Homemade Ginger Salve Recipe for Sore Muscles

This homemade ginger salve recipe is great for helping to relax and soothe sore muscles. It also makes a great alternative to a cayenne pepper salve if you’re allergic or sensitive to capsicum like I am. I chose to use ginger as not only does it create a warming sensation like cayenne, but it’s prized for its anti-inflammatory properties.

If you’re not sensitive to capsicum then feel free to substitute the ginger powder with cayenne pepper powder in my ginger salve recipe. Alternately you could also do half cayenne and half ginger.

I chose to use safflower oil as my carrier oil not only because it stores well but it is also prized for its moisturizing and skin soothing properties. If safflower is not one of your preferred oils or not something you have readily available you can substitute the safflower oil with another carrier oil.

My resulting homemade ginger salve recipe smelled like delicious ginger cookies and was just warm enough to not be irritating to my skin. However, you’ll want to avoid getting this into your eyes, open cuts or wounds and likewise avoid sensitive skin areas like your face.

Homemade Ginger Salve Recipe

© Rebecca D. Dillon

Ingredients:

3 oz. safflower oil infused with ginger, peppercorns and peppermint leaf
1 oz. beeswax
.25 oz. refined (76° melt point) coconut oil
36 drops ginger root essential oil
5 drops rosemary extract

Safflower infused oil ingredients:

4 oz. safflower oil
3 Tablespoons ground ginger powder
1 Tablespoon black whole peppercorns
1 Tablespoon dried peppermint leaf

Directions:

Begin my making your safflower infused oil. Using a digital scale weigh out the safflower oil. Then combine the ginger, peppercorns, peppermint leaf and safflower in a small saucepan or double boiler.

Heat on low stirring often so as not to burn the herbs/spices until the oil starts to simmer then reduce heat to warm and cover. Leave the oil for 1-2 hours over heat stirring occasionally. Then turn off the heat and allow the oil and herbs/spices to sit overnight covered.

Now use cheesecloth to strain the oil of the ginger, peppercorns and peppermint leaf. I find using a mason jar and a mason jar ring makes this really easy to do. Once all the oil has been strained through the cheesecloth, carefully removed the cheesecloth and squeeze it around the herbs to remove any excess oil. Toss the cheesecloth and plant material. You now have your infused safflower oil ready to use.

Now weigh out the beeswax. Melt in either a double boiler or at 50% power in the microwave until melted. Remove from heat.

Weigh out the coconut oil and stir into the melted beeswax until it melts completely.

Now weigh out the ginger infused safflower oil and combine with the coconut oil and beeswax. You should have just enough after straining. If not, simply add enough additional plain safflower oil to reach 3 oz. by weight. Mix well. The beeswax may start to solidify when you first pour in the oil. Keep stirring until it reaches a liquid state again.

Finally, using a transfer pipette or dropper add the rosemary extract – this will help to extend the shelf life of the oils – and the ginger essential oil. Stir well to thoroughly combine all of the ingredients then pour into a 4 oz. clear glass salve jar.

Once your homemade ginger salve solidifies completely it’s ready to use!

For more homemade salve recipes as well as homemade soap recipes and other bath and beauty DIY’s be sure to follow my boards on Pinterest. You can also keep up with all of my new posts by following on Blog Lovin’ as well as on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.