How to Make Herbal Salve

Have you ever wanted to make your own herbal salve, but you didn't know where to start? 


This post is designed to give you my tips on making salve. I've been making it since 2002 and haven't stopped. 


No matter where I lived NY, HI, CA, or PA 
I've always made salve. 


If you want to learn about the benefits and uses for salve, jump over to this post. 


If you are here to make it...Let's get started! 

Learn How to Make Herbal Salve in this Short 2 minute Video:

Here's the Step-by-Step Process:

1. Set-up Your Double Boiler

Start by setting up a double boiler on the stove. Fill the bottom pot half way with water. You do not want to run out of water and burn your pan. You will be boiling oils for awhile. This isn't a very quick process. 

2. Get out All Your Ingredients

3. Melt the Beeswax in a Double Boiler. 

4. Then, Pour It into a Jar to Measure It.

Now that you have measured your beeswax you can figure out how to calculate your ratio of solid to liquid ingredients. Measuring your beeswax is important. This will help you make the perfect consistent for your salve on the first attempt. If you don't get it right, you can always put all the ingredients back in the bowl and re-melt them. I've had to do this, and it's annoying, but it is a correctable mistake. For beginners I suggest testing your consistency first. So when you have everything melted, pour a sample amount into a container and put it in the freezer for five minutes. You want to see what it's consistency feels like when it's solid. From here you can add more solid or liquid ingredients.
The general rule of thumb is: 
1 cup of solid to 4 cups of liquid at room temperature oils. 
For ingredients that are at a good texture at room temperature, I don't count them in the ratio. I just add them to the recipe. 
*Also, if you live in a hotter climate you want to have it be more solid, so adjust your ratio. If you live in a cooler climate or you have cold winter's, you want to adjust it with less solid. I make Winter and Summer batches because I live in a 4-seasons climate.

5. Add Other Solid Ingredients

You can add whatever solids you like. Some ideas I've used over the years are: Shea Butter, Mango Butter, Coco Butter, Aloe Butter, Macadamia Nut Butter, and Cacao Butter. You can get creative depending upon what your goal is. Maybe it's to make a wonderfully scented salve, an exotic salve, a diaper rash salve, a burn salve, etc. 

6. Melt All Solid Ingredients Together:

7. Measure Your Herbal Oils into a Measuring Cup

Now that you know what your solid amount is, you can figure out how much liquid you need. Take all your liquids and put them in a large measuring cup. For example, if you have 1 cup of beeswax you need 4 cups of herbal oils.

8. Pour Herbal Oils into the Melted Solids in Your Double Boiler

9. Re-Melt All Ingredients Together 

When you add the liquid ingredients into the hot oils, they are at room temperature, so some of the mixture solidifies again. You will have to wait a few minutes for it to melt again.

10. All Ingredients Completely Melted in the Double Boiler

11. Prepare Your Jars 

* If you want to add essential oils, now is the time. Put them at the bottom of the empty jars. Write the name of the e.o. on the paper so you know what is what. Once you pour the salve in, give a quick stir with a toothpick, and cap the one's with e.o. right away to trap the scent.

Another tip I have learned over the years is to put the jars on top of a disposable paper bag for easy clean-up. You are bound to spill when you pour the salve into the containers. It's probably the hardest part of making salve. Just know that spills happen and don't get frustrated. You may want to pour the salve into a mason jar first and then pour it into the jars. 
*Be careful it's hot! Use a towel or hot pad.

12. Pour into Jars and Let Cool

13. Easy Clean-up

Here's another tip to make cleaning up easy:
*Don't add water! Clean out the double boiler bowl over heat with a paper towel. Once it looks like you got all the oils and wax out, then you can wash it in hot soapy water.
*I store melted beeswax in a glass mason jar. Now it's easy to re-melt it in a pot of boiling water, and I know how much I have.
*Any jars that are oily, I use paper towels on first, then I wash with hot soapy water or the dishwasher.
*You can throw away the paper under your salves.
Let me know if you have any questions. 
Contact Jahnan

Don't want to make salve? You can buy some of mine here:

Buy Herbal Salve