Non-Petroleum Jelly

[Granny Smith]

Non-Petroleum Jelly

1/8 cup grated beeswax (about 1 ounce)
1/2 cup olive oil

Combine beeswax and oil in a small saucepan. Melt over very low heat or in the top of a double boiler.

Pour into a jar to cool.

Once completely cool, add lid and close tightly.

If you want a firmer consistency, add more beeswax. It’s okay to remelt the jelly after it has hardened. Just keep working on it until you are happy.

Some ways to use your homemade, non-petroleum jelly:

~To smooth dry patches of skin
~To provide a protective layer or barrier
~Around your hairline when coloring your hair so the color doesn’t get on your skin.
~As a lip gloss
~Any way in which you might use a petroleum based jelly, like Vaseline.

[catinhat]

Sweet! I have a good amount of beeswax on hand, and some olive oil too. Thanks so much!

[Sheila]

Great thanks Gayle

[Granny Smith]

I made this a couple of weeks ago and it works very well. I wanted to test it out before I posted the directions. This will be one of my regulars.

BTW, if you replace the olive oil with lemon oil it makes a good wood polish.

[meemo]

I just came across a big chunk of beeswax and wondered what to do with it. This sounds like a good thing.

[Granny Smith]

LOL Peggy, that's the same thing I did. I was looking for something else and found a hunk of beeswax.

[catinhat]

That's funny, y'all - because Hubby was moving some things in the boxes and found...a chunk of beeswax.

[Granny Smith]

LOL!!! Looks like we were all meant to make this! If you have enough, try the wood polish, too. It works very well. You can get the lemon oil at the hardware store. It's pretty cheap (or I wouldn't have any of it)

[Valerie]

If you use herb-infused oil as part of the olive oil, your jelly becomes a salve. If you were to use some calendula or comfrey oil, it would be a nice healing salve.

[Granny Smith]

If you put peppermint oil, eucalyptus oil, and spirits of camphor, you'd have Vaporub. Believe it or not, I have everything to make that! I mix those ingredients with plain rubbing alcohol to make an air freshener spray. Really clears the sinuses!

[catinhat]

I love this thread. I love this message board!

Gayle, is it peppermint essential oil? I have peppermint extract that I've made from mint growing out back, but I bet that won't work. What about spirits of camphor...where do you find that?

[Granny Smith]

I used LorAnn's peppermint oil - the kind that comes in a little bottle for making hard candy. I got Spirits of Camphor at the drug store. The little local pharmacy was the only one that had it here, but other stores should be able to order it for you. I paid less than $3 for a bottle.

The eucalyptus oil was essential oil.

I wouldn't use extracts because they might not blend with the oil in the recipe, especially if they contain water. Extracts would work fine in the air freshener, though.

[catinhat]

I was thinking that too, about extracts. The mint extract is just mint and vodka, but I'm not sure it would blend. I can get the others, I just thought I'd ask - thanks!!

[Granny Smith]

Ok, I just had to know. I have some homemade mint extract, also mint and vodka. I just tried mixing it with some oil and they didn't mix at all - just like oil and water. So, you'll need to use either essential oils or flavoring oils for this.

[Cyngbaeld]

You can make an infusion by packing your herbs into the olive oil then letting it steep for several weeks. Strain thru cheese cloth or muslin then mix in your beeswax for your salve.