Until about five days ago, if you’d have said “have some gardener’s salve,” I would have been all “Pssht, what do I need gardener’s salve for? For when I fall in the dirt after tripping on my shoelaces?” (Who am I kidding? I don’t have shoes with shoelaces. I just trip. On cracks or curbs or air. Mostly air.)
But, see, there’s really not much of a difference between “gardener’s salve” and, say, just about any other kind of salve out there. Put the word “healing” in front of it instead of “gardener’s,” and I’m all over it.
Nonetheless, because I received the initial recipe here from Diana at Lil’ Bit Farms and she called it her very favorite Gardener’s Salve, and because I actually made some because my hands were dry and cracked from working in my very own garden (otherwise known as the roofarm), we’re going to stick with the term “gardener’s salve.”
But you can think of this as an ultra-moisturizing, uber-healing salve of all sorts. So it’s great to use after you’ve been cleaning the bathrooms, working on the cars, baking a bunch of bread, or walking barefoot on the beach in Portugal with a blue umbrella’ed hurricane in one hand and the golden, glistening, muscled arm of Fausto in the other. Fausto is your summer fling.
You go, girl. Get yo’ groove back.
(Yes, it’s good for your hands and feet. Any part of your body that needs muito moisturizing. Muito means “much” in Portuguese. Ask Fausto. He’ll tell you.)
There are actually two recipes in this post: The original one from Diana, and my adapted frou-frou girly version that takes literally 10 minutes to make. Here. Whet your whistle on this photo, and then I’ll show you the roofarm right quick:
Pretty yummy looking, ain’t it? Fausto thinks so, too. He wants you to rub it on his cotovelo.
Cotovelo means “elbow” in Portuguese. I know you thought it meant something else, though, you dirty girl.
Look at the Roofarm!
So, okay, it’s not done yet. It’s not even halfway done yet.
But this is why my hands have resembled something like two-day-old bread dough that someone (probably me) left stuck to the counter. I never thought doing this would give me outdoor worker hands, but it turns out that potting soil doesn’t fool around when it comes to weathering your skin.
This is my Garden Tower. It slices and dices, it blends and purees.
Not really, but it does grow up to 50 plants in a small space (on my roof) AND it acts as a direct-to-garden vermicomposter. You just shove your scraps in the middle tube, and the worms you add will tunnel through ’em and distribute rich composty wormpoop all through the tower.
Here’s the backside (this picture is from only a day after planting, and the lettuce, I’m happy to report, has perked up considerably):
I’ve only been able to work with it for four days now, and it doesn’t have worms yet, but so far so good. I’m going to hold off recommending the investment until I see how things do throughout the summer (and especially after the worms come home to stay). But if you’re interested in urban gardening, you might want to start doing some research into it for next year.
(The Garden Tower people have no idea who I am, so just FYI this isn’t an advertisement or anything. Just a PSA for anyone interested.)
So, if you have a garden and find yourself with gardener’s skin, if you walk around barefoot during the summer, or if you have issues with constantly dry cotovelos, here’s the recipe to remember.
Gardener’s Salve, Lil’ Bit Farms Version
This is Diana’s version, exactly as she gave it to me (I haven’t changed a single ingredient, scout’s honor):
Diana: Here’s one of my favorite recipes. It’s a quick and easy beeswax salve. I originally used this as an udder balm for my goats, but I’ve had several people tell me how well it has worked for their skin. I love it on my driest parts, like feet and elbows. In fact, slather this goodness on your feet, throw on some toasty socks and go to bed. You’ll wake up with nearly sandal-ready tootsies! I make this with olive oil infused with calendula and no scent. It absorbs really quickly and the beeswax makes the moisturizing effects last!
1 pint jar
1/2 c. coconut oil
1 c. olive oil (may infuse with your choice of herbs)
1/2 c. beeswax (add more in warm weather)
Melt carefully in pint jar, either in double boiler or microwave on 30 sec bursts.
