Just as cold and flu season ends, allergy season begins. Great. Thanks, world. Yet another reason to move to a tropical island. In the meantime, though, I suppose I shall have to make do with half of the seasons involving the sniffles at some time or another. I’m lucky enough not to suffer from any seasonal allergies, but I feel like I’ve had enough colds this past winter to more than compensate for it.
Of the multitude of things that irritate me about having the sniffles, the awful, sore nose from the constant blowing is a major pain. It doesn’t matter how luxurious your tissues are, it always happens. Your poor nose never gets any time to heal, and is constantly scaly and painful, leaving you debating between blowing your nose again or letting it drip like a leaky faucet. Ugh.
The last time I had a cold, this salve was brilliant. I applied it around the sore part of my nose every night, and every morning it was a lot better. So, so much better. A total nose-saver, in fact. So, if you’re nose-blowing prone, you need to have this salve on hand. It’s amazing. (It’s great for other boo-boos, too).
Calendula & Shea Nose Salve
15g | 0.53oz beeswax (USA / Canada)
20g | 0.7oz unrefined shea butter (USA / Canada)
30g | 1.06oz calendula infused olive oil (pomace) (USA / Canada)
5 drops grapefruit essential oil (leave out if you are very sensitive to sunburn) or litsea cubeba essential oil
3 drops cardamom essential oilMelt the beeswax (USA / Canada), unrefined shea butter (USA / Canada), and olive oil (pomace) (USA / Canada) together. Remove from the heat, stir in the essential oils, and pour into a tin to set up.
This salve recipe couldn’t have come at a better time, l am sick with a cold!
Glad to hear it… though sad to hear you’ve got a cold 🙁 Hopefully it’s better by now!
Well whaddaya know, I’ve got calendula steeping in EVOO right now! It’ll be ready to use in one more week, and I cannot wait to give this recipe a try.
Two things:
I do not have cardamom EO and to avoid a $400+ NDA shopping cart 🙂 what should I use in substitution? I’ve got cinnamon and clove EOs.
I noticed that when I use beeswax in salves and butters that the top portion of the salve hardens, and underneath is a smooth concoction. however if that part also gets exposed to air it will also harden. What gives?
Kristen
What an awesome coincidence 😉 I wouldn’t suggest cinnamon as it can be pretty irritating, especially on skin that’s already sensitive. Clove would be a better choice since it’s a light pain killer, plus it smells nice. Just go easy on it, it’s pretty strong, especially near your eyes.
I, too, have noticed the strange hard surface/soft interior thing with balms, except mine stay soft when the top layer is broken away. My guess is that a bit of the beeswax floats to the top as the mixture cools—I’ve noticed that the beeswax can float to the top and separate out of some mixtures if you don’t stir as they cool. So, if that’s it, it would mean the top layer of the balm has more beeswax than the rest of the balm. Just a guess, though!
Loving your blog. I intend to make your tiger balm in tins for Christmas gifts. As a bee keeper I have raw Propolis and am looking for a cream or salve to use some of it. Do you have a recipie for something topical?
Thank you in advance
Doug
Great idea, Doug! Tiger balm = awesome gifts 🙂 I have used bee propolis in recipes before, though mine is dissolved in a glycerin mixture, so it’s easier to use. I’ve also bought the raw stuff that looks like clods of dirt, but so far it’s just sitting in my fridge, waiting for the other bottle to run out. Here’s a few recipe ideas for you: Honey Bee Facial, Toner Tablets, English Rose Garden Face Mask, and a Soothinh Sunburn Lotion. If you search “propolis” in the search bar you’ll find even more 🙂 Have fun!
…or should I say BurDaDette…I have SUCH a cold in by doze. ;O(
Marie- Thanks for these …I”m in such need. I work around kids and have my own- so I’m terribly prone to nasty colds…usually the nasal variety too. This one is particularly hard on the old horn. Three boxes blown thru in 3 days will do that… and you are so right – softer tissues offer only modest relief.
My problem is the night sneezing…when I anoint in the evening, I wake up blowing all night and i wipe off what i have on my nostrils.
Worst of all…I’m a real honker so when i wake up blowing…i wake the family- causing more troubles.
