When I ran into Triana at Sicily's Pi Party, I chatted with her about the upcoming herbal intensive class she is planning on taking with Jim McDonald. Feeling her excitement, I asked Tri to keep me on track, and help motivate me in my own herbal study. She invited me to make salves at Gemini's house, so it is thanks to her, Gemini, and Mel that I am able to share this learning experience.
First, we began to prepare a custom essential oil for skin salves. We placed an ounce of dried comfrey, camomile, witch hazel, and chickweed into 1 cup of olive oil. This we simmered on the stove-top for three hours in order to infuse the oil with the herbal essences (the directions indicated that this should be done in an oven under 200 degrees, but Gemini's oven doesn't work so we tried it this way).While our salve oil was simmering, we put together some lip balm using a double boiler and beeswax from Triana's bees. We mixed a warm olive oil to melted beeswax ratio of 5:1, and poured the concoction into lip balm tins already containing the essential oils of our choice. My balm contains lavender, rosemary, tea tree, and eucalyptus oils.
Triana also really wanted some natural deodorant, so we creamed together some baking soda and coconut oil, then added lemongrass, lavender, orange, tea tree, and peppermint oils. It smells fantastic!
Gemini volunteered to finish up the skin salves for each of us since it was getting late, so we melted the rest of Triana's beeswax and tried to remove the mold that had accumulated on it by straining the wax through a cheesecloth. Gemini used the rest of this (approximately two ounces) for our salves, which she would later combine in tofutti cream cheese containers with the strained oil and 2 tbs of vitamin E.
Thanks to these ladies for a wonderful, warm, and 
educational evening! I've never really worked with essential oils, nor did I really understand the value of them. Making oils rather than tinctures seemed to me rather frivolous and cosmetic. But now I understand how these oils can be made, how amazing this process smells (the kitchen was consumed by an overwhelming herbal-brownie aroma!), and how these oils can be used topically. Having spent more time smelling the oils, I can also better understand how simply smelling these essences can have an important therapeutic effect. I would definitely still prefer to harvest local herbs and make oils from them rather than purchase online or at the store, but you've got to start somewhere.
educational evening! I've never really worked with essential oils, nor did I really understand the value of them. Making oils rather than tinctures seemed to me rather frivolous and cosmetic. But now I understand how these oils can be made, how amazing this process smells (the kitchen was consumed by an overwhelming herbal-brownie aroma!), and how these oils can be used topically. Having spent more time smelling the oils, I can also better understand how simply smelling these essences can have an important therapeutic effect. I would definitely still prefer to harvest local herbs and make oils from them rather than purchase online or at the store, but you've got to start somewhere.Resources
Skin salve: http://www.healing-from-home-remedies.com/homemade-salve.htmlLip balm: http://www.mullerslanefarm.com/salvemaking.html
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