Salve
Lavender-honey beeswax salve
This salve is for the phase after. Not for the fresh burn, which needs cooling and quiet, but for the days that follow, when the skin has begun to heal and feels tight and itchy.
Honey keeps the area moist and clean, beeswax lays a protective layer, and lavender eases the itch. Three things each used on skin for centuries, and they work well together.
It smells the way you hope it does.
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp coconut oil
- 1 tbsp beeswax, grated or in pastilles
- 1 tbsp raw honey
- 8-10 drops lavender essential oil
Equipment
- Small pan for a water bath
- Heatproof bowl
- Clean jar with lid
- Spoon for stirring
Method
- 1
Melt 3 tbsp coconut oil with 1 tbsp beeswax in a water bath, stir in 1 tbsp honey and 8-10 drops of lavender oil.
- 2
Use on wounds that have begun to heal.
Dosage
A thin layer on the skin 1-2 times daily, once the wound has begun to heal and is closed.
Not on a fresh, open or weeping burn.
Shelf life
6 months, dark and cool. The honey may separate a little, just stir it back in.
Safety
Only on a burn that has begun to heal. A fresh burn needs twenty minutes under lukewarm water and otherwise to be left alone. Fat on a new burn traps heat and makes the damage worse.
Seek medical help if the burn is larger than your palm, on the face, hands, feet, joints or genitals, if the skin is white, brown or numb, if large blisters form, or if it happened to a child.
If the wound turns red, hot, swollen or begins to throb, that is infection. Then it is the doctor, not the salve jar.
Always melt over a water bath. Hot oil burns worse than boiling water.
Lavender essential oil must be diluted, as it is here. Never neat on skin.
Honey must not be used on children under 1 year.
How the herbs work
Lavender eases itching and has a mild antiseptic action on skin.
Honey keeps the area moist while drawing fluid out of bacteria, making it hard for them to multiply. It has been used on wounds for millennia, and medical-grade honey is still used in hospitals.
Beeswax lays a protective, breathable layer on top, so the moisture stays where it belongs.
The content here is general knowledge and folk herbal lore, not medical treatment. In illness, pregnancy, breastfeeding or alongside medication: always talk to your doctor first.