Healing Calendula Salve Recipe

There is no doubt about it. I absolutely love calendula flowers. From the beauty they add to the vegetable garden, to the more functional role they play at keeping pests at bay, there are a lot of reasons they should be added to anyone’s vegetable garden. With that said, my top reason to grow calendula is for adding it to my homemade salves! Here I will share just how simple it is to make your very own healing calendula salve, but first lets explore what it is and some of the many benefits of this amazing flower.

Benefits of Calendula

Calendula Officinalis, also known as, “Pot Marigold”, is an annual flower that has many benefits and uses. It is important not to confuse this with “French Marigolds”, which is your standard marigold that is grown in most people’s gardens. Calendula is an edible flower and can be made into a medicinal tea, but is most known for healing a whole host of skin issues. It has strong antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties, which lends to helping heal:

• cuts
• scrapes
• wounds
• burns
• bruises
• insect bites
• dry skin
• rashes
• eczema and so much more!

It is incredibly nourishing for your skin and hair, which is why I love adding calendula oil to many of my homemade products. Because of these benefits and it’s gentle nature, I love using it for my homemade diaper salves for my babies!

So, how to do we make this wonderful healing calendula salve? All you need is a few simple ingredients. Let’s get started!

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Healing Calendula Salve

Simple and easy calendula salve instructions– use on cuts, scrapes, minor burns, rashes, or for moisturizing skin!

Active Time10 minutes mins

Yield: 1 4 Oz jar

Equipment

• 1 4 oz container for storing salve such as a mason jar or tin
• double boiler
• glass mason jar for melting ingredients together
• kitchen scale

Materials

• 84 grams calendula infused olive oil or carrier oil of choice; organic is best
• 14 grams beeswax
• 5 drops vitamin e oil optional; add for extra skin nourishment and increased shelf life
• Shea Butter optional; see notes below for variation

Instructions

• Prepare a double boiler- for instruction on how to do this, click HERE
• Melt together beeswax, calendula infused olive oil and shea butter (if using) in a glass jar using the double boiler method.
• Once ingredients are melted, pour hot liquid into storage container.
• Add 10 drops of vitamin e oil and stir (if using)
• Let cool completely- enjoy using this shelf stable salve for years to come!

Notes

1. You can substitute any carrier oil for olive oil. Some I would recommend are coconut oil, sweet almond oil, or jojoba oil.  
2. To learn how to infuse herbs in oil click HERE.
3. To learn how to use a double boiler method click HERE
4. this can be a basic framework for any herbal salve. Feel free to play around with using different herbs. Some of my other favorite herbs to use in salves are comfrey, lavender, chamomile, yarrow and plantain.
5. This recipe is using a 1:6 ratio of beeswax to oil.  Adding more oil and less beeswax will result in an even softer more spreadable consistency. You can adjust the ratio to fit your preference. The temperature of where the salve will be stored will make a difference in consistency as well.  If it is warmer in your house you could use more beeswax and less oil to make it more solid.

Shea Butter Variation:

• 14 grams beeswax
• 56 infused olive oil
• 28 grams shea butter (you also may sub cocoa butter)
• 5 drops of vitamin e oil (optional)

Now that you know how to make calendula salves and how easy it is, I hope it inspires you to make some of your own! What herbal combinations do you enjoy using in your healing salves? Leave a comment below, I’d love to hear from you!

Rebecca