Sage Deodorant (A spray deodorant) 1 ounce of sage tincture 1 ounce of witch hazel extract 10 - 20 drops of essential oil blend - Use sage, coriander or chamomile to fight bacteria and add another one that has the fragrance you like 5 - 10 drops of grapefruit seed extract (a natural anti bacterial agent used here as a preservative add the GSE into the sage alcoholic tincture before you put the oils in otherwise the GSE tends to separate the oils. This needs to be shaken before you use it. You can keep it in a inexpensive squeeze bottle and just it spray on. ------- Deodorant Bar 1-1/2 oz beeswax 1/2 oz cocoa butter 1 oz coconut oil 10 drops rosewood essential oil 4 drops cypress essential oil 4 drops spanish sage essential oil 4 drops coriander essential oil Melt beeswax and cocoa butter. Remove from heat and add coconut oil. Stir until melted. Allow to cool but mixture should still be warm and pourable. Add essential oils and pour into deodorant container. --------- Herbal Antiseptic Mouthwash: 1 pint Vodka 2 Tbsp. Eucalyptus 2 Tbsp. Cardamon 2 Tbsp. Rosemary or Spearmint 1 Tbsp. Wintergreen 1 Tbsp. Thyme 1 Tbsp. wild Bergamot If you struggle with gingivitis you may want to add 1 Tablespoon of Red Root. In a glass jar mix the herbs into the vodka. Close the jar an put away for one month. Strain and use! ------- How to Make Salves Moisture tends to cause medicinal oils and salves to deteriorate and spoil quickly so you will need to use dried herbs rather than fresh herbs. Of course you could dry your own herbs, as well. The oils with the longest shelf life are coconut and olive oil. Both are very healthy oils. The seed oil are so unsaturated and the fatty acid are less stable. They breakdown with heating and form transfatty acid which have been shown to actually cause heart disease and cancer. They will still work for medicinal oils but are not recommended. The coconut oil is solid or semi-solid at any temperature below 78 degrees. Olive oil will begin to solidify at temperatures around 40. This make a difference in the constituency of the salve between winter and summer in most areas that have changes in their seasons. You will want to keep this in mind when making your salves and lip balms. A salve made from just coconut oil would be very soft during the summer if you made it during the winter, for example. But if has rich emollient and anti- microbial properties and is a wonderful ingredient to use in salves. ------- To make a salve, begin by preparing a medicinal oil: Solar Method Place the herbs you choose in a glass jar, cover with extra virgin cold pressed olive and/or coconut oil and cover tightly. Place this jar in either a warm sunny spot. The warmer the spot, the shorter the time it will need to sit. Placing this jar in nice warm sand, or in the center of your garden in the sun you probably want to wait 2 weeks. Now, you may strain the herbs and begin making the salve or you may strain and add another batch of herbs and repeat the first 3 steps. This will make an oil that is double strength, but takes twice the time. Place the bottled oil in a cool dark area. ------- Crockpot Method Place the herbs in your crockpot and cover with extra virgin cold pressed olive and/or coconut oil. Turn the heat on low and let the herbs steep 3-4 hours. You don't want the herbs to cook or fry. Instead you want the medicinal qualities to slowly diffuse into the oil. The lower the heat the longer you will need to steep the herbs and the higher quality the oil will be. Strain the herbs and get ready to turn this oil into a wonderful salve that will greatly benefit your family. If you do not make the salve right away pour the oil in a glass bottle or jar and place in a cool dark area. ------- Oven Method Place the herbs in a glass canning jar and cover with extra virgin cold pressed olive and/or coconut oil. Put the jar(s) inside a pan filled half full with water. Place in the oven and turn it on the lowest setting you can. Remember, the lower the heat, the longer the infusion time, and the better quality the oil. Most ovens have the first temperature markings somewhere around 175 or 200 degrees. I hang a candy thermometer in the oven and place the dial about 3/4 of the way there (in that area where there are no temperature markings) so the temperature is only 140 or so. At 175-200 degrees you will need to wait a few hours for your herbs to infuse. At 140 degrees