If you’ve been following my latest posts, you may have noticed I’ve been all about the dandelions lately. And why not? They’re plentiful and they’re free. So why not put them to good use?
I’ve been busy getting my raised garden beds ready for Spring. With that comes a lot of digging in the dirt, pulling weeds and being rough on my hands. This time of year my hands are typically dry and chapped anyway because of the weather. I’ve been running low on my salves and ran across a dandelion salve that I thought I’d give a try. I decided to add lavender to mine for the additional healing properties and because I love the smell of lavender.
This is a multi-step process, so don’t expect to complete this in a day! But it is easy and well worth the wait for a long-term supply of wonderful dandelion lavender salve.
First, you will need make an infused oil with fresh picked dandelions and dried lavender. I purchased my dried lavender from a natural health food store, you can also find it on Amazon. To make the dandelion and lavender infused oil:
You will need – 1 canning jar, about 1.5-2 cups picked dandelions, 1/2 cup dried lavender and lastly 2 cups of oil – I prefer using avocado or olive oil but grapeseed oil would also work as well.
Allow the dandelions flowers to dry overnight to remove a bit of the moisture content.
For a quick infusion:
Place a small pot on the stove with a few inches of water in the bottom. Put collected dandelions and dried lavender in a canning jar and pour choice of oil to fill remainder of jar. Simmer for 2-3 hours, turn off heat then let the jar sit in the pan of water until cool to the touch.
For the “traditional” way of infusion:
Leave the jar near a sunny window for about a week to let the petals infuse the oil.
After either process of infusing, use a fine mesh sieve and press the flowers to strain as much oil as possible.
Compost your flowers and the infused oil is now ready to use!
To make the salve:
2 cups infused lavender / dandelion oil
1/4 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup beeswax
15 drops essential oils (5 drops of lavender, 5 drops of elemi or frankincense + 5 drops of patchouli)
Place the beeswax and coconut oil in a glass jar or measuring cup. Put a pan on the stove with several inches of water in it. Sit the glass jar down in the pan and heat on low/medium until the beeswax and oil are melted.
Next, carefully stir in the infused dandelion and lavender oil while still on the stove. Add in essential oil and stir well. Turn off stove and allow to cool. The mixture will harden as it cools. If it’s a warmer day you can place in refrigerator once the jar is cool to the touch to help it harden quicker.
This lavender dandelion salve has a firm consistency, but once scooped in the hands it melts pleasantly and is an easy to spread salve. It’s great for rough cracked hands and feet, yet gentle and nourishing for anyone who needs some extra moisture with a lovely relaxing scent.
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joyfullydwell 
One response to “Dandelion Lavender Salve”
[…] You could gift roller blends of essential oils, a homemade body salve or a mix of herbal bath salts for the loved one who could use some extra pampering during the holidays. Find my Dandelion Lavender Salve recipe here. […]
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