This healing herbal calamine salve is designed for all kinds of skin irritation—everything from bug bites to diaper rash. It combines soothing calamine (zinc oxide + ferric oxide [aka red iron oxide]) with a rich base of herb infused sunflower seed oil (USA / Canada / UK / NZ) and unrefined shea butter (USA / Canada) to help combat itch and boost healing. Booyah.
The base of this salve is a blend of Vitamin E MT-50 (USA / Canada) and linoleic acid rich sunflower seed oil (USA / Canada / UK / NZ), and rich unrefined shea butter (USA / Canada). Linoleic acid has been found to be helpful for troubled skin, helping to boost healing (source & another), and Vitamin E MT-50 (USA / Canada) is a powerful antioxidant that also helps skin heal. I’ve found unrefined shea butter (USA / Canada) to be utterly brilliant for dry, irritated skin—especially eczema. My dad constantly has a kilo of the stuff around ever since I’ve introduced him to it, and readers tell me it’s done wonders for their eczema (especially on small children).
In this lovely base I’ve infused three healing herbs; sunny calendula, anti-inflammatory arnica, and reparative comfrey. If you want to use this salve on babies, when pregnant, or on broken skin you should drop the arnica, but the three together make a lovely healing blend of herbs.
All this is thickened up with beeswax and enriched with extra Vitamin E MT-50 (USA / Canada) (which also helps extend the life of the salve). And then to calamine-ize it with zinc oxide and red iron oxide; these insoluble powders stir into the base fairly easily, leaving you with a soft pink salve.
I was having a bit of a spazzy day when I made this and ended up splattering pink salve all over the place and dumping the lumpiest blobs of salve into the tin (and everywhere else). You guys seem to love “imperfect pour” photos, so here you go! (Anyhow, I used a hairdryer to get the top all pretty and photo worthy, and it worked beautifully.)
So, with spring around the corner (fingers crossed!) you should definitely whip up a batch of this healing herbal calamine salve. Your bug bites will thank you 🙂
Healing Herbal Calamine Salve
30g | 0.7oz sunflower seed oil (USA / Canada / UK / NZ), plus more as needed
20g | 0.35oz unrefined shea butter (USA / Canada)1 tsp dried calendula petals
1 tsp dried arnica flowers
1 tsp dried comfrey leaf10g | 0.35oz zinc oxide (approximately 2 tsp)
8g | 0.28oz beeswax (USA / Canada)
1g | 0.03oz Vitamin E MT-50 (USA / Canada)
1 nip | 1/64 tsp red iron oxide (I use these tiny measuring spoons for tiny measurements like this)Weigh the sunflower seed oil (USA / Canada / UK / NZ) and unrefined shea butter (USA / Canada) out into a heat resistant glass measuring cup and add the herbs. Place the measuring cup in a small saucepan with about an inch (3cm) of barely simmering water and heat through to melt and infuse, leaving the mixture to infuse for at least twenty minutes (I curled my hair while I let my herbs infuse). You could pop the herbs in a disposable paper tea bag, but I elected not to (choosing to send it all through a sieve later) as there wasn’t much in the way of oils to submerge the bag into.
If you happen to have jars of pre-steeped liquid oils with these herbs, you can absolutely use a blend of those instead; you’ll just need 20g (0.7oz) total of those liquid oils rather than the 30g (1.06oz) as you won’t lose any of them to the steeping process. So, that’d be 20g (0.7oz) herb steeped oils + 20g (0.7oz) unrefined shea butter (USA / Canada), skip the herbs, and proceed with adding the zinc/beeswax/vitamin E.
Once the herbs have infused into the oils for a while, strain out the herbs, by pouring the mixture through a sieve, pressing the herbs to squeeze out as much oil as possible before discarding the spent herbs. Weigh the remaining infused oil/shea butter mixture and add extra sunflower seed oil (USA / Canada / UK / NZ) to reach a total of 40g (1.41oz). Add the zinc oxide, beeswax, and Vitamin E MT-50 (USA / Canada), and then melt everything together.
When the beeswax has melted, stir everything to combine, taking care to break up any clumps of zinc oxide by smearing your spatula against the bottom and sides of your container. Now it’s time for the ferric oxide (aka red iron oxide)—add it and stir it in.
Once everything is relatively well blended and the mixture has cooled enough that it’s thickened a bit so the powders won’t settle out, pour it into a 60mL (2oz) tin or jar and let it set up before using. Enjoy your Healing Herbal Calamine Salve!
Hi , This isn’t about your post but I do have aQuestion. What do you have as far as ? I have diverticulitis looking for some home remedies . Debloating , iOS and so forth . Done a lot of reading , Help thank you
Hey Debra! Diverticulitis sounds like much more of a doctor matter than an internet blogger matter :/ I have no idea to to help with internal problems!
Do you know if anyone has used this balm for psoriasis?