Stir with a fork as it cools.
(Betty’s note: I LOVE that you can melt this directly in the jar in the double boiler. Just make sure you’re super careful not to accidentally get any water in it (this could lead to mold or bacterial growth.)
Frou-Frou Girly Not-Just-For-Gardeners Salve
One thing I forgot to mention?
This also makes an EXCELLENT cuticle treatment.
For my version, I skipped any thought of infusing oils with herbs, because I didn’t have any time to wait. Instead, I made Diana’s version and then added some essential oils. For whatever reason, I was seriously craving the combination of lavender and vanilla.
So that’s what this recipe reflects. Lavender and vanilla. However, you can use any essential oil combination you’d like – I’d just suggest skipping any citrus essential oils. They’ll make your skin a bit photosensitive (if you’re just going right back out in the sun) and they tend to be more drying than moisturizing, anyway.
For my version, I also halved the recipe (which filled the container you see in the first and last photos in this post, which is a LOT of salve in itself).
Here’s what you need:
Extra-virgin olive oil (though you could use any type of oil you’d like – EVOO is a bit fragrant itself, so if you don’t like the smell of olive oil, use sweet almond or apricot kernel or something that doesn’t have much of a scent).
Cold-pressed coconut oil.
Beeswax.
Lavender and vanilla essential oils (or your choice of essential oils).
This is just a bonus photo of beeswax, because I think it’s pretty.
You’re welcome.
Melt your beeswax, coconut oil, and olive oil in double boiler (or makeshift double boiler, as pictured).
I always like to melt my beeswax first, before adding the other oils, just so I’m sure I don’t “overheat” the remaining oils. I think this is just a habit I got into after working with shea butter so much (which tends to get grainy if you overheat it). You don’t have to do it this way. Unless you want to be like me.
Once your oils and beeswax are melted, drop in your essential oils (I used about 30 drops lavender essential oil and 20 drops vanilla essential oil, which yielded a nice light scent).
As you can see in the photo above, pure vanilla essential oil is pretty dramatic. It leaves little dark brown-reddish specks in your finish product (unless you don’t stir it enough as it’s hardening, and then it just leaves dark brown-reddish specks at the bottom of your product).
(It’s also pretty pricey. I get mine from Mountain Rose Herbs, but you can find a blended version, with jojoba, from Aura Cacia if you’re looking in the grocery store.)
Combine everything very well with a spoon.
Pick a spoon, any spoon.
Pour it into your chosen container carefully.
If you think I’m kidding about carefully, I’m not.
If you’ve never worked with beeswax before, please note that it can be pretty tiresome to clean up. It DOES clean up, and clean up completely.
I’m just sayin’. Watch what you’re doing so you don’t make a mess.
Unless you don’t want to watch what you’re doing. Because you want to be like me.
After you get it into your container, you just do … nothing. Nothing at all for 2-3 hours while it hardens.
If you want it to harden faster? Just slip it into the fridge for 20 minutes.
Not-Just-For-Gardeners Salve
- 1/4 c. coconut oil
- 1/4 c. beeswax
- 1/2 c. olive oil
- 30 drops lavender essential oil
- 20 drops vanilla essential oil
In a makeshift double boiler, melt the beeswax and oils. Remove from heat. Drop in the essential oils and mix well. Pour into your chosen glass container and allow to harden before using. This should last up to 12 months (or longer, if kept in a cool, dark place).
So, I’m Thinking PERFECT Father’s Day Gift
When I made this a couple of days ago, I kept thinking about how absolutely, grade-A perfect this would be as a Father’s Day gift. Men are notorious for dry hands, because they work so hard with them – gardening, fixing cars, doing yardwork, eating steak, and holding video game controllers.
