Last year I made a salve with arnica-infused olive oil. Arnica is an ingredient that is added to salves to help relieve aches and pains, bumps and bruises! Look for it in your over-the-counter salves. You can read about making the oil here: https://marykisner.com/making-arnica-infused-oil-for-tropical-salves/.
I shared the salve with just a few people because I didn’t know how effective it was; I wanted to give it a try first. I’ve used it for the last 6 months with some success in reducing small bruises, if used right after they appear.
About Arnica
Arnica is not as well-known as lavender and calendula and is sometimes included in over-the-counter ointments and creams sold to soothe occasional aching knees, joints and muscles. It is often used in homeopathic remedies, which means the products contain very small amounts of the active ingredients. Making infused oil with dried arnica plant material is a great way to incorporate these ingredients into body care products. I purchased a bag of the dried flowers on Amazon.
Arnica comes from the perennial herb Arnica Montana. It is a yellow-orangish flower that grows in the mountains of Europe and Siberia and the mountains of northwestern North America. It is sometimes called the “mountain daisy,” because its color and petals look like the familiar flower. It yields an essential oil that is appreciated for its ability to reduce pain in osteoarthritis joints and reduce bruise discoloration.
NOTE: This plant does have some drawbacks or cautions for people that are allergic to certain plants of the Asteraceae family…like ragweed, marigolds, chrysanthemums and daisies, or are using blood thinning medications.
Please do your own research about any plant material you might work with, but this process of infusing oil with any plant material would be the same.
I still had some infused oil left from my first project; it kept well in the back of the refrigerator.
I scooped out 1 cup of infused oil and weighed out 32 gm of beeswax into my 4-cup heat-safe measuring cup. The cup is placed in a saucepan of water. I brought the water just to a boil and turned the burner down so the water stayed simmering.
When melted and removed from the stove, I stirred in 1/4 tsp of Vitamin E Oil and 20 drops each of Vanilla and Manuka Essential Oil.
Using a disposable pipette, I filled 36 small tubes and 6 larger ones.
I hope to share these with my high school friends at our monthly luncheon… built in guinea pigs! Try it yourself! Enjoy!