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Dry or rough skin can be frustrating to deal with. Making a homemade skin salve with simple, natural ingredients is a great way to keep your skin feeling soft and nourished.
This is one of the first salves I ever made. Back when I first started experimenting with homemade skincare, I wanted something simple yet effective. Something I could throw together with ingredients I already had.
I remember standing in my kitchen, melting beeswax and oil on the stove, wondering if it would actually come together the way I hoped. It did, and I was hooked.
Since then, I’ve tweaked the recipe a bit, but the heart of it has stayed the same. An all-purpose salve that’s easy to make and great to have on hand.
Of course, since then, I’ve made several other salves, including my newest, a dandelion salve recipe made with homemade dandelion oil.
Homemade Salve Ingredients
- 1/2 cup shea butter
- 1/2 cup coconut oil
- 1/4 cup beeswax pellets
- 1 tablespoon raw honey
- 10 drops lavender
- 8 drops frankincense
- 5 drops Tea Tree
- 5 drops geranium
- Storage Tin
Directions:
- Melt shea butter, coconut oil, and beeswax in a double boiler.
- Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.
- Stir in raw honey and essential oils.
- Transfer to storage tin.
- Allow it to harden with the lid off.
- Apply to the area of concern.
Don’t forget to print off your free printable label. It can be found in the online resource library.
Recipe Tips
- All skin types are different. As a result, you must perform a patch test first before using this product.
- If you don’t have a double boiler, you can easily make your own by placing a heat-resistant bowl over the top of a saucepan of water and bringing it to a boil.
- This will be enough to fill two containers, depending on the size you use.
Recipe FAQs
Yes! You can absolutely omit the essential oils. The natural scent of shea butter gives the salve a light, pleasant fragrance on its own.
Homemade salves should be stored in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight to maintain their quality.
Adding a small amount of arrowroot powder or cornstarch can help reduce the greasiness.
If you tried this Homemade Skin Salve Tutorial or any other tutorial on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Homemade Skin Salve
Equipment
- shallow storage tin
Ingredients
- ½ cup shea butter
- ½ cup coconut oil
- ¼ cup beeswax
- 1 tablespoon raw honey
- 10 drops lavender
- 8 drops frankincense
- 5 drops tea tree
- 5 drops geranium
Instructions
- Melt shea butter, coconut oil, and beeswax in a double boiler over medium heat.
- Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.
- Stir in honey and essential oils.
- Once ingredients are well combined, transfer the salve to metal storage tins.
- Allow the salve to harden completely before securing the lid.
- Apply to the area of concern.
Thank you for the recipe! Can I completely omit the essential oils for this recipe just to keep it fragrant free? Do the essential oils play a role besides fragrance in healing the eczema?
They do provide some benefits, but you can certainly make it without them!
Is there a substitute for the Lavender? I can not handle the smell of lavender
You could remove the lavender or replace with another soothing oil like Roman Chamomile.
Can I use yarrow infused olive oil in place of coconut oil?
For what ages is this safe? I have a 3.5 month old who is getting patches of eczema already. 🙁
I would omit the essential oils before using this on someone that young.
CAN I USE SOMTHING ELSE INSTED MANGO BUTTER
This recipe call for shea butter
Thank you very much for sharing this important recipe, but won’t bacteria form because of honey and there is no preservative?
Can I replace honey with powder?
I have never had any issue with it but you can add a preservative if you would like to.
Honey is a preservative
I have raw honey (from my Son’s bees) in quart jars that I’ve had for several years. It is still good and is amazing. A beehive never goes above 95° F. (The reason honey does not crystallize in the hive.) So, it stands to reason that raw honey should NEVER be heated more than 95° F. Doing so destroys all its beneficial nutrients and enzymes and healing properties. Example: Heating honey to 98.6° F destroys roughly 200 beneficial nutrients. Also, honey should never be microwaved as it destroys it no matter the temperature. They don’t call it “nuking” for nothing. Microwaving honey turns it into a liquid sweetener. Honey is anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antibiotic, anti microbial, is preservative. It is also excellent for acne and healing skin wounds and other skin ailments. You might also be surprised to know that coconut oil (including MCT oil) is also preservative along with its other skin benefits. I have oil skin yet I use coconut oil on my face and have done so for years. I do not look my age. Some have also used unrefined EVOO to preserve certain foods and herbs. Note: If shea butter is added, be aware the shelf life of shea is approx two years… Cocoa Butter can keep un-refrigerated in an airtight container for one year (up to two years refrigerated). This homemade product made responsibly with clean equipment should last you at minimum one year. I would use an amber glass container (never plastic) and store away from light either in the refrigerator or a very cool and dry place. — To the Author of the recipe: Excellent.
P.s. I would recommend putting the honey in after the rest of the beeswax and oils/fats have cooled to the above mentioned temperature of 95° F or less to keep the benefits of the honey. Otherwise, there is no benefit to having the honey in this salve. Use a candy thermometer. Heating the beeswax and oils/fats to melt them will not ruin *distilled essential oils*.
Thanks for your recipe. It’s really help
I have three grandchildren suffering from eczema. I am going to make this and give it to them. 🙂