DIY Gardener's Salve

Hey Friends! Happy New Year!!!  So, since some of you asked, I'll tell you how I made my Gardener's Salve. I'll bet if there is one thing we all have in common is how rough our hands can get after working in the garden (unless of course you are smart and wear gloves, in which case we can not be friends) LOL! Kidding, of course. Anyway, here's how I do it. First, I infuse the olive oil (or grapeseed oil, or combo of both) with DRY herbs. If the herbs are fresh there is a chance of spoilage. Add a handful or so of dry herbs and let sit on the counter for at least a week (the longer the better).

If you want to speed up this step, you can add the oil/herb mixture to a double boiler and gently simmer it for about 3 hours. The oil can get a little darker in color after that, depending on herbs used. I used calendula and lavender flowers. Rosemary and lavender would be wonderful, too. Next strain out the floral material:

Add your oil and begin measuring out the other ingredients into double boiler (or a pot in a bigger pot of water if you don't have a double boiler, like me).

I measured out:
1 cup infused oil
1 oz bees wax
2 T. shea butter

Gently melt the solids into the liquids. This goes really fast. After melted, remove from heat and add essential oils, if you wish. I used:
20 drops of Rosemary doTerra EO
20 drops of Peppermint doTerra EO

Pour into clean jars, (I used 3  4oz jars and had a little left over) and let cool.  You can put the lids on or off while cooling, I don't think it matters.

If you have a friend with a baby who uses baby food in glass jars, have her save them for you!

So, there you have it. Easy peasy :)  I made about a dozen jars of this and gave it all away for the holidays! Be sure to save some for yourself!

Cheers ~ Julie