Karin’s Be Clear Congestion Salve
(for ages 11+)
1/2 C oil (coconut oil + any liquid oil)
1/2-1 oz beeswax (by weight)
1/2 teaspoon total essential oils (I use eucalyptus, lavender, rosemary, and tea tree EOs.)
Amber glass salve jars (enough to hold about 4 ounces of salve or cut the recipe down as you wish)
Before you begin, put a stainless steel spoon in the freezer. I melt the beeswax in a double boiler with the 1/2 cup oil on low heat, stirring constantly. Remove pot to dry rag on cutting board. Carefully dry the outside well to avoid any moisture getting into the salve when pouring. Test salve by grabbing your spoon from the freezer and dipping it in the hot salve. It’ll harden instantly. Too soft? Add some beeswax. Too hard? Add some oil. If you add beeswax, return pot to double boiler to melt and repeat instructions. If you add oil, just stir well. Either way, retest.
By this time, the salve is not too hot for the essential oils. Add essential oils and stir. Pour into amber glass salve jars that have been cleaned and dried well. If I am giving as gifts or selling, then I take cleanliness very seriously and sterilize everything beforehand. I like really small jars, so folks can use it up before it goes “off” and because I like to play around with recipes and we’d end up with a lot of products taking up space if I used larger jars. 😉
Eucalyptus and rosemary EOs may not be appropriate for everyone. Rosemary is contraindicated for people with epilepsy, for example. Both of those EOs are what make this salve congestion clearing and head clearing. Infusing the dried herb in oil first would be a good alternative for kids. Solar herbal infusion instructions are on my blog already. I purposely do not use peppermint EO because it is a stimulant and many people use this salve before bed.
*Note: This recipe is about 2% dilution (essential oil to carrier oil). This works well for me and most people. For adults only, you could go up to 3, 5, or 10% dilution for short-term usage, such as the duration of a cold. For children, though, the dilution should be lower (ages 0-2, skip the EOs; ages 2-6, 0.5%, short-term; ages 6-10, 1%, short-term; ages 11 and up can use this recipe as is, short-term) and it’d be best to swap eucalyptus and rosemary EOs for a spruce or fir EO. I like black spruce EO and I’d infuse dried rosemary in oil before making the salve. I’d add a little sweet orange EO for kids, too, because it is comforting. See Snot So Bad recipe below.
Karin’s Snot So Bad Congestion Salve
(for kids – half-recipe)
1/4 C rosemary-infused olive oil or plain coconut oil (or a mix)
1/4-1/2 oz beeswax (weight)
Amber glass salve jars or metal tins (enough to hold about 2 ounces of salve)
Essential oils:
Ages 0-2 – NONE – Massage eyebrows, nose, upper cheeks, ears, and throat with plain coconut oil or this salve without essential oils. Tapping on head and thumping on thymus gland (located in upper chest; aka act like Tarzan) can also help relieve congestion for everyone.
Ages 2-6 – 12 drops total: black spruce or fir needle, lavender or chamomile, and sweet orange
Ages 6-10 – 24 drops total: black spruce or fir needle, lavender or chamomile, tea tree, and sweet orange