Maybe youre a loud blower too? 😉 Any advice there?
BISERY LOVES CUBPANDY
Thanks again…Sdiff sdiff.
Awwww, bummer 🙁 Colds SUCK! It’s a pity that kids always seem to take your immune systems down while they build up theirs, eh? Do you do nasal rinses? They are SUCH a help. You wouldn’t believe the relief they bring. I start rinsing the second a think a cold is coming on. Sometimes they stop it all together, but they always help with the congestion. If I have a cold, I’ll take my bottle to work with me. I often end up rinsing every hour or two, but it is such a help that I don’t care if people wonder what I’m doing in the loo, haha. They also reallllly help with sleeping through the night, so maybe they can help avert your night blowing? I’m not a loud blower, so I don’t really have any other tips for you than that, sorry!
Feel bedder! Sniff sniff 😛
Hi Marie,
What size container does the recipe make?
Also how long do you soak the calendula in the olive oil to ensure I get the best infusion?
Thanks heaps!!
Hi Dean! This recipe will make ~70g of salve, which will be just over 2oz/60mL. I’d go with a 100g/mL container to be safe.
I infused my olive oil for three weeks before making this recipe, but the longer, the better. I just have a few jars filled with oil and herbs these days, and I use them as needed. When they start to get empty I’ll start another so it’s well steeped before I need it.
Thanks for reading!
Hi Marie,
I def want to make this and would love your advice on the above comment I made.
Additionally as my wife is pregnant I do research ingredients and effects on pregnancy, conception and breastfeeding.
Do you have any advice on the above? I found a few articles as below and well not sure if it applies to the quantities involved in your recipe or if I should be concerned due to how it’s being applied.
http://umm.edu/health/medical/altmed/herb/calendula
http://www.livestrong.com/article/465381-calendula-pregnancy/
Thanks again 🙂
Congratulations on your father-to-be status! As for advice on the use of calendula—ask a doctor. Seriously. I doubt anything would happen, but I am a graphic designer/hobby DIYer, not a physician, and I am so far out of my depth here that I am not the person to be asking. I don’t want anything to happen to the wee one! Just have your wife ask at her next checkup to be doubly sure 🙂
Oh my GOODNESS! I must make this salve! Once cold weather hits here in Louisiana (ok it’s nothing like the cold in the rest of the US, but still…) my nose runs like a faucet when I’m outside walking our dogs. I’ve tried Nasonex and it really doesn’t work well for me. I’m like the person on the commercial where they ask you if you squirrel tissues away to deal with your seasonal allergies. And this only happens when the weather is in the 60’s or lower and I’m out walking the dogs. But my nose will hurt so badly. I’ve looked for different things that might help, but this definitely sounds like a winner. Thank you!!!
I’ve gotta say… I laughed when you followed “cold weather hits” with “here in Louisiana” 😉 I’m up in Canada, and it was -40°C (-40°F as well, they cross over there!) last month. Brrrr! But yes, this salve is amazing when you’re blowing your nose all the time. I tend to slather it around my nose before going to bed, and it’s always so much better when I wake up 🙂 Let me know how it goes and enjoy your, err, winter 😉 (that’s the jealousy speaking, haha)
Thanks so much for the recipe. I just recieved my package of goodies from NDA today (still waiting for my package from Saffire Blue and Creations from Eden). I literally was exploring the box of goodies dancing with excitement! My sister asked me to make this for her because she has a cold, so for my first DIY project of this nature – I made your nose salve. Thanks! (I used Lavender and Roman Chamomile EOs)
Ooooh, I totally know that feeling 🙂 I sometimes have my packages shipped to my office, and my work mates generally think I’m a bit nuts when I root through the box, pulling out bags and bottles and squealing, haha. Enjoy the salve and all your new goodies—I can’t wait to hear about your next projects 🙂
hehe. I can totally identify with the squealing with excitement!! It is all so fascinating and exciting I don’t get it when others are totally not interested!
Thanks again for all the fabulous recipes and for sharing DIY excitement with us!