My father, in particular, loves his (watery) lotion a lot – and boy does he need it. I’m hoping to show him the benefits (and MUCH more marked effectiveness) of handmade healing salve instead. I started a version of oils infusing with herbs (comfrey and calendula, to be exact) a few days ago, and I’ve worked out a manly scent that I know he’ll absolutely love.
So be ready.
Because we’re not done talking about salves.
In a few days, I’ll give you the recipe (and I think I’m going to have a little bit extra, which I may put up in the Etsy Natural Market store).
In the meantime, I’m curious …
What do YOU think the best “man scent” for a salve would be?
(You might want to give this some thought. Fausto would really appreciate this as a gift, too.)
(Oh! P.S. Thank you for the recipe and inspiration, Diana from Lil’ Bit Farms! We’re not done talking about you yet – in the next post, we’ll get up close and personal with your eggs.)
Stop Procrastinating and Easily Remove Candle Wax From Your Carpet
Love the recipe
I loooking for a simmular recipe for a long time. I’m here for first time. Automatically become one of my favorite blogs. Greetings!
nice one.. 🙂 love it.. !!
Your rooffarm looks amazing! I really love initiatives like this. In some big cities the only way a person can have the space for a garden are such rooftop gardens or farms as you call them. It’s a little sad, but at least it’s a chance to get closer to nature and grow some delicious produce in the meantime.
I just read your salve blog I have read and think that vetiver is a lovely man scent, also oil of bergmont
Hi! I love your recipes. I would like to know who you get your labels for to put on your finished products? I am looking for a good label maker but cannot find one.
Also, is your book one that contains ALL of your recipes or how many?
I visit your site often so thanks for all of your information and I am looking forward to trying many of your recipes in my home.
Bridget
804-722-3974-h 804-386-1019-c
..so glad i found you CB!…i spend many a sleepless night surfing & roaming different blogs for recipes..i find that i like to experiment with different oils & tweak the measurements. yesterday i created a silky butter thats absolutely exquisite!..i can hardly wait to get busy with these recipes here!
A garden on the roof is a very good idea, especially if you live in a small apartment in a big city, where it’s impossible to have a garden of your own. But you should be very careful with drainage and watering, because roofs can easily crack and get damaged by excess moisture.
I love everything from coconuts! I am going to make this. My husbands hands are so dry, even without gardening!:( Great addition to my diy skincare cabinet 🙂
A good “man” scent that I also love is neroli oil.
Great web site. Plenty of helpful information here.
I am sending it to several friends ans also sharing in delicious.
And naturally, thank you on your sweat!
wonderful points altogether, you just won a brand new reader.
What would you suggest about your publish that you made some days in the past?
Any positive?
It’s actually very complex in this active life to listen news on Television, thus I just use
the web for that reason, and get the hottest news.
Hi i am kavin, its my first time to commenting anyplace, when i read this paragraph i thought i could
also create comment due to this brilliant article.
Made this last fall/early winter, and can say this is the best stuff EVER! Every winter, the back of my hands always crack, and I use this cream to get relief. It’s AWESOME!!!
I love this salve. I have found it to quickly stop an itch! Any itch! Poison ivy/oak/sumac; insect bites. It also keeps the bugs away! OH, I must say though that I used calendula infused Olive Oil in this and only added the lavender EO. Thanks Crunch!
I like the blend mentioned above because it looks refreshing and reminds me of the Defense Salve, which I love.
I love this site! You keep my attention and I am constantly digging for more information and ways to be, what we call here in Indiana, a not-so-dirty hippie chick.
I also read your piece on Farm eggs and want to thank you! I have chickens, and yes, they are some quirky ladies. You have given me so many ideas on what to do with their eggs.
Peace to you Crunchy Betty, and keep the ideas coming! I love how you put your own twist and your articles and recipes.
Just a note about a easy way to clean up beeswax, I work using a quilters self-healing cutting mat on my work surface and then use a Pampered Chef pan scraper (for stoneware)to scrape any spills up,works great!!!
