Once you get all the ingredients together salves and balms are easy to make. Remember to always label your medicines.

Basic Salve and Lip Balm
1c extra virgin organic olive oil
1oz local beeswax
thyme essential oil (optional)
Put the beeswax in a 2c Pyrex measuring cup. Place the cup in a pan with enough water to come half way up the cup. Bring the water to boil in a small pan and reduce the heat. Melt the beeswax and add the olive oil. The beeswax will congeal again. Heat the olive oil just enough for the wax to melt into the olive oil. Please do not overheat the olive oil more than necessary. Quickly pour the salve into jars or tins. Add 4 drops of essential oil for each ounce of salve. Here are the tins I use, but any small glass jar will work.

Calendula Healing Salve
1c extra virgin organic olive oil
1oz Calendula flowers
1oz local beeswax
Take the Calendula flowers and place in a glass jar. Add the extra virgin olive oil and close the jar with a tight lid. Everyday, for six weeks, turn the jar over to mix the contents. Strain the plant materials from the olive oil with a cheese cloth to remove the small particles. Squeeze out as much of the oil as possible from the plant materials. This is known as an oil cold-infusion. Continue to process the salve as instructed above.

For more recipes please see Healthy Household: Staying Clean Safely and Saving Money.