How To Make Homemade Beeswax Salve (Easy Recipe)

Why make a beeswax salve?

Making your own beeswax salve ensures you know exactly what’s in it—no synthetic chemicals or preservatives. Beeswax has a range of benefits to our skin including its anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties. When you combine beeswax with a carrier oil like shea butter or coconut oil, the salve both moisturises and locks in that moisture.

Benefits of beeswax

Beeswax has a range of skin benefits:

Anti-inflammatory – Beeswax can help to calm irritated skin and reduce redness.

Antimicrobial – Beeswax’s antimicrobial properties can help to protect the skin against infections in minor cuts or scrapes.

Astringent – Beeswax has some astringent properties, which help to tighten skin.

Antioxidants – Beeswax is full of healthy antioxidants that fight free radicals and can slow signs of aging.

Moisturising – Beeswax locks in hydration, making it great for dry skin!

Which carrier oil to use

To make beeswax salve, we combine beeswax with a carrier oil. Here are some good carrier oil options – I like to use jojoba oil, olive oil, shea butter, or coconut oil.

Olive oil – Super moisturising and packed with antioxidants

Coconut oil – Lightweight and antimicrobial, and good for sensitive skin

Cocoa butter – Moisturising and smells wonderful

Jojoba oil – Mimics natural skin oils and is a good neutral choice

Shea butter – Rich and very hydrating

Sweet almond oil – Calms sensitive or inflamed skin

Sourcing high-quality beeswax

The base of this salve is organic beeswax pellets. Beeswax provides the salve’s structure and many of its healing benefits. If you have a local farm that sells beeswax, I’d recommend sourcing your beeswax from them. If you don’t have a local source, try to find beeswax that is unbleached and minimally processed so it has more of the healing properties. 

Tips for making beeswax salves

If it’s your first time using beeswax, beeswax hardens very quickly when it’s off the heat. This means that it is really difficult to completely remove melted beeswax from anything it touches. I have a dedicated glass bowl and a small whisk that I use to make my homemade body products that use beeswax to avoid having my kitchen things covered in beeswax.

Beeswax salve recipe

Tools

Double boiler (or a saucepan with a heatproof bowl)

Glass mason jar (for oil infusion) – I use these

Cheesecloth or fine mesh sieve

Small whisk

Amber glass jar (for storing the salve) – I use these

Supplies

Carrier oil of your choice – I like using this cold-pressed olive oil or this jojoba oil

Beeswax pellets – I like to use pellets because they melt more quickly but you can also use a knife to chop down a block of beeswax. Here’s a source for unbleached beeswax pellets.

Optional – Lavender essential oil or tea tree oil

Optional – Vitamin E oil to help the salve last longer. Here’s a source for Vitamin E oil.

Instructions

Optional step 1: make the infused oil

If you want the most basic salve recipe, skip this step and move on to step two. 

If you want to add a bit more nutrition to your salve, you can maximise the salve’s healing properties by infusing the carrier oil with dried herbs such as calendula, yarrow, or comfrey leaf. 

Here’s how:

Add the dried herbs to a glass mason jar.

Cover completely with your carrier oil and make sure that all of the plant material is submerged.

Add a lid, label it with the date, and store at room temperature for 4-6 weeks.

After 6 weeks, strain the oil through cheesecloth or fine mesh sieve to remove plant material.

You can also do this step more quickly by putting your oil and herbs into a glass jar in a double boiler. Turn on the stove to a very low heat and let the herbs steep on the low heat for 2-3 hours. Make sure the heat is very low so the medicinal properties in the plant material aren’t zapped. Then strain off the infused oil. 

Step 2: make the beeswax salve

Add the beeswax pellets to a double boiler and melt over low heat.

Once the pellets are melted, slowly stir in your herb-infused oil.

Remove the double boiler from the heat and then add any essential oils or vitamin E oil.

Use a small whisk to combine everything together.

Pour the mixture into a clean, dry amber glass jar.

Let the salve cool and harden before adding the lid. That’s it! I hope you try making your own salve! I think this herbal salve would make a great gift for the holidays.

How to use beeswax salve

Apply a small amount of salve to any dry or irritated areas on your skin. I like to use the salve on my dry hands, elbows, knees, heels, and lips. 

How long does beeswax salve last?

Like other salves, this homemade salve has a long shelf life if stored in a cool, dry place. It should last about a year but you can extend this by adding vitamin E oil, which acts as a preservative.

How to make a softer salve?

If your salve is too hard to use easily once it cools completely, you can add the salve jar into the double boiler and melt it down again on a very low heat. 

Then pour it out into your glass bowl and add 1 teaspoon of your chosen carrier oil into the mixture. 

If you’re worried about your salve being too hard, you can use slightly less beeswax to begin with, but I’ve tested this recipe and like the texture of the final salve.