Lavender is one of the most pleasant, floral aromas that is incredibly soothing and relaxing. Since spring is here, lavender flowers are in bloom. If you have lavender flowers and don’t know what to do with them, you can infuse them into an oil and make the salve in this article. A salve can help soothe the skin, filling in any dry areas of skin and replenishing them with nutrients. 

Studies show that inhaling lavender’s aroma before bed contributes to a more restful night of sleep. You can place a few drops of lavender essential oil under your pillow, or inhale the aroma via a diffuser. That said, you can also make a lavender-infused salve, which has multiple uses. In fact, if you are new to making salves and want to learn more about them, this recipe is a great entry point. Continue reading to learn about some of lavender’s most impressive health benefits for the skin. 

Antibacterial And Anti-Inflammatory Properties

Lavender’s antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties work together to help purify your skin. The antibacterial properties help fight bacteria and clean out the pores, while the anti-inflammatory properties calm the skin, reducing swelling that is common among other skin irritations. Lavender is also great at minimizing the appearance of scars. If the skin is not inflamed with infection, lavender can do a better job of forming new skin cells, according to research. 

Anti-Aging Properties

One of lavender’s most impressive benefits is that it can help improve circulation, which increases the delivery of oxygen to skin cells. When skin cells receive more oxygen, they get an energy boost and start producing new cells. New skin cell production makes your skin look more youthful and healthy. Additionally, better circulation through the bloodstream can help reduce the appearance of wrinkles. 

Antioxidants

According to several studies, lavender contains antioxidants that work to improve the look of your skin. How do they do this? By fighting free radicals that cause the skin to appear dull, antioxidants contribute to a more youthful glow. The same antioxidants may also help rid the skin of dead skin cells, allowing new skin cells to come to the surface for improved skin barrier function. When you have a strong, healthy skin barrier, you are better protected against environmental pollutants. 

Homemade Healing Lavender Salve

Ingredients For Lavender-Infused Oil:

• 1/2 cup dried lavender flowers
• 12 ounces olive oil
• 4 ounces refined coconut oil, melted

Instructions For Lavender-Infused Oil:

• To make the lavender-infused oil, add the dried lavender to a 16-ounce, heat-safe glass jar.
• Pour in the olive oil and the melted coconut oil. Cap the jar and give it a little shake. 
• Leave this jar in a cool dry place for a few weeks and then strain the oil after that, discarding the lavender flowers. 

Ingredients For Lavender Salve:

• 1/2 cup lavender-infused oil
• 1/2 ounce beeswax
• 1/2 ounce refined shea butter
• 12 drops lavender essential oil (optional)

Instructions For Lavender Salve:

• Melt the beeswax and shea butter in the top of a double boiler over medium-low heat. Once these ingredients are thoroughly melted, stir to combine and then remove from heat. 
• Pour in the lavender-infused oil and the optional lavender essential oil. 
• Get your tins read and then carefully pour this mixture into the tins. Allow the salve to cool at room temperature before screwing on the lids. 
• Use when ready and store the tins in a cool, dry place.

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The elder plant (Sambucus) has flooded the world of natural remedies. The berries often outshine the rest of the elder plant, even though the flowers have amazing medicinal benefits. You won’t see them in an immune-boosting tonic, but those sweet smelling blossoms are commonly infused in oil blends or skin creams, salves, or lotions.

What Are Elderflowers?

The most common species of elder plants include the Sambucus nigra, black elder or European elder, the Sambucus Mexicana, Mexican elder, and the Sambucus australasica, yellow elder. The white or cream-colored flowers have a sweet aroma and are rich in a variety of nutrients, including antiviral agents, quercetin, and vitamin C.

Skin Smoothing Effect

The astringent properties of elderflowers help encourage a smoother, even skin complexion. Astringent properties help to reduce the size and appearance of pores because they tighten the skin. This contributes to healthier looking skin that is smooth and refreshed.

Nutrient-Dense

Elderflowers contain bioflavonoids, which are important for skin care because they contain anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and antioxidant properties. Isoquercitrin, anthocyanin, and quercetin are the most abundant flavonols in elderflowers. They also contain other antiviral agents that help reduce allergy symptoms and regulate blood glucose levels.

Anti-Aging Benefits

This is why you clicked on this article, right? The antioxidants and flavonoids in elderflowers help to combat early sings of aging, including wrinkles. Elderflowers are rich in vitamins A, B, C, and E, all of which promote firmer skin and even skin tone. The other antioxidants help protect against sun damage and fight oxidative stress, which contributes to early signs of aging.