you'll need to wait longer. Just keep checking it. The oil will turn a deep color from the herbs as they infuse. Strain and keep in a cool dark place until ready for use. ------- Double Boiler Method Place the herbs and extra virgin cold pressed olive and/or coconut oil in a double boiler, covering them with a tight fitting lid. Bring to a low simmer. Slowly heat for 1/2 to 1 hour. Check frequently to be sure the oil is not over heating. Be careful, you do not want french fried herbs! Oil heats up very quickly and you can go very quickly from a nice herbal infusion to fried comfrey leaves. Strain thoroughly and bottle for use in the salve. Store in a cool dark place. ------- Now you are ready for salve making Your pan and supplies must be moisture free. Place the herbal oil in a pan. Add 1/8th cup of beeswax for each cup of oil and heat over very low heat until the beeswax is melted. If you wish for a softer salve add a little more oil or a little less beeswax. It is here that I add my liquid components such as Tea Tree Oil, Grapefruit Seed Extract, Vitamin E, etc. Take a little of this liquid and pour into a container allowing it to cool. (You can cool it quickly in the refrigerator.) This is like a jelly test. When it has set up, check its consistency and add more beeswax or oil to adjust. Once you are satisfied with the consistency remove it from the heat and immediately pour into small glass jars or tins. It's as easy as 1-2-3! Keep the jars out of the sunlight and heat. Don't leave them in the car. They will keep their deep rich color and strong herby smell and work wonderfully then. Here are some salve recipes you might want to try: Wilderness Family Natural's Antifungal/Antibacterial Salve (We use this for cuts, athlete's foot, diaper rash, infections, everything. You'll love this salve!) 1/2 cup Comfrey root (healing and soothing) 2 cups Plantain leaf (healing and soothing) 2-3 Tablespoons Goldenseal Root powder (antibacterial/antifungal) Make this into an herbal oil. Then add to this oil: 2 Tablespoons Grapefruit seed extract (strong antibacterial/antifungal properties) 2 Tablespoons Tea Tree Oil (strong antifungal/antibacterial properties) Now make the salve by melting beeswax into the warmed oil and pour into containers. ------- St. John's Wort Salve This salve is healing and soothing for use when you don't need to worry about micro-organisms as with diaper rash, sunburn and skin irritations: 1 part St. John's Wort 1 part Comfrey leaf 1 part Calendula flowers Follow the instructions above. First make the oil and then turn it into a salve! ------- Chest Rub First make an herbal oil using equal parts of these herbs: Peppermint Spearmint Wintergreen and 1 tsp. cloves If you do not want to use the herbs you may use the essential oils. Use about a Tbsp. of each oil and at least 2 or 3 cups of either extra virgin cold pressed olive or coconut oil. Once the oil has infused and is strained warm the oil and add 1/2 tsp menthol crystals and bee's wax to the right consistency. In warmer climates you will need more and in cooler climates less. This salve is just as good as Vicks and without all the petroleum hydrocarbons. ------- Lip Balm Lip balms are made just like salves. The only difference is the ingredients. First you make the medicinal oil and then you add bees wax to turn it in to a salve. I always put things like coconut oil and vanilla in my lip balm. And I like to start out with almond oil instead of olive. I like a lip balm that is soothing, vitamin rich and tastes and smells good, without being too overpowering. The oils with the longest shelf life are coconut and olive oil. Both are very healthy oils. Almond is a little lighter oil and has a nice subtle fragrance. The coconut oil is solid or semi-solid at any temperature below 78 degrees. The olive oil will begin to solidify at temperatures around 40. Almond oil solidifies at even lower temperatures. This will make a difference in the constituency of the salve between winter and summer in most areas that have changes in their seasons. You will want to keep this in mind when making your salves and lip balms. A lip balm with lots of coconut oil will actually melt in your hands or on your lips. To much coconut oil will make the salve too much of a liquid on your lips. But the coconut oil is so nice to have as an emollient to moisten and nourish in addition it adds a wonderful fragrance and