Hi there
Thanks for this great idea. I’d like to try it out for my boyfriend who has awful hands due to his work. But unfortunately I don’t really get the measures (I’m swiss).
So how much is (I’m not sure what the c. stands for):
1/4 c. coconut oil
1/4 c. beeswax
1/2 c. olive oil
Would really appreciate your answer.
Thanks a lot
Karin, you can use sites such as:
http://calculator-converter.com/converter_g_to_c_grams_to_cups_calculator.php
http://www.convert-me.com/en/
This should help with measurement.
Good luck!
Hi
Same problem here. I live in Belgium and am looking forward to trying this recipe, but unfortunately I’m not familier with the measuring used. I know you can convert cups into grams, but i always get some ‘off’ result because of the fact that cups aren’t always the same amount of grams, it depends on what you’re measuring I guess.
Anyone who could help us, Europeans , out?:-) Pretty Please. :-p
The easiest way is to convert to ml (milliliters) as 1 cup = 200 ml. Cups usually hold a bit more than that, but since the key is getting the right ratio (1:2, 2:3, etc.), 200 ml works fine and is the easiest to convert and measure.
So for this particular recipe you would need 50 ml coconut oil, 50 ml beeswax, and 100 ml olive oil.
Hope that helps!
Thanks a buch! It was really helpful.
Last question, do you measure the beeswax when it’s allready melted? I’m looking forward to trying almost everything ‘Crunchy Betty’-style 🙂
Glad to help. 🙂 You measure all the ingredients (including beeswax) before you melt them.
I’d love to hear how your salve turns out. 🙂 I tried making mine with jojoba wax instead of beeswax, and it turned out pretty runny, more like a lotion. Still works great, though.
how about sandalwood?
Hello!
I just discovered your blog, and not only are your tips and recipes creative and useful, your blog is so well written; not to mention very, very funny. Thank you for making my night, healing my zit, soothing my gardner rough hands, and folding my laundry! Oh, wait.. My laundry is still in a heap.
Keep on keepin’ on, CB! You’re terrific.
AM
Man smell: switch out some/all of the olive oil with a dark sesame oil. Deep, near-musky, manly.
Ooh, or a nut oil (though they are more volatile–would the bacteriostatic properties of the other oils be enough to prevent the salve from going rancid without refrigeration?). Yum, walnut oil… Hazelnut oil. And vanilla. Men tend to like edible aromas, especially vanilla. Mmm, but then, he might be smelling a little too good… Then again, husband wouldn’t mind becoming a veritable salt block…
Sorry, everyone! Just got drool all over the webpage. How tacky!
I started reading your blog when I was looking for something for my face. The oil cleaning method did not work for me but I am going to try the gardener’s salve because my hands and heels get super dry.
In addition to being an awesome moisturizer, this salve is a great base for Crunchy Betty’s homemade vapor rub! I took one tablespoon of this salve and put it in a separate tiny bowl, microwaved it a little bit to re-melt it, then added 7 drops peppermint oil, 4 drops eucalyptus, and 4 drops rosemary (to keep the proportions pretty much the same as the original recipe). Boom. Quick vapor rub for my sick kiddos.
Roof-Farm. Ooooooooohhhh.
In Australia it’s a Roo-Farm.
I’m wanting to make this this evening but how do you measure the beeswax? I can buy it from my local honey producer in a 1 lb block, do i then chop it up and measure out a 1/4 cup? Do you know if a 1 lb block will amount to 1/4 cup when chopped?
Thanks!
Hi! So.. I dont have coconut oil currently, but I have grapeseed and jojoba. Are either of these decent for salve and eczema friendly? My man’s feet are killing him. Any help would be great!
The coconut oil is solid at room temperature. If you don’t have coconut oil on hand, use some other oil that is solid at room temperature instead. Very few of these kinds of recipes require you to use exactly the same things. Switch it up and use the stuff you like/have on hand. Just remember, if you want lotion/salve/whatever to be thick and not runny, you should use some kind of ‘solid’ oil as one of your ingredients.