Improve Hair Health

Both the berries and flowers of the elder plant are excellent for your hair. If you have damaged hair or want to enhance your natural hair color, look no further than shampoos and conditioners that are infused with elderflowers. Elderflower extracts also give your hair extra shine.

Anti-Aging Edlerflower Salve

Ingredients:

• 15 blossoms dried or fresh elderflowers
• 15.2 fluid ounces sweet almond oil
• 2 tablespoons beeswax
• 15 drops frankincense essential oil

Instructions:

• First you need to make elderflower infused oil. To do that, combine the elderflowers and sweet almond oil in a glass jar.
• Place the jar in a warm place for two weeks; a windowsill that is exposed to direct sunlight is an excellent place. Strain the oil into another jar after two weeks, discarding the flowers.
• Measure out ½ cup of elderflower infused oil and pour it into the top of a double boiler. Add the beeswax as well and heat until the mixture is thoroughly mixed and melted.
• Remove the double boiler from heat and let the melted mixture cool for about 10 minutes. Stir in the frankincense essential oil and then pour the mixture into a glass container.
• Let the mixture harden (about 2 hours) and then use at your leisure.

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Grown in Europe, Asia, and parts of North America, comfrey has been used in healing practices for thousands of years. In the past, comfrey helped to treat stomach problems, but people found that it contained harmful pyrrolizidine alkaloids that damaged liver health and increased one’s risk of death. Within recent years, however, peer-reviewed studies have determined that comfrey is extremely beneficial for the skin when prepared as a salve or cream.

What Is Comfrey?

Comfrey is a fast-growing leafy plant that can be quite invasive. It spreads quickly and can be difficult to control, and it often inhibits new plants from sprouting. All that said, comfrey is popular among permaculture gardening circles because it pulls micronutrients from the soil. Many cultures harvest the roots and leaves of the plant to help treat burns, joint inflammation, bruises, and muscle sprains. European folk medicine has made salves from comfrey because of its ability to sooth gout and arthritis pain.

Comfrey For Joints

According to a clinical research study that was published in the Journal of Complementary Therapies in Medicine, comfrey is beneficial for people with osteoarthritis. A similar study found that applying a comfrey salve, made from the roots and leaves of the plant, helped relieve lower and upper back pain, ankle sprains, and sore joints.

Comfrey For Sprains

We have established that comfrey has powerful pain-relieving properties, especially when applied to joint sprains. According to one study, topical application of comfrey proved to be as effective as prescription pain-relieving gels. It is important to note that the study did not address whether or not comfrey creams accelerated the healing of sprains; the study only determined the effectiveness on pain symptoms.

Comfrey For Wounds

Preliminary studies found that comfrey has potential wound-healing properties. If you have an abrasion wound, topical application of comfrey is safe to apply. More research is necessary to determine potential risk factors and side effects of comfrey on wounds.

Precautions

Do not ever ingest comfrey. This plant is not intended for internal use because it can lead to liver poisoning or death if you consume too much. It is possible to have a negative skin reaction to comfrey, so please do a small patch test before applying it liberally. Once again, comfrey is for external use only!

DIY Comfrey Salve

Ingredients:

• 1.5 cups fresh comfrey leaves (or 1 cup dried comfrey leaves)
• Olive oil to fill jar (about 10 ounces)
• 1 ounce beeswax

Instructions:

• Add the comfrey leaves to a pint-sized mason jar and cover with olive oil. Make sure that the leaves are submerged by at least one inch of oil.
• Place the jar in a double boiler or saucepan with water over low heat and gently mix the herbs and olive oil. Keep the mixture under 140 degrees F, ensuring that the mixture remains warm for 24 hours. You can also warm the mixture in a crockpot so you don’t have to keep your stove on for a day.
• Strain the herb-infused oil into a heat-safe glass bowl over a double boiler and stir in the beeswax. Once the beeswax melts, remove from heat.
• Pour the comfrey salve into salve tins or small jars and allow the mixture to harden at room temperature before screwing on the lids. Store in a cool dry place and use when ready.

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The chaos that is holiday life has begun for a lot of people. Family get-togethers, end-of year projects, traveling, shopping, and more seem to pile up and eat away at your being, often times resulting in high stress levels, unhealthy eating habits, and even sickness. The fear of not completing holiday shopping can push you to your limits, and we definitely don’t want that.

How about we take a little time away from crowded malls this year and make homemade beauty products that serve as the perfect gifts? Not only are DIY beauty products cost effective and easy to make, but they are also comprised of natural ingredients that offer unique health benefits. There’s no need to empty your bank account by purchasing luxury hair care products and fancy lotions when you can whip up your own health and beauty products. Besides the fact that the recipes in this article contain natural ingredients, they are going to be made by you, and making gifts from scratch is a lost art in this day and age. The extra love that goes into homemade gifts can put an even bigger smile on the faces of your loved ones. If you make any of the following recipes, take a picture and tag us on social media: @dherbs for Twitter and Instagram, and @dherbsfamily for Facebook.