taste. Wilderness Family Natural's Lip Balm Make a medicinal oil using 1 cup comfrey leaves or 1/4 cup comfrey root and almond oil (or olive oil) to cover plus a little more. Let this infuse nicely. Strain the herbs out and add: 1 tsp Vitamin E oil 1 Tbsp Tea Tree oil or Grapefruit seed extract 1-2 Tbsp Coconut oil 1 Tbsp Vanilla . Make this into a lip balm the same way you make a salve by using bees wax. Pour this into containers immediately because it begins to cool right away once you take it off the heat. You may want to add lanolin in step 2 or an essential oil or other flavoring. There may be other herbs you want to infuse in the oil as well. How about Licorice root? Lemon Balm? Orange peels? Peppermint? There is no limit to the variations and possibilities. There are really nice little containers available to put your lip balm in and give as gifts to your friends or sell. Of course baby food jars work well, too! You will be surprised how well you will like this lip balm and how economical it is. The Grapefruit seed extract is optional. But I have discovered that part of the problem with chapping might be that the wet, moist skin is fighting fungus. Skin becomes chapped when exposed to harshness of some sort and moisture. Either protecting the skin or keeping it dry will usually keep it from becoming chapped. The same is true for chapped lips. If they are kept wet by licking them they will chap very badly, much worse than if left alone. And lips usually do not require lip balm during the summer unless they are exposed to wind and sun. It is the wind, low humidity, or sun in the environment or the extra moisture that liking your lips that causes the problem with chapped lips. By adding the grapefruit seed extract I have found that we do not need to use lip balm all the time. The GFS extract seems to keep any opportunistic organisms in check and rather than using lip balm throughout the day during harsh winters, we find we only need to use it every few days. ------- Herbal Shampoo Herbs are nutritious, cleansing. and fragrant. Why not make cleansing products that aren't petroleum based and full of all kinds of chemicals that you can't pronounce? Something natural and pure. Try this wonderful herbal shampoo: 1 Tbsp Sage 1 Tbsp Rosemary 1 Tbsp Nettle leaf 1 Tbsp Peppermint leaf, 1 Tbsp Red Clover blossoms 1 Tbsp Chamomile herb 1/4 cup Orange peel 1/4 cup Calendula flowers 1 Tbsp Orris root Measure dried herbs and roots and place in a vessel with a cover. Pour 5 cups of boiling water on these herbs, cover and let infuse for 20 minutes. Then add: 2 T Aloe Vera Gel 3/4 cup Castile soap a few drops of essential oils of your choice Mix and bottle, It's that simple! ------- Herbal Liniments A liniment is an external application that is rubbed into the skin. A liniment is easily made using bulk herbs and a good solvent. They are generally used as disinfectants and for soothing strained muscles and ligaments. Liniments may have oil, vinegar or alcohol as the solvent. Essential oils can be added to the liniment to increase its potency. Liniments are made exactly like tinctures. The only difference is that tinctures are taken internally and liniments are primarily for external use. If you are using rubbing alcohol you will need to mark your bottle as "For external use only" as this is poisonous. We don't use rubbing or isopropyl alcohol any more because of things we have read. We feel that there is no need to place toxic substances on the skin to be absorbed into the body. Ethyl alcohol (like Everclear or Vodka) will work as well as any other solvent. If that is what you choose to use then you can apply this liniment on things like sores in the mouth as well. Recipe for sprains, bruises, rheumatism and wounds: Combine: 4 tsp. powdered Myrrh 2tsp. powdered Goldenseal 2 tsp Echinacea root powder 1 tsp. Cayenne pepper one quart of alcohol. Mix together and let stand 7-10 days. Shake well every day. After 7-10 days strain and bottle. You may let the liniment set for 6-8 weeks if you have the time. This will make a stronger more potent liniment. (Jethro Kloss and Rosemary Gladstar have this same recipe listed in their books, the only difference being that Kloss' Liniment and Rosemary's is the Echinacea.) These liniments are very healing to wounds, bruises, sprains, scalds, and burns. They can stop cold sores before they appear, disinfect and heal. Blessings, Molly