MaC
Moderator
The base is very simple.
I teaspoonful of shredded beeswax
5 teaspoonsful of edible oil
The beeswax needs to be broken up so that it'll melt easily (one of the tinfoil mince pie cups works fine to keep the mess contained if you don't have anything else, or a little glass jar, something that you can throw away if you don't want to have a waxy/oily thing to clean)
I use a set of children's stainless steel cooking pots and utensils from Ikea for stuff like this, but I do a fair bit. There's no need, just mind that getting wax and oil out of something isn't all that straightforward.
I prefer almond oil, but sunflower or veg oil is fine. Olive is nice but it has it's own distinct 'flavour'.
Temperature matters. Ideally you want both the oil and wax raised to the same temperature so that they'll blend together without lumps forming. If you use a glass jar, and something like a clean coffee stirrer or lollipop stick, or even a bit of bamboo skewer, then the two can be put together into the jar/cup and that put into a pot with some hot water. Put it on a low heat and watch.
Oil is always better not overheated, but it needs to reach the same melting point as the wax.
Generally I heat the wax and the oil seperately, but that makes more stuff to clean up. For a really small quantity like this then all in one will work fine.
Once the wax melts and the oil successfully mixes in easily, the jar is removed from the heat. Stir occasionally as it cools. If you're using a small jar you can put it into colder water to speed up the cooling and setting.
It's at this point though, before it's set, that you can add other oils or flavourings or colours.
It takes tiny amounts to add to this sort of quantity. Three drops of peppermint oil is ample, one drop of food colouring is plenty, kind of thing.
There is another aspect to it. It can be made using enforced oils. Oils in which plant material, like comfrey roots, or meadowsweet roots, have been gently warmed and left to soak. This extracts the stuff that makes those oils really, really helpful.
Meadowsweet done this way becomes a topical analgesic, very good on cracked hands and lips. Comfrey is excellent as a hand cream, a gentle emollient. Calendula petals soaked in oil again enrich it and it's really good on the skin.
Meadowfoam oil makes a really good emollient, one of the best, while neem makes an anti-insectical one. I'm not fond of the neem smell though, and much prefer our own bog myrtle, the Gale.
It's also how birch oil can be added to make the smudge stuff that's anti-mozzie and anti-midge
Simple stuff this, but effective
M
I teaspoonful of shredded beeswax
5 teaspoonsful of edible oil
The beeswax needs to be broken up so that it'll melt easily (one of the tinfoil mince pie cups works fine to keep the mess contained if you don't have anything else, or a little glass jar, something that you can throw away if you don't want to have a waxy/oily thing to clean)
I use a set of children's stainless steel cooking pots and utensils from Ikea for stuff like this, but I do a fair bit. There's no need, just mind that getting wax and oil out of something isn't all that straightforward.
I prefer almond oil, but sunflower or veg oil is fine. Olive is nice but it has it's own distinct 'flavour'.
Temperature matters. Ideally you want both the oil and wax raised to the same temperature so that they'll blend together without lumps forming. If you use a glass jar, and something like a clean coffee stirrer or lollipop stick, or even a bit of bamboo skewer, then the two can be put together into the jar/cup and that put into a pot with some hot water. Put it on a low heat and watch.
Oil is always better not overheated, but it needs to reach the same melting point as the wax.
Generally I heat the wax and the oil seperately, but that makes more stuff to clean up. For a really small quantity like this then all in one will work fine.
Once the wax melts and the oil successfully mixes in easily, the jar is removed from the heat. Stir occasionally as it cools. If you're using a small jar you can put it into colder water to speed up the cooling and setting.
It's at this point though, before it's set, that you can add other oils or flavourings or colours.
It takes tiny amounts to add to this sort of quantity. Three drops of peppermint oil is ample, one drop of food colouring is plenty, kind of thing.
There is another aspect to it. It can be made using enforced oils. Oils in which plant material, like comfrey roots, or meadowsweet roots, have been gently warmed and left to soak. This extracts the stuff that makes those oils really, really helpful.
Meadowsweet done this way becomes a topical analgesic, very good on cracked hands and lips. Comfrey is excellent as a hand cream, a gentle emollient. Calendula petals soaked in oil again enrich it and it's really good on the skin.
Meadowfoam oil makes a really good emollient, one of the best, while neem makes an anti-insectical one. I'm not fond of the neem smell though, and much prefer our own bog myrtle, the Gale.
It's also how birch oil can be added to make the smudge stuff that's anti-mozzie and anti-midge
Simple stuff this, but effective
M
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