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Last fall, one of my recipes was featured on Health Impact News and CoconutOil.com. I wanted to share it here as well! Enjoy!
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One of my goals for health and wellness is to avoid using anything that contains petroleum products. Once you start paying close attention to the ingredients in many common hair and skin care products, you will find that there is almost always some form of petroleum product listed. Petroleum products are refined from crude oil – a crude oil that is very toxic nonetheless. It can be refined into a number of products, such as mineral oil, petroleum jelly, petrolatum, paraffin waxes, microcrystalline waxes, and more, all of which are very common ingredients in skin and hair care products.
Petroleum products harm your skin and your body, because they:
- Coat the skin like plastic wrap, disrupting the delicate acid mantle and the good bacteria that protect our skin from germs.
- Hinder the skin’s exposure to oxygen and other nutrients needed for proper detoxification and repair.
- Are not water soluble, so they attach to your cells and build up in your body. They are very difficult for your body to eliminate.
In addition, the 1,4-dioxane (which is not listed on ingredient labels), is a petroleum-derived chemical that is often found in sudsing items like body wash, bubble bath, and shampoos. This chemical has been listed as a possible carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). Meanwhile, the National Toxicology Program (NTP) has identified 1,4-dioxane as a “reasonably anticipated carcinogen”. These are all very good reasons to make more of your health and beauty products at home, where you control the quality, and the safety, of the ingredients.
Read the rest of the article here or here!
Recipe Ingredients – Delicious Obsessions Trusted Product Recommendations
I am always asked about my favorite ingredients and what I use in my own kitchen. I have linked to the products from my affiliate partners that I personally use and recommend. And now, here are the special coupon offers that select affiliate partners are currently offering:
- Thrive Market: If you sign up through this link, you will get 15% OFF your first order.
- Amazon, of course, has everything you need for this recipe. Their prices are often very good, though I love to shop around and sometimes find that Thrive Market has better deals. If you like saving money, it’s good to shop around! 🙂
- I get all of my herbs and spices from Mountain Rose Herbs. I have tried so many other brands and have never found the quality, flavor, and aroma to be as good as the herbs I get from Mountain Rose.
For more information about the essential oils I use for myself and my family, click here.
I have linked to the products from my affiliate partners that I personally use and recommend. I make these in big batches so that I have enough to share with family and friends. Feel free to cut the recipe in half if you think it will be too much. You can find the dried arnica flowers at any local herb shop or online – I have linked to the products from my affiliate partners that I personally recommend. The instructions for both salve recipes are the same. Coconut Oil Arnica Cayenne Salve Tools Needed: Instructions: 1. Since you are using dried arnica, you will get best results if you can allow the arnica flowers to steep in the coconut oil for 12-24 hours. I used a double boiler and kept my stove on the lowest setting possible. Some people prefer a crock pot, and using this method will allow you to let the herbs steep for a longer period of time. 2. When you first get the arnica, whiz it gently in a food processor to start bruising the flowers. You could also use your hands to crunch the flowers up. This will help the flowers start to break down and make the infusion of arnica happen a little faster. 3. Place the dried arnica into your double boiler or crock pot. If you are making the cayenne salve, add the cayenne to the arnica at this time. 4. Pour two cups of coconut oil over the arnica (and cayenne, if applicable) and stir to ensure that all of the flowers are completely submerged in the oil. You don’t want any leaves sticking out. 5. Cover and let infuse on low heat (warm setting on the crock pot) for 12-24 hours. You can stir it every so often if you desire. Keep an eye on it to make sure all of the arnica stays submerged and also to ensure that it doesn’t get too hot. 6. When the allotted time has passed, turn off the burner or crock pot and let the mixture cool for an hour or so. You don’t want it to completely cool, as the coconut oil could start to solidify (depending on where you live), but you want it to be cool enough that you don’t burn yourself. 7. Place your cheesecloth, t-shirt, or pillowcase over your bowl, jar, or measuring cup. Carefully pour the coconut oil into the cheesecloth and let the mixture drain into the bowl below. If it’s not too hot, you can pick up the cheesecloth and squeeze the oil through the fabric to speed up the process. 8. Once you have strained out the herbs, you can place the filtered oil back into your double boiler. Make sure you wipe out the double boiler to make sure there are no clumps of herbs left in there. Turn the heat on low. 9. Add your beeswax and whisk until completely dissolved. The scant ½ cup of beeswax will yield a very soft salve. If you want it firmer, you can add more; softer, you can add less. You can test the texture by dipping the back of a metal spoon into the mix and then allowing to cool and applying to your skin. 10. Once the beeswax is melted, remove from heat and let cool for about 30-60 minutes. Stir in your essential oils and then pour into whatever containers you desire. NOTE: for the cayenne salve, use caution when applying and avoid applying to your face. If you are concerned with pepper residue on your hands after applying, you could also use gloves, or apply with a spool or small spatula. I personally use a spoon. Sources: Since I am a fanatic about keeping my skin and body care non-toxic, I get a lot of questions about what my routine is and what products I use. I created this video to discuss all of that and more. The video below that features a lot of the hair care products that I use, including henna and my favorite clean shampoo.Coconut Oil Arnica Salve
Taking Care of Your Skin
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According to the given Ingredients, does all of this can be found in some Super Markets? And what are the other ingredients that can be a substitute if I don’t have one of them? Is this really proven to work? This recipe is pretty much great and cheap, the only problem I think is where you can actually buy the ingredients if you don’t want to buy online.
