A Winter Skin Balm Recipe

Earthy and wild in aroma, this highly moisturizing skin balm recipe is likely to become a favorite when the cold, dry season hits! Be sure to infuse carrier oil in advance for the beneficial properties of rose hips and black spruce needles.

 

MAKE AN OIL INFUSION

If you have never made an oil infusion before, you should read this post to educate yourself. After doing so, go ahead and make your own infusion with wild rose hips and spruce needles. A good ratio is 3 parts rose hips to 2 parts spruce needles.

Unlike the above tutorial suggests, your spruce needles (due to low water content) do not need to be dry before infusing in oil. In fact, fresh is best! Be sure to forage needles from the past spring’s growth.

Rose hips should be dry, which is the main reason this skin balm recipe is well suited to the fall season. If you are impatient and don’t want to wait for the little jewels to dry on the bushes, you can harvest rose hips when fresh and spread them on a cookie sheet. Allow them sit at room temperature until dry.

 

WINTER SKIN BALM RECIPE

For this recipe you’ll need:

• 1/2 C shea butter
• 1/4 C coconut oil
• 1/4 C beeswax
• 1/4 C carrier oil infused with rose hips and black spruce needles

Directions: warm a double boiler (or a makeshift one) on the stove top, keeping the temperature low.

Measure and add beeswax to it. If your wax came in a block, shave off small pieces until you have 1/4 C (loosely packed). Should you have purchased pellets, they can go directly into the double boiler!

Take and measure out shea butter, coconut and carrier oil. Add it to the melting beeswax and allow the entire thing to warm until it reaches a liquid state.

Your beeswax always takes the longest to melt. Be patient and keep the heat low!

When things are ready, prepare your container of choice. It can be an old salve tin, lotion container or small glass canning jar. Carefully pour the hot liquid into your containers.

Always allow them to cool before capping.

Use as needed on dry or chapped skin, for feet, hands or even lips.