat and stir gently
- Pour into your final containers
- Let salve solidify at room temp for about 2 hours
- And voila! It is ready to use. Apply to the area desired 1-2 times each day or more as needed.
- Store at room temperature in your container with a lid.
Recipe Video
Making your own DIY skin care is easy and provides many benefits for your skin. You will know exactly what is in your skincare, that the ingredients are fresh, and that the nutrients contained within are potent. If you’re looking for a quick, easy, and unique holiday gift for your loved ones, why not try making a batch of this salve?
I hope you enjoy this recipe and that your skin feels wonderful while using your new product. As always, please comment below with any questions or feedback you may have.