I’m afraid I don’t—asking on the day something has been published doesn’t give me a lot of time to collect broad user testimonials 😉
recipe says ‘comfey BARK’. I have comfrey growing in my yard and I make an infused oil primarily with the leaves. Are you using stems? Mine has never become a tree to use bark from. I am a bit confused.Would love to make this. Thank you.
I was wondering the same thing. My comfrey gets pretty darned big, but I don’t think it ever has any kind of bark on it. Is the bark on the root?
My bad—it should be the leaf!
It’s the leaf! Looks like I had a brain fart 😉 Thanks for catching it!
Thank you so much for this recipe. Are any of the skin herbs that are irritating to the skin. My daughter gets itching and skin allergies. The doctor says it’s pretty much going to be a lifelong condition. I know she gets frustrated and doesn’t want to take a lot of medicine. Calamine lotion is one of the only things that stops the itching. Thank you so much. I can’t wait to try making this calamine lotion for her.
Hi Lori! None of these herbs are irritating in my experience and are generally used in salves for sore skin, but if your daughter happens to be allergic to any of them, all bets are off. Perhaps try a version without the herbs to be safe?
well, comfrey leaf and root are used. Comfrey root salve is famous for its healing properties, so I suppose it’s root. You can buy dried comfrey root you can use for infusions and such. When making a salve, it needs steeping in warm oil.
I used the leaf; not sure why I thought comfrey had bark!
Lovey, I don’t think you can use the word ‘spazzy’, but I love what you’ve made.
Precisely two people have said something about that word, and both from the UK, making me quite certain this is a cultural thing. Where I live, “spazzy” has no such offensive connotations. After getting your comment and one other I asked a good thirty people in my life if they find the word “spazzy” offensive in any way, and every single one of them was baffled that anybody would even notice it. I suppose it’s a bit like the “C” word in Canada vs. Australia (where it can be a compliment, oddly enough).
Ha! I was just scrolling through the comments to see if anyone mentioned their results, and this is hilarious to me. I’m in the US, and have no reaction to ‘spazzy’ (I call myself that some days! Lol). It’s funny to me how words are seen as somehow having “power” in one place, while in another they have no meaning at all. Shows you how truly powerless words really are, but how strong the mind can make them.
So true! It really is a very soft word here in Canada as well, much like “klutz”. I definitely learn a lot about all kinds of things with readers from all over the world!
Couldn’t find Comfrey bark.Could I use root or leaves which are available?
My bad! It should be the leaf!
I would leave out the red iron oxide, which has no medicinal properties (that I could find, at least). I was a potter/sculptor for over 20 years. Red iron oxide, which is in red clays and used for making brown glazes, is a permanent dye or stain. *Nothing* removed it from my cloths for rolling out clay or my work apron when making and using glazes. I would substitute bentonite clay for its various properties. Calamine does not need to be pink, though it is pretty. You can use red iron oxide paste rubbed with an old rag on glass to diminish scratches, though.
Yup, go for it—it’s not doing anything other than making the salve pink. In amounts this low though it certainly won’t stain the skin.
Great recipe! Does the iron oxide serve a purpose beyond the color of the salve? Thanks!
Not that I can figure. Calamine is, by definition, zinc oxide + red iron oxide, but for the life of me I can’t figure out why the iron oxide is a necessary part of the definition. It’s used in such small amounts that I can’t imagine it does much :/ So, yeah, go ahead and leave it out 😛
Have only recently discovered your blog and love your creations. Salve recipe gorgeous, use of ‘spazzy’not so much.
(Appreciate that cerebral palsy isn’t such a snappy description. People with c.p. have spazzy lives, not fun)
Hi Elizabeth—please appreciate that you and I live in very different parts of the world, and where I live “spazzy” has no such offensive connotations. After getting your comment I asked a good thirty people in my life, and every single one of them was baffled that you would be upset with me. I’m sorry you’re offended, but this is a cultural thing—I’m not being an insensitive ass.
You’re kidding me! Zinc and red oxide equal calamine?
The very same calamine I wore dotted all over my body on Summer nights as a child, thanks to giant Michigan mosquitoes eating me for dinner? That’s calamine?
Will this also help for itching, because I can’t seem to find a state without mosquitoes. Dang! I know I’ve got to make this.
Thanks Marie.
I don’t know if calamine took the itch away, come to think of it, but we did stop itching while waiting for the polka dots to dry. So I guess it worked. I’m making it!
Calamine is zink oxide with iron oxide in it.
Yup, I know! How funny, eh? I have no idea what the red oxide is supposed to do LOL, especially in such tiny amounts, but there you have it!
Just in time for spring and all the itchies that go with it! Perfect messy photos too! Good job.
Thanks, Hollie!
Last night, I combined this with your honey hemp dred wax recipe and threw some magnesium into the mix. I’ve recently developed eczema for the first time in my life and it making me nuts. So far, I’m really happy with this concoction.
