Easy Dandelion Salve for sore muscles, achy joints and dry skin.
I’ve always loved dandelions and thought it was sad they are considered a weed. I mean their color alone is incredible and bold and the are the picture of sunshine! I can remember as a kid picking a handful to give to my mom. She would smile and love her handpicked ‘bouquet” of course.
Until recently, I just thought they were pretty while I watched my husband mow over these bountiful beauties. Unbeknownst to me, they have quite a multitude of uses that we should be using more often. A lost remedy of our foremothers!
They do have a season – spring time - but you can pretty much find them anywhere or grow them on your own anytime. And this year I was able to use my backyard weeds for a good use by making a dandelion salve. A salve is basically a way of applying herbs and/or oils to your skin to heal it. They can be used to treat skin irritations, rashes, bites, burns, sore muscles and much, much more. To make a salve, you start with an oil infusion to “brew” certain herbs for specific treatments. Some infusions can take 6-8 weeks to fully infuse into a carrier oil. Then you mix the infused oil with beeswax or soy wax, essential oils (optional) and you have your salve.
I personally love this dandelion salve as a hand cream. Living in the mountains your skin gets extra dry so I keep this on hand at all times to soften my 40-something skin. But even better, dandelion flowers contain antioxidants and essential fatty acids that help to reduce inflammation in the body and this salve can relieve swelling and pain. And with my stress levels these days, my body needed some of this love.
I found this specific recipe on Grow Forage Cook Ferment while doing a ton of research on dandelions. And before I get into the recipe, here’s a few interesting tid-bits about these bold yellow beauties:
The plant grows up to a foot in height and flowers from April to June.
The entire plant is edible and nutritious and dandelion leaves can be eaten raw but are best when fresh and young (much like me, the leaves will grow more bitter with age, Ha!).
Dandelion roots can be dried and roasted and brewed into an herbal coffee substitute. I haven’t tried this yet but will let you know when I do!
The flowers can be fermented to make a dandelion wine.
The entire dandelion plant can apparently be used medicinally. The roots can be used for gastrointestinal and liver problems. The leaves have a diuretic effect and it is high in vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Who knew?
*Of course, be sure to consult a doctor before ingesting anything dandelion. You could be allergic.
Now, on with the dandelion salve recipe.
First you need to make your infused oil. Go out to your yard and start picking those beautiful yellow lovelies. You’ll want to pick them at the head of the flower. I picked enough to fill a pint mason jar almost half way full. Then you need to dry them out. I spread mine on a dishtowel, out of the sun, for 2 days total.
After they are dried, place them in a mason jar and cover them with your carrier oil. I followed Grow Forage Cook Ferment’s Dandelion recipe and used ½ cup sweet almond oil, ½ cup melted coconut oil and ½ cup extra virgin olive oil.
Then the easy part – let that dandelion and oil mixture sit for 2-weeks in a dark, cool spot. I tried to give my mason jar a good shake every other day. Be careful not to let this sit much longer than 2-weeks as it can spoil.
Once the oil is ready, strain the dandelion flowers using cheesecloth and squeeze the juices out.
Now that the oil is ready, it’s time to make your salve. First you need a double boiler to warm the oil. I bought this boiler on Amazon and have used it for many things. It works great and is very affordable. Otherwise you can create your own by placing a small bowl over a pot of 1-2” of simmering water.
Place about 1 cup of the dandelion infused oil in the broiler and add about 2 tablespoons of beeswax. NOTE: for those beautiful vegans out there, you can use candelilla wax which is a plant based wax and alternative to beeswax.
Stir occasionally until the beeswax has completely melted and add 2 tablespoons of shea butter. Continue to stir until dissolved. Finally, as an option, you can add essential oils of our choice. I used 25 drops of sweet orange and 25 drops of lavender in mine.
Now all you need to do is pour the mixture into small jars or tins and let the salve set until hard. I got about four 2-ounce tins full of this divine mixture.
This mixture is great for dry or itchy skin – I use in on my hands and feet every day. Dandelion also fights inflammation and this salve can be used for sore muscles. My dad used this on his mild psoriasis where he had dark spots on his arms near his elbows and he swears it helped the discoloring of the skin (this is not medically proven, but hey, he said it worked!).
Pretty amazing what this plant can do. Maybe next time you see this yellow plant you’ll think twice before mowing it over.
Peace & Love,
Nikki
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Tools Needed:
Pint mason jar
Small jars or tins
Infused Oil Ingredients:
1 cup dandelion flowers, dried for 2 days
½ cup sweet almond oil
½ cup coconut oil, melted
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
Salve Ingredients:
1 cup dandelion infused oil
2 tablespoons beeswax (see above for vegan alternative)
2 tablespoons shea butter
25 drops each, sweet orange & lavender essential oil (optional)
Instructions:
Gather enough dandelion flower heads to fill a pint mason jar halfway. Lay flowers out on a towel and allow to dry for 2 days.
Place wilted dandelion flowers into a pint mason jar and cover with the sweet almond oil, coconut oil (melted) and extra virgin olive oil.
Allow your dandelion oil to sit and soak in a dark place for no longer than 2-weeks.
Strain the flowers using cheesecloth and squeeze all of the dandelion juice out.
Place your double boiler over a pot of simmering water and add the dandelion infused oil and beeswax, stirring occasionally until dissolved.
Add shea butter and stir until completely dissolved.
Remove from heat and add the essential oils (optional).
Pour the mixture into your tins and allow to set until hardened.
Use on hands, feet, achy joints, sore muscles or dry skin. Lasts approximately 1-year.