DIY Lavender Body Butter

Don’t let the dry winter months dictate the health or appearance of your skin. Keep your skin hydrated by using this lavender body butter. Containing neem oil, which has been referred to as “the village pharmacy,” this body butter helps to reduce redness, swelling, and contributes to overall smoother skin.

Click here to make the body butter.

DIY Lemon Sugar Scrub

Working to exfoliate the skin and replenish drier areas with nourishing essential oils, this lemon sugar scrub is the perfect gift for winter. The lemon juice and essential oils kill harmful bacteria and encourage healthy skin cell production.

Click here to make the sugar scrub.

DIY Beard Oil

There are myriad beard care products on the market, but many of them are filled with unnecessary chemicals that are not conducive to beard health. If you have some bearded friends or family, this beard oil is great for moisturizing the skin, strengthening the beard (sounds fake but this is real), and maintaining shine.

Click here to make the beard oil.

DIY Body Wash

Address the needs of the skin by washing it with a simple body wash that works to moisturize, cleanse, and nourish. This recipe contains raw honey, which contains antimicrobial properties that penetrate the pores to keep them clean.

Click here to make the body wash.

DIY Soothing Skin Salve

People with dry, chapped, cracked, or sensitive skin are going to love this soothing skin salve. Containing antimicrobial, antifungal, and antibacterial properties, this salve works to moisturize damaged skin, soothe redness, and protect healthy skin cells.

Click here to make the salve.

DIY Peppermint Shower Bombs

Shower bombs produce pungent aromas, turning ordinary showers into luxury, aromatic steam rooms. These shower bombs contain peppermint essential oil, which works to improve circulation, unclog sinuses, and relax sore muscles.

Click here to make the shower bombs.

DIY Turmeric Face Mask

While turmeric is beneficial for cognitive function and reducing inflammation in the body, it can also cleanse the skin and help to reduce acne. Refresh the skin, clear up blemishes, and fight bacteria by using this face mask.

Click here to make the face mask.

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Have you ever come across something so amazing that you couldn’t imagine life without it? That’s how we feel about this moisturizing DIY skin salve recipe! It helps to naturally remedy small scrapes, bug bites, rashes, chapped skin, cracked heels, or it can be used to nourish your hands and feet at night.

For those who have eczema, this DIY salve may be an amazing natural remedy. The health properties have been known to soothe redness and help with dry or cracked skin on the knees, face, hands, or elbows. What is in this homemade salve that makes it so amazing? Let’s explore the a few of the ingredients.

Coconut Oil

Due to the antimicrobial, antifungal, and antibacterial properties of organic virgin coconut oil, many eczema patients have used it to moisturize damaged skin. The skin can easily absorb this oil, which allows the health properties to act quicker. It is also a great carrier oil for the essential oils used in this salve.

Frankincense Oil

The powerful astringent properties in frankincense oil help to nourish and protect skin cells. The antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties have also been known to help accelerate the healing process of minor wounds, insect bites, or rashes.

Tea Tree Oil

Skin conditions such as acne, psoriasis, or eczema are extremely common. When the oil glands on your skin are unregulated, the skin’s surface can suffer from accumulated bacteria. Using tea tree oil can help get rid of bacteria, which in turn promotes healthier looking skin.

Helichrysum Essential Oil

This essential oil has antiallergenic, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and antispasmodic properties. While it has been known to act as an expectorant to help loosen phlegm in the respiratory system, it is also beneficial for clearing up acne, skin irregularities, and scars. Additionally, this oil works to protect the skin against microbial infections by inhibiting microbial growth.

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons organic beeswax
• 2 tablespoons virgin coconut oil
• 1 tablespoon Shea butter
• ¼ cup jojoba oil
• 15 drops frankincense essential oil
• 25 drops lavender essential oil
• 15 drops helichrysum essential oil
• 20 drops tea tree essential oil

Instructions:

• Fill the bottom of a double boiler halfway full of water and bring to a boil. Once it is boiling, reduce to a low simmer.
• Melt the beeswax in the top half. Once it is melted, add the coconut oil, Shea butter, and jojoba oil and stir until everything is melted.
• Remove from the heat and allow the mixture to cool slightly before adding the essential oils in the order that they are listed, stirring after each one is added.
• Pour this mixture into mini mason jars or small glass containers. Let the mixture completely cool in the jars before putting on the lids. Store in a cool dry place.

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