Thursday, March 25, 2010

Making Vapor Rub




After I received my order of beeswax from Mountain Rose, I realized I was going to be able to make a lot with it. A pound of beeswax goes a long way for a small family! Today we made homemade vapor rub, and early this summer we are going to make a big batch of lip balm with Nana to share with all my sisters.

I wanted to make two variations of vapor rub - a strong one with camphor for the Chief, and a mild one with lavender for the babies. Camphor is very strong and I don't want to use it for the little ones.

I used 8 ounces of olive oil, about 2 ounces of beeswax. I warmed the oil over a double boiler (actually a cheap pot of water and a small bowl I picked up at the thrift store.) The oil goes in the bowl over the gently bowling water, so the oil doesn't burn. Next time I make this, I want to use oil infused with some kind of mint to add extra strength to it - I know we will have a garden full of mint this summer. I melted the beeswax gently in the oil, and took it off the heat as soon as it was melted.
 
I poured the wax/oil into two tubs - repurposed from butter tubs. A real herbalist probably wouldn't reuse old plastic butter tubs, but what can I say? They were the right size.
Then I added the oil. I used 40 drops of eucalyptus in each tub. I added 30 drops of lavender to the children's tub and 30 drops of camphor to the Chief's tub. I encourage anyone who wants to try this to experiment and see what works for you. Especially for kids, less is more.


The finished products smell really good!!!

I used:
Available from Mountain Rose:
White Camphor Oil
Eucalyptus Oil
Lavender Oil
Beeswax
Olive Oil (I bought mine on clearance at the grocery store)
Repurposed:
Butter tubs - metal tins or glass jars would be better

If you enjoyed this post, you might also enjoy the latest recipe, for herbal cough drops you can make in your kitchen.

6 comments:

  1. Can't wait to see how it turns out!! I wonder if there is a way we can grow eucalyptus... or buy it.

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  2. Oooo; I can't wait to find out, too. I am following your blog. :)

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  3. Any herbs you wish to use in something like this can be soaked in the warm oil for a few weeks first and then you will not need to buy the expensive e-oils for this wonderful remedy you have made. I buy all of my herbs from the same company you got your wax from. I keep them in the chest freezer where they will keep for years.

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  4. Buy eucalyptus oil; don't try to grow it. It spreads like crazy, drains the water table, and is highly flammable. Let the pros harvest it and package it safely to use.

    I shall have to try this rub. I have a big disk of beeswax waiting to be used.

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  5. Mükemmel doğrusu özellikle etkisi olumlu sonuclar berdi harika

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