Today, I will deviate from the usual comfort food recipes and share a homeopathic recipe I have been making for almost a decade. My favorite girl suffers from seasonal allergies. When she was small, her little nose would become sore, red, and painful from over-wiping and constant blowing. It would get so bad that she would cry when she blew her cute little nose. I tried several over-the-counter creams and ointments that her pediatrician recommended, but most of them were petroleum-based and gave very little relief.
Feeling frustrated and powerless, I turned to homeopathic remedies. I began by researching essential oils, leading me down the rabbit hole of making homemade herbal-infused salves. After much research and trial and error, I created a sore nose salve and cold sore treatment that I have shared with friends and family. Making all-natural, herb-infused salves is surprisingly easy. All you need is a double boiler, a stove, sterilized utensils, a sterilized glass container or small containers for storage, and about an hour of uninterrupted time.
I enjoy infusing oils with herbs and plants for therapeutic purposes. I often infuse olive oil with jewelweed to make our anti-poison ivy jewelweed soap. Infusing oils is very easy. I have a crockpot I use for the sole purpose of infusing oils. I pour a gallon of olive oil or any other oil that stands up to low heat for an extended period of time into a crockpot, fill it with fresh plants and herbs, and allow it to cook on low for six to eight hours. There are many ways to infuse oils with plants and herbs, but I find this is the most timely and effective way for me.
Once the oil has been infused, I allow it to cool and strain it into a sterilized glass measuring bowl. I then pour it back into sterilized glass bottles (preferably amber bottles) and store it in a cool, dark place for up to three weeks. For the sore nose salve recipe, I infuse olive oil with lemon balm, calendula, comfrey, and yarrow. If you don't grow these herbs in an herb garden, you can buy them dried and in bulk at Back to Nature on Warren Road in Indiana or almost any health food store in your area. I like to have a variety of dried medicinal herbs on hand for salve-making.
This balm can be used for sore noses, overly chapped lips, cold sores or fever blisters, and overly chapped skin. It can be applied to the affected area multiple times a day. I find this salve helps aid healing time, softens and conditions skin, and comforts sore, inflamed skin. It is gentle, moisturizing, and all-natural. With the fast-approaching allergy season, this simple recipe gives you an all-natural option to soothe sore noses and chapped lips.
Sore Nose Salve
Ingredients:
Herbal Infusion For Oil
1 Cup Olive Oil Infused With :
1 TBLS. Comfrey Leaf
1 TBLS. Lemon Balm
1 TSP. Calendula Flowers
1 TSP. Yarrow Flowers
Sore Nose Salve Ingredients:
1 TBLS. Herb Infused Oil
1 TBLS. Shea Butter
1 TSP. Beeswax Pellets
Directions:
In a double boiler, combine the above ingredients and melt over low heat.
Stir well until all the solids are melted. Note: Don't allow the shea butter to overheat, or it will become grainy.
Pour the warm mixture into a sterilized glass jar or individual lip balm containers.
Using clean hands or a small sterilized spoon, scoop a small amount of slave and apply it to the affected skin.
This recipe will fill two 1/2-ounce round tins or a one-ounce tin.
Note: This salve will melt if left in hot cars, in direct sunlight, or in your purse in a non-temperature-controlled setting.
I hope you find this easy-to-make, all-natural salve helpful. It has offered my family and friends relief from sore noses and chapped lips for years. On this lovely, sunny day, stay safe, be smart, try your hand at making all-natural home remedies, and keep washing your hands.