Hi Clarrence – You should be able to get all of the ingredients at your health food store, save for the arnica flowers. For those, you may need to go to an actual herb shop or look online. My health food store did not sell the arnica flowers, so my herbalist friend helped me locate them. I have had good success with it. It is very soothing on sore muscles, aches, and pains. We’re all different though, so what works for me may not work the same for others. Hope that helps! 🙂
Would arnica oil (essential oil) be a good sub for the flowers? And if so, would you need to do the double boiler/crockpot bit that you reccommend for the flowers?
Thanks!
Hi Tori – I have never made it with anything other than the flowers, so I am uncertain how much arnica essential oil you would add. You might need to do a little research as to proportions, as I know arnica oil can be extremely potent. Sorry I can’t be of more help!
Do you think I can use shea butter instead of the beeswax?
Hi Tanya – Shea butter and beeswax are not interchangeable, but you could leave the beeswax out. If you do, the salve will be much softer and may melt if it gets too warm, so just keep that in mind. The beesewax helps solidify the salve and make it a little firmer. Let me know how it works out if you experiment with it! 🙂
Great post, can’t wait to try it. would it be ok if I add some tea tree oil as well Jessica?
Thanks!
Hi Rosa – You could add whatever essential oils you like! That’s what I love about these DIY recipes — we can all customize them to suit our own preferences. I hope you enjoy! 🙂
Hi there.. I was wondering where it says to use “.6 ounces” of dried arnica flowers.. how do you measure that out. I seemed to be confused. It just doesn’t seem like that much. I am new to this. thanks for any help.
Hi Shauna – You’ll need to weigh the arnica flowers — they don’t weigh much at all, so you’d be surprised how much .6 ounces is. I have a small kitchen scale that I use when making herbal blends because many times you need to go by weight, rather than cups. It’s hard to get accurate measurements of dried herbs just using a measuring cup. Hope that helps! 🙂
Hi there. LOVE this. I am sharing it on FB for my readers right now :). I once talked to a local surgeon who said he recommends this to all of his patients (Arnica, that is) b/c it really works!
Thanks for the share Adrienne! I love arnica!
I have been making all kinds of herbal medicine s for my family. I love it. I am going to make this. Do you think it would help with the pain from Fibromyalgia? GOD BLESS YOU AND YOURS. Thank You.
Hi Sherry – I am not sure, but it is definitely worth a try! I hope you are able to find some relief!! 🙂
i would not recommend a whisk to add in the beeswax.. it is difficult to get the residue off all those little wires.. a thin table knife would be better. i make stuff with bees wax.. and it solidifies very quickly.. and it is difficult to completely clean the utensils. this looks like a great recipe. i need to get some arnica flowers.
Hi Tammy – Thanks for sharing your thoughts. A whisk works well for me. The key is getting it wiped or rinsed off before the mixture cools (same for the bowl you’re using to prepare it in). But, even if that happens, I just soak the utensil in some hot soapy water and it comes right off! Cheers!
Would this work for fresh arnica flowers and how would I modify the recipe? Thank you!
Hi Heather – Fresh flowers should work fine. I am not sure what the ratio would be fresh to dried though.
I am wondering why you would use cayenne? What does it do?
Hi Noelle – Cayenne, which is added to the second recipe, is another herb that has long been used for medicinal purposes. Cayenne is promoted as a circulatory stimulant and has been used in salves for healing infections, shingles, rheumatoid arthritis, and osteoarthritis. As a matter of fact, most commercial arthritis creams contain capsaicin, a compound from cayenne. When applied topically, it does not have the same fiery effect that it does when consumed internally. It should still be used with caution and you should be careful not to touch any mucous membranes after applying. I use a small spoon to apply to my skin, so that I’m not covering my hands in cayenne. I use this on achy joints (like knees and wrists), as well as sore muscles.