Calendula ointment – a recipe
Plants that may well be growing in your own garden hide remarkable healing properties. As a little girl, I used to help my grandad make calendula ointment, which cares for the skin and is truly versatile.
The ointment comes in handy in autumn and winter, when our skin is drier and more irritated. Olive oil and beeswax form a protective layer on the skin that locks in moisture. You can use it on your hands and anywhere else on your body where your skin feels dry. In the warmer months, it's also great for soothing insect bites.
Ingredients for 100 ml of ointment:
- half a teaspoon of honey,
- 100 g olive oil,
- 20 g beeswax,
- 1 tablespoon dried lavender flowers,
- half a tablespoon dried chamomile flowers,
- half a tablespoon dried calendula flowers
Method:
Warm the olive oil and beeswax in a bowl over simmering water, stirring until the wax has completely melted. Add the dried calendula, lavender and chamomile flowers and keep on a low heat for about half an hour. Then add half a teaspoon of honey and stir well. Strain the mixture through a fine sieve or muslin, pour it into a clean container and leave it to cool and set.
If you want the oil to draw out as many active compounds from the flowers as possible, you can steep the dried lavender, chamomile and calendula in the olive oil for 4 to 6 weeks in a closed glass jar, somewhere bright but out of direct sunlight. Then strain everything through a sieve. Warm the infused oil with the beeswax over simmering water until the wax melts, pour into containers and leave to cool. Your ointment is then ready to use.
A few words about the ingredients:
- Honey helps small wounds heal faster thanks to its anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial action.
- Beeswax gives the skin elasticity and forms a protective layer that stops it drying out, without clogging pores.
- Olive oil is full of powerful antioxidants that neutralise the free radicals released by UV light, helping to slow skin damage and ageing.
- Lavender has a calming effect and is also used for sunburn, as it soothes and cares for irritated skin.
- Calendula and chamomile reduce inflammation thanks to their antimicrobial action, which is why they are often used to treat damaged skin.
Have fun making your ointment! ~ Rebeka
