i was going to make this ointment next year when summer arrives. but my daughter got a few mosquito bites last week despite that autumn has arrived. so i made the insect bite ointment and am sharing the recipe for anyone interested.
ingredients :
sweet almond oil / extra virgin olive oil.................8g
natural beeswax........................................................3g
shea butter.................................................................8g
menthol crystals.................................a few
teatree essential oil...........................1 drop
lavender essential oil.........................2 drops
german chamomile essential oil.......1 drop
how to make :
weigh and stir with glass rod the oil, the beeswax and the butter in a small beaker in a heated water bath until they mix well. remove from water bath and put in menthol crystals. stir to dissolve. keep stirring for 1/2 a minute or so and add in the essential oils in this sequence. mix well with glass rod and pour into plastic jar. leave it until the ointment sets and cools down.
this recipe will make about 20ml of ointment and it fits nicely in my 25ml jar.
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i tried and modified the recipe twice until i get this texture of the ointment, which is easily spreadable. i also added menthol to help relief the itchiness which my daughter likes to complain about.
lavender has antiseptic and calming properties. german chamomile is anti-inflammatory and best for skin allergies. german chamomile is a deep blue color (and hence the pale blue color of the ointment)and has a relatively strong, fruity scent. it is quite concentrated and therefore 1 drop is enough for such a small recipe. teatree is refreshing and slightly spicy and is known for treating insect bites and skin rashes.
this ointment is quite mild and gentle, and i found that i have to apply a few times on my daughter whenever she complains about itchiness or starts scratching. but i think it is quite effective in soothing the biten area which becomes less red and swollen after applying a few times. plus i can rest assure that it is made of all natural ingredients.
In regards to the ingredients, is it sweet almond oil OR extra virgin olive oil? As oppose to 8g of each?
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing, will try and locate all ingredients and give it a go. =)
hi katie,
ReplyDeletethank you for your interest in the ointment! it's either 8g sweet almond oil or 8g olive oil.
if you find it too "solid" and not easily spreadable (depending on the weather and where you live), you can always adjust the amount of oil to beeswax ratio.
hope that is helpful!
joanna
thanks Joanna,
ReplyDeleteI'll write back to let you know how I go when i get myself organise enough to have everything ready. =)