This recipe for how to make yarrow salve, a healing herbal salve, is an easy-to-make useful herbal salve. Making salves from flowers, fresh herbs, and other plants and weeds is a fun beneficial activity. This salve made from yarrow has healing benefits for the skin and great to have on hand.
Benefits of Yarrow for the Skin
Yarrow is a versatile and great herb with so many different possible medicinal properties. It is very easy to grow and is commonly found growing wild. Yarrow is one of my favorite herbs! This article discusses some of the many possible medicinal properties of yarrow. Yarrow has possible medicinal benefits for both internal and external use. As stated in the article, for the skin, yarrow is known for treating many skin issues and can be used as a first aid salve to treat minor cuts and minor burns. It can also possibly treat skin irritation such as poison ivy and other rashes. The yarrow salve can be used as a herbal medicine to treat insect bites, such as mosquito bites and bee stings. Yarrow’s ability to treat so many skin issues, makes this salve very useful to have in your first aid kit!
How to Make Yarrow Salve
To make salves, balms, lotions and lotion bars, you need to start with an infused oil.
How to Make an Infused Oil
The first step is to pick the the fresh yarrow leaves and flowers. Next is to dry the fresh leaves and flowers. The drying process can include air drying by spreading them in a single layer on a dish towel or paper towel and letting them dry for several days. The other option is to use a dehydrator set at a low setting.
The next step is to make an infused oil with the dried flower or herb by steeping the flower or herb in a carrier oil. Different kind of oils can be used including sweet almond oil, safflower oil, avocado oil, sweetgrass oil, olive oil, sunflower oil, jojoba oil or coconut oil.
Add the dried yarrow to a glass jar. I like to use a mason jar. The amount of oil you want will depend on how much lotion you want to make. You will add about twice as much oil as your dried flowers or herbs. For example, you can add the flowers or herbs to a pint jar about halfway and then fill the jar almost to the top. If you want less, you can fill the jar about 1/4 up with herbs and then 1/2 way with oil. Also, you can make more than you plan to use for now and save the additional oil for later.
There are several options for making the infused oil:
Slow infusion: Just add the lid to the jar and put it away in a dark place for 4 to 6 weeks. Shake the jar every once in a while. You can also put the jar in direct sunlight for a couple weeks to infuse the oil.
Fast double boiler method: Place the jar in a saucepan of a couple inches of hot water and heat the water on low for about 2 hours. Or add the oil and dried herbs or flowers to a double boiler pan and let it simmer but not boil for 1 to 2 hours.
Fast crockpot method: Add your dried herbs or flowers and oil to the crockpot, make sure that the oil covers the herbs. Heat the oil slowly and keep the crockpot on warm. Try to keep the temp between 120-130 F. Let it heat for several hours.
Making the Yarrow Salve
The next step is to strain the dried yarrow from the infused oil.
Once you have the strained yarrow oil-infusion, add the desired amount to a double boiler, with a small saucepan, then add the beeswax and shea butter. My measurements are 1 cup infusion oil to 2 Tbsp beeswax and 1 Tbsp shea butter. I used 1/2 cup infusion oil to 1 Tbsp beeswax and 1/2 Tbsp shea butter for the yarrow salve. It made 2 2-oz tins. A lot of recipes for salves that I have seen use measurements in grams and oz. I feel it is easier with simple measurements and the salve turned out great.
Stir until the beeswax and shea butter melt.
When the beeswax and shea butter are melted, pour the mixture, which will be in liquid form, into 2- ounce tins or 2 ounce jars. Option is to add essential oils or scents and also to add mica powder for color. I like to add lavender essential oil to my salves.
Let the salve set and set up. It does not take very long for it to harden.
Enjoy!
Enjoy making and using this salve with healing properties made from natural ingredients and medicinal herbs. It is very easy to make small batches of these salves. I plan to continue to explore making salves, balms, lotions, and other similar items from plants and flowers found in nature and also from herbs and flowers that I grow.
I have made a couple of herbal salves including salve from purple nettle and a salve made from sage and also peony salve, elderflower salve, white clover salve and lilac salve from flowers. I have also made some flower and herbal lotion bars including lotion bars from rose petals and lotion bars from sage, lilac and peony.
See my website at www.HawkPointHomestead.com to learn more and for additional made from nature recipes, such as my flower jellies including my dandelion jelly recipe, redbud jelly recipe, lilac jelly recipe peony jelly and apple blossom recipe.
The website also includes canning recipes and other favorite great recipes, plus posts about other homestead-type activities, such as gardening and raising chickens.
For updates, please follow my Facebook page at Hawk Point Hobby Homestead.
Some links are affiliate links, which means I make a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Yarrow Salve Recipe
This recipe for how to make yarrow salve, a healing herbal salve, is an easy-to-make useful herbal salve. Making salves from flowers, herbs, and other medicinal plants and weeds is a fun beneficial activity. This salve made from yarrow has healing benefits for the skin and great to have on hand.
Ingredients
- Dried yarrow leaves and flowers and a Carrier Oil, which can include sweet almond oil, coconut oil, sunflower oil, or olive oil, to make your infused oil
- 1 cup of the infused oil
- 2 Tbsp. beeswax
- 1 Tbsp. shea butter
- Optional: Essential oil of your choice
- Optional: Mica Powder for Color
Instructions
- Create the white clover-infused oil with the dried elderflower blossoms and the carrier oil- See Notes
- Heat the infused oil in a double boiler
- Add the beeswax and shea butter
- Heat and stir until the beeswax and shea butter are completely melted
- Pour the liquid into 2 oz tins or jars
- Optional: Add essential oil of your choice, Add mica powder for color
- Let the salve set up
Notes
There are several methods for creating the infused oil which are described in the article.
This recipe makes 4 2-oz tins. I cut the recipe in half and made 2 2 -oz tins.
