DIY Sunflower Petal Hand Balm

Sunflower petal hand balm is delightful. After the long winter months, your skin may be craving additional moisture. This wonderfully fragrant ointment can be used to heal and soothe the skin, taking full advantage of the herbal and medicinal properties of the ingredients.

Usually, people create lip balms, which are used to provide a protective layer on the lip surface, seal in moisture and protect them from exposure to the wind and sun.

You will find that this hand balm is not as waxy as a regular lip balm and spreads smoothly and evenly on your skin.

Given the extensive oil content, it is not suitable for use on your face. 

How to Infuse an Oil With Herbs Using the Water-bath Method

Measure the herbs and oil (1/2 ounce dried herb to 1 cup of oil) and mix them together in the top part of your double boiler until they are just simmering. If you don’t have a double boiler, make one by using a stainless steel bowl over a saucepan of water.

Cover and simmer on low for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Do not let the oil get so hot that it smokes. If it overheats and boils, the oil will go rancid and you will need to start again.

After 30 minutes, strain the oil and herbs through a piece of cloth or a coffee filter. Strain twice if necessary so that all the herbs are removed from the oil.

Sunflower Petal Hand Balm

Ingredients: Makes 2 (4-ounces each)

4 tablespoons beeswax
4 tablespoons cocoa butter
6 tablespoons plantain infused olive oil
6 tablespoons sunflower infused apricot kernel oil
20 drops lavender essential oil
15 drops tea tree essential oil

Directions:

• Gently simmer the first 4 ingredients in a double boiler until the beeswax and cocoa butter and fully melted. You may find that placing a glass measuring cup in a pan of simmering water will do the trick.
• Remove from the heat and allow it to cool. Continue stirring so the oils do not set up completely.
• When the mixture is warm to the touch, add the essential oils and mix it together.
• Pour into 2 four ounce jars and cap tightly. Label and date.

Your sunflower petal hand balm will last for 1 year, although I doubt you’ll have it that long!

This homemade balm is inspired by a recipe for Calendula Hand Balm found on page 79 of the book The Beeswax Workshop by Chris Dalziel. Which I thoroughly enjoyed. If you are interested in making your own candles, cleaning supplies, soap, or other herbal preparations then this book is a must for your homesteading library.

Interview with Chris Dalziel

I had the opportunity to meet with Chris during a conference earlier this year. She was delightful and sat down with me for an interview about her book. Watch the interview in the video below.

We talked about making beeswax wrap to replace plastic wrap in your kitchen and her secret ingredient to make it pliable.  Chris also shares how to make your own beeswax crayons using natural dyes from the garden.

The next few recipes I want to try will help around the house and save a bit of money. I’m making furniture polish, sealing putty, Bug-be-Gone insect repellant, and then I’m setting out to waterproof my shade hat. Who knew there were over 100 things that you can make with beeswax!

How do you know a book is good enough for your home library? It inspires you to try the recipes inside and gives you the freedom to experiment with your own creations. Chris’ website is one of the tried and true places for herbal knowledge. I know I can count on her for the best information.

This book doesn’t disappoint!

The Beeswax Workshop: How to Make Your Own Natural Candles, Cosmetics, Cleaners, Soaps, Healing Balms and More by Chris Dalziel

About the author: Chris Dalziel is a teacher, author, gardener, and herbalist with 30-plus years of experience growing herbs and formulating herbal remedies, skin care products, soaps, and candles. She teaches workshops and writes extensively about gardening, crafts, and medicinal herbs on her blog at Joybileefarm.com

I received a copy of this book from the publisher Ulysses Press so I could play around with these recipes and have a lot of fun. This in no way diminishes my excitement for all things beeswax!  There are affiliate links in this post. Thanks for supporting PreparednessMam in this way.

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