I had one of these days yesterday with a new breakthrough, and my boyfriend was so confused. He was happy I was happy… but my enthusiastic attempts to explain my excitement were mostly met with patient nods 😛 At least I know you guys will understand!
hahaha!!! So true!! sweet that he met your excitement with patient nods even though he wasn’t interested. 🙂
Today, I was super excited to read about your silver powder for banishing blackheads. I thought using egg shells was BRILLIANT (thanks for the recipe!). Anyway, so, I was excitedly explaining this to my mom and sister, and my dad happened to be in the room, my dad promptly walked over to the compost pail, found an intact-half-eggshell and walked around with it on his nose. LOL!!!
BTW, we are moving near you! I will be living near Cochrane AB, at least by the end of August – possibly sometime before that…
Ha! I love the story about your dad lol. Whenever I do a mask and my dad is around I get a combination of derisive snorts and eye rolling lol. Craig hides as I suppose that’s just some carnage he’d rather not see 😛
Let me be the first to welcome you to Chinook country 🙂 Maybe we can grab an ice cream cone at that great old ice cream shop they have in Cochrane, it’s been ages since I’ve been.
hehe, ya. Men + women or anything related to beauty = confusion. 🙂
Awe, I would love that! Then you can talk my ear off about DIY stuff and I’ll love it! 🙂 I’ll have to let you know when I get down there.
Rad 🙂 Shoot me a note when you’re settled!
If you happen to have calendula oil instead of the infused oil, how much could I use here instead?
Do you have a link to the product? I’ve never seen true calendula oil, it’s always been calendula infused oil, so call me intrigued 🙂
I happened upon it in my local organic foods store. They have 1drm bottles for $3.99 by a company called bodyceuticals.net 😉
Awesome! I do love me some little bottles 🙂
Thank you for your wonderful recipes! I can’t wait to try some especially this one. I am getting ready for the flu season..yuk. I read your guide on the ratios of using beeswax and liquid oil, so I wanted to know where this one falls as far as the scale. I’m in california and it never gets too cold here so I don’t want something to soft. I’ve been gathering all kinds of herbs and goodies and have some calendula in sunflower waiting for it to be used.
Hi Maricela! This balm is pretty firm, so since you’re lucky enough to enjoy nice temperatures I wouldn’t tweak it until you’ve tried it 🙂 Thanks for reading!
Hey Marie!
I had a question for you about the infusion you did. In one of the previous comments, you wrote that you did it for 3 weeks. Can you speed up the process by infusing it in the oil while it is heating over the stove? Say, in a double boiler on low heat, would I be able to have the same result in an hour?
On a similar note, I notice you didn’t put the calendula in a little baggy! Would it be less messy (aka less little particles floating around) if I use a baggy?
Thanks a bunch!
Hi Sana! You can 🙂 I have an article on it here. And you can definitely use a baggie for a less messy infusion—I just didn’t have any when I started mine 🙂
Sweet thanks so much!
😀
Hi Marie, love your recipes! Could you consider adding “yield” information (in weight) to your recipes so people would know approximately how many of their containers it would fill? I have to guesstimate after adding up all the ingredient measurements and it would be awesome to have it already part of the recipe. 😉
Hey Marisa! You can easily calculate the yield yourself by adding up the weights of all the ingredients 🙂 I have no interest in going back through 900 posts to add yields to all of them 😛
This is a message more for me the next time I make this 🙂 It’s a very firm salve, almost too much for this northern clime. I think I would decrease the beeswax or use the cera bellina to try for a softer salve. That said…it’s saving my nose just now, the redness and irritation disappear overnight when I apply it.
How interesting! I don’t find it too hard for Calgary temperatures, but I do tend to work it between my fingers a bit before applying. I also like a slightly higher melting point so I can really pack it on, haha. I’m so glad your schnoz is being saved! Hopefully it stops needing saving soon 😛
Hi Marie,I have calendula steeping in grapeseed oil,from a batch of shampoo bars I made last weekend (my first ever attempt at shampoo or soap) could I sub that for the olive oil? Thanks for the great ideas and recipes (although some ingredients aren’t available in the uk) x
Definitely! The salve will likely be a bit lighter on the skin as grapeseed is a lighter oil, but that’s hardly a deal breaker 🙂 Happy making!
How long do you infuse the calendula in the olive oil?
Check out this post for my most up-to-date instructions on creating calendula infusions 🙂 Happy making!