You can make your own salve. You will need a small amount of beeswax or paraffin, cooking or nut oil(peanut, sunflower, olive, walnut, soybean etc.) and essential oil. Essential oils are available at health food stores and are generally sold by a fraction of an ounce. Don't hesitate to pay a good price-you will only be using a few drops at a time. A 1/2 ounce bottle could last for many years. Different essential oils, which are oils extracted from plants, have different purported healing properties. My experience has been that they are not "purported" but actually do work, but to say so would be giving medical advice, which I am not qualified to do. You will want to do your own research-my favorite book is here: Amazon.com: The Complete Book of Essential Oils and Aromatherapy: Over 600 Natural, Non-Toxic and Fragrant Recipes to Create Health - Beauty - a Safe Home Environment (9780931432828): Valerie Ann Worwood: Books
You can use a fairly strong scented oil such as peppermint, rosemary or eucalyptus to help cover a disagreeable smell. Or you can start with Lavender essential oil, a very safe, gentle and versatile oil with many uses and benefits. Be careful with the straight essential oil-they can melt plastic.
In a double boiler (I use a tuna can with a pour spout bent into it and set in a shallow pan with 1/2 inch of water) combine your choice of oil or shortening and a SMALL amount of beeswax or paraffin, heat sloooowly until it is melted together. Using a chopstick, drop a couple drops on wax paper or foil and pop it in the fridge a few seconds. Rub it between your fingers to check the consistency. If it is too runny or slippery, add a few more shreds of wax to the tuna can. If too stiff, add more oil. Repeat until you get the consistency you want.
Remove the tuna can from the heat and add a few drops of essential oils(not fragrance oils or candy flavoring) and stir with a toothpick or chopstick. You can pour this in an old altoids tin, carmex jar or baby food jar. Keep in mind it will be very hard to clean beeswax or paraffin off the tools and containers you use.
You will only want about 5-6 drops of essential oil total to each ice cube sized volume, 3 drops to a jar the size of a carmex jar. This translates to about 20 drops total for a standard altoids tin and maybe 40 drops for a baby food jar full. It doesn't have to be exact. You could also use an empty, clean stick deodorant, or chapstick tube. Wintergreen or a strong peppermint could burn your skin and melt plastic, so beware and use less if working with these oils.
Using rosemary oil, this salve has kept me from getting colds and flu for many years, even swine flu. I have sat right next to people who had the flu and by putting some under my nose, either before, during or right after exposure, have stayed illness free. The essential oils have been shown to kill germs as they come in contact with them before they have a chance to multiply in your bronchial tract.
As with any natural medicine, essential oils are not without risks. Always consult a manual, NEVER use undiluted essential oils directly on the body and do not use on pregnant women, babies or debilitated persons.
You can use a fairly strong scented oil such as peppermint, rosemary or eucalyptus to help cover a disagreeable smell. Or you can start with Lavender essential oil, a very safe, gentle and versatile oil with many uses and benefits. Be careful with the straight essential oil-they can melt plastic.
In a double boiler (I use a tuna can with a pour spout bent into it and set in a shallow pan with 1/2 inch of water) combine your choice of oil or shortening and a SMALL amount of beeswax or paraffin, heat sloooowly until it is melted together. Using a chopstick, drop a couple drops on wax paper or foil and pop it in the fridge a few seconds. Rub it between your fingers to check the consistency. If it is too runny or slippery, add a few more shreds of wax to the tuna can. If too stiff, add more oil. Repeat until you get the consistency you want.
Remove the tuna can from the heat and add a few drops of essential oils(not fragrance oils or candy flavoring) and stir with a toothpick or chopstick. You can pour this in an old altoids tin, carmex jar or baby food jar. Keep in mind it will be very hard to clean beeswax or paraffin off the tools and containers you use.
You will only want about 5-6 drops of essential oil total to each ice cube sized volume, 3 drops to a jar the size of a carmex jar. This translates to about 20 drops total for a standard altoids tin and maybe 40 drops for a baby food jar full. It doesn't have to be exact. You could also use an empty, clean stick deodorant, or chapstick tube. Wintergreen or a strong peppermint could burn your skin and melt plastic, so beware and use less if working with these oils.
Using rosemary oil, this salve has kept me from getting colds and flu for many years, even swine flu. I have sat right next to people who had the flu and by putting some under my nose, either before, during or right after exposure, have stayed illness free. The essential oils have been shown to kill germs as they come in contact with them before they have a chance to multiply in your bronchial tract.
As with any natural medicine, essential oils are not without risks. Always consult a manual, NEVER use undiluted essential oils directly on the body and do not use on pregnant women, babies or debilitated persons.