Having a salve on hand that can help soothe and heal minor cuts, scrapes, burns, and other small skin injuries can come in very handy. When made with powerful, antimicrobial essential oils, these homemade healing salves can help prevent infection while also reducing pain and speeding up healing time. With just a few simple ingredients, you can whip up your own effective DIY healing salve right at home.
When it comes to choosing which essential oils for cuts to include in a healing salve, some great options are lavender, tea tree, eucalyptus, lemon, oregano, frankincense, myrrh, and peppermint oils. These oils contain compounds that have natural antiseptic, anti-inflammatory, anesthetic, and wound-healing properties. Lavender oil, for example, contains potent antibacterial and anti-inflammatory compounds like linalyl acetate and linalool. The eucalyptus oil contains eucalyptol, which has anesthetic properties to numb pain. Tea tree oil contains terpinen-4-ol, which gives it strong antiseptic abilities to fend off germs. When used together in a salve, these oils make a powerful infection-fighting, pain-reducing, and skin-healing combination.
The base of the salve should be composed of carrier oils and butters that also have healing effects on the skin. Some excellent choices are olive oil, coconut oil, shea butter, and beeswax. Olive oil contains antioxidant polyphenols that can promote wound healing. Coconut oil has lauric acid which has antimicrobial effects to prevent infection. Shea butter is anti-inflammatory and contains vitamins A and E to nourish, smooth, and protect damaged skin. Beeswax helps protect the skin and adds thickness to make an easy to apply salve.
Here is a simple recipe for a DIY essential oil healing salve:
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup coconut oil
- 1/4 cup shea butter
- 1/8 cup beeswax pastilles
- 20 drops lavender essential oil
- 15 drops tea tree essential oil
- 10 drops lemon essential oil
- 5 drops peppermint essential oil
Instructions:
- Add the olive oil, coconut oil, shea butter and beeswax to a glass bowl or measuring cup.
- Melt the ingredients together either by placing the container in a pan of simmering water on the stove or microwaving at 30 second intervals until fully melted and combined.
- Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly before adding the essential oils. You want the mixture warm enough to still be liquid, but not too hot to handle.
- Add in the lavender, tea tree, lemon, and peppermint essential oils. Stir thoroughly to fully incorporate.
- Pour the liquid salve into storage containers like small jars or tins before it starts to solidify. Leave uncovered until completely cooled and set.
- Attach labels noting the ingredients and date made. Store in a cool dark place. The salve should keep for 6-12 months.
To use the healing salve, gently wash any minor cuts, scrapes, burns, abrasions etc. with soap and water. Pat dry and then apply a thin layer of the salve over the affected area 1-2 times per day until fully healed. The salve helps protect the wound while also delivering powerful antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, pain-relieving, and skin-restoring ingredients right to the site of injury.
This simple homemade healing salve takes just minutes to whip up and can be customized with different essential oil blends to target specific health conditions. You may want to make several batches to keep on hand in first aid kits, bags and medicine cabinets so you always have access to this natural healing product. With its natural antiseptic, anesthetic and soothing properties, this DIY healing salve can help reduce your need for antibiotic creams and over-the-counter medications when dealing with minor cuts, burns and abrasions.