Great work as always, I can’t thank you enough for all you do.
Very cool! I love it when readers adopt my assorted concoctions to something that’s all their own 🙂
I made this, but I left out the red oxide and added a tsp of rose clay to help skin ailments and because I happen to just love clay in things. I’ve already dabbed one kid who had a rashy spot and an ingrown beard hair on hubby. Good stuff! Thanks!
Thanks for DIYing with me! 🙂
The ingredients call for Vitamin E. Does that mean Vitamin E oil? Also, some sites say Comfrey, like Arnica, shouldn’t be used on open sores/wounds. So I’m thinking I should just use the Calendula. Any thoughts??
Thanks – your recipes are great, and inspiring!
Hi Andrea! Yes, vitamin E in a recipe will always mean the vitamin E that’s suspended in oil (I’ve never seen it in any other form). You’re certainly welcome to experiment with the herbs, that shouldn’t effect the final outcome beyond the performance (you’ll still have a successful salve, though). Happy DIYing!
Hi Marie,
What can I use instead of a beeswax here? Something vegan?
Thanks!
Hey Jevgeni! You could use one of the “c” waxes instead, but they do behave differently and have to be used in different amounts; check out these experiments to learn more 🙂
Thanks Marie,
I was actually wondering how hard is the final salve and would it be more creamy if I leave out the beeswax totally (after maybe using a mixer)? Do you think this could work?
It’ll be pretty sloppy, mostly liquid. I wouldn’t recommend it :/
I see, maybe if I added twice less the amount of wax, I could get a not too hard emulsion-like version, don’t you think?
I’m not sure exactly what you’re trying to say—half the amount of wax? That will definitely make it softer 🙂
I’ve been using the Rocky Mountain balm for bug bites until today — it works mostly but the tingly numbing sensation from the menthol makes them a bit itchier before they get numb, which isn’t ideal. I can’t believe in all my experiments with zinc oxide I never thought to use it for this! I did what another commenter did and replace the iron oxide with some rose clay for some extra healing power. Here’s hoping it works! I just got back from a camping trip and definitely did not escape unscathed. Ever thought of making a bug repellant? I read a scientific research paper recently that experimented with celery extract, but they didn’t release too many details about concentration etc — the interesting part is that they found it to be more effective than 25% DEET, which was only 95% effective. I’ve never found a DEET-free bug repellant that worked on me personally, but I’m still searching!
Let me know how it works! And I have made a bug spray 🙂
Hi Marie,
First of all, I love your blog and your beautiful recipes!!
I made this salve but something did go wrong. The colour of the salve is absolutely not the same as yours, it’s quite pale instead of pink.. And the salve got grainy after 2 days. I can still use it, but it doesn’t look so good. Did you know what went wrong?
Hey Chiara! Thanks for DIYing with me 🙂 Did you change anything in the recipe? If it’s not pink, it sounds like you did not include the red iron oxide; that’s the thing that makes it pink. To learn more about graniness (the shea will be the culprit), read this. Happy making!
Hi Marie, thanks for replying! Yes, I did put the red oxide in it, maybe a little bit too less? Yes, I’ve red that article about graininess but I don’t quite understand. Could you explain a little what I have to do to make it better? Thanks a lot.
If you want some really comprehensive information on working with shea butter, check out Lisa Lise’s new ebook on it! She has forgotten more about shea butter than I will probably ever know 😛
Hi I have Brick red oxide pigment from bramble berry. Any clues if that’s the same thing or can be replaced for 1 nip | 1/64 tsp red iron oxide? Many thx
It’s totally identical; when in doubt, check the INCI 🙂
Hi
You said “calamine-ize it with zinc oxide and red iron oxide”. Are these simply to add a pink-ish color or do the oxides have any healing or else role in the salve? Many thx
Calamine is, by definition, “a pink powder consisting of zinc carbonate and ferric oxide, used to make a soothing lotion or ointment”. So, add zinc oxide and red iron oxide (ferric oxide) to anything and you’ve calamine-ized it. I don’t think the red iron oxide is really doing much of anything, though—it’s used at a very low rate and is really just a pigment.
Ooh definitely going to make some of this this week. My poor little two year old grandson keeps coming up in little red bumps/hives, and is scratching himself silly, as the weather has started to heat up it is irritating him more.
Thanks aagainMarie 😀
I will try that last part again lol Thanks again Marie :-p
Best of luck! I hope the wee one gets some relief 🙂
Thank you! My 2 year old has been scratching himself. I made him a mositurizer but I’m going to give your recipe a try. Thanks again.
Best of luck and happy making!
thank you so much!! My entire family has eczema and I am excited to try this. You are awesome for sharing!
Much Love,
Lori
I hope it helps 🙂 Thanks for DIYing with me, and happy making!
Hi there !
what would the shelf life be for a product which has been infused with dry herbs ? I know using fresh ones have only a couple of days but was wondering what about dried herbs ? thanks