Ready to salve the day.

Ready to salve the day.

When it comes to moisturizing my skin, I sometimes ask myself: Am I ready to settle down? Can I commit to a single product to fulfill (almost) all my skincare needs? If, like me, you’re looking for something trustworthy to fall back on, to put your faith into, this sweet (and reliable!) multipurpose body salve is the one you’ve been waiting for.

What you’ll need:

  • A kitchen scale
  • A heat-safe container
  • A spoon
  • One and a half ounces of candelilla wax (Candelilla wax is sorta niche as far as waxes go, so you can sub in beeswax—just double the amount, ’cause beeswax doesn’t have as strong a bond as candelilla wax.)
  • Two ounces of meadowfoam oil
  • Two ounces of almond oil
  • One and a half ounces of avocado butter
  • One-half ounce of dulse extract
  • Optional: A couple drops of fragrance oil/essential oils (I used green tea and ginger fragrance oils.)
  • Small jars with lids

How to do it:

Step One

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Measure out the candelilla wax, meadowfoam oil, and almond oil and combine in the heat-safe container.

Step Two

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Put the concoction in the microwave and heat for one minute. Chances are that the wax will not be fully melted yet: Keep heating in 30-second increments, until the job’s done. After, stir for good measure.

Step Three

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Measure out the avocado butter and add to the hot mixture. The butter, being butter, should melt pretty quickly. If not, just heat again in increments of 20 seconds or fewer. When the butter melts slowly into the hot mixture, the final product will have a smoother consistency. (It’ll be less grainy to the touch.)

Step Four

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Add the dulse extract (for moisture benefits) and a couple drops of fragrance/essential oils, if you’d like. I used green tea and ginger fragrance oils because I wanted to be experimental, and I ended up enjoying their fresh-out-of-the-hotel-shower scent. (If you like bourgie lotion samples, I recommend this combo.)

Step Five

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This step is titled “Patience.” Pour the salve into the jars, then wait while the salve sets, which should take about 20 minutes or so. (When it’s set, the salve will look like the photo at the very top right corner of the screen.) After you have some salve-ing experience like moi (*flips braid*), you’ll discover that if you put the lid on salve before it’s completely solid, it can leak and the pretty, smooth surface gets all uneven!!! SO, don’t lid the salve until it’s completely solid. You can check by sticking a toothpick in there. If it comes out liquid-y, it’s not ready yet.

Step Six

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Stickers. Always stickers. Because this salve is going to be there for you through thick and thin, give it a comfy-cute aesthetic to remind you that, while it’s adorable, it’s super useful, too ;) ♦