Or use the oil available to you and add thickening agents: increase the beeswax, candellila wax, palm waxy-stuff, etc; add cornstarch, xanthan gum, or whatever solid stuff you’d trust as both edible and shelf-stable for at least a couple months. Start with a smaller amount of the latter and add as seems necessary, just like when cooking. One thought for skin-soothingness to try: oatmeal. Grind it into oatmeal dust to better incorporate it.
One other quick note on the two oils you’ve mentioned: as I understand it, grapeseed is toning (has pore-shrinking qualities), while jojoba is supposed to very closely mimic our own bodily oils–look it up yourself to be sure, but I’d opt for the jojoba or a blend with the greater portion as jojoba so that the stuff better soaks in and moisturizes.
Where do you find beeswax?
This sounded so delicious I had to make it right away. Also with lavender and vanilla (vanilla from a pod, since I don’t have any of the essential oil). Perfect timing as a birthday gift for a dear friend! (Plus a little left over for me. :D)
Thank you for one more great recipe!
I made a small quantity because I wanted to use a glass jar I had. I eyeballed it a bit, melted the oils directly in the jar, and added a few drops of palmarosa essential oil, but it seems to be working fine 🙂
I was thinking this would work great to moisturize heels as well (mine are always very dry & cracking), maybe with some peppermint / tea tree oils?
I made this two days ago and it is awesome. I had been thinking for the last few weeks I needed to see if you had a recipe for a thicker longer lasting hand moisturizer, and when I search you had just posted it, Yea!
I want to thank you for all the help you offer on your site. I stumbled across it almost 3 months ago while I was looking for a more natural way to wash my face. I have rosacea and the product I used was chemical heavy and expensive. I saw your post about the OCM and said “what do I have to lose?” I altered it to suit my needs and it has worked beautifully. I have since made your facial moisturizer, deodorant, wood wax, grapefruit cleaning scrub, and cleaned out most of the plastic in my kitchen and the unnecessary chemicals cleaners in my house. You have inspired me and made me even more conscious of what I have on me as well as in my home. Thank you.
I’m pretty certain that the ultimate “man scent” would be bacon.
I literally was just looking for a replacement recipe to my Lemony Flutter just to try something new, so I was going to search your site, and look what’s at the top of the home page. FATE.
my manly honey loves patchouli scent!
You will love it with the infused oils……I have made this for years and add a little lavender and tea tree at the end – I usually use olive, apricot and emu for my oils…great on sun burns too!
To me the ultimate man scent is bay rum. So that’s bay, cinnamon, cloves, allspice, and orange.
Otherwise anything cedar-based smells pretty manly to me.
I love sandalwood but as I understand it’s getting badly endangered, as are frankincense and myrrh, so I don’t use those.
Hi this sounds wonderful but I am allergic to coconuts. What other oil could I use instead? Love your blog – just found it.
Hi,
I’m not CB but I thought perhaps I could help. Coconut oil is used specifically for its consistency and antibacterial properties. So with that in mind, the only thing I can think for you to do is to use rendered leaf lard (scentless, you won’t smell like bacon), and add antibacterial essential oils such as tea tree and lavender. Leaf lard can be purchased from most specialty meat markets and/or you can ask the butcher at your grocery store, and to render it all you do is cook it on low for a very long time, until all the pieces of skin (known as cracklins to Southerners :)) have sunk to the bottom. Once refrigerated you should be left with a creamy white odor-free lard, suitable for any coconut oil recipe or making pie crusts.
HOWEVER.
I have not tried this. It’s just a guess. (Except the pie crust part, that works well.) Good luck!
Hi, thanks for replying to my query. Sorry I’ve not replied but haven’t logged on for a while. You’ve given me a great idea. Here in Ireland you can get a vegetable version of rendered lard (and yes it makes wonderful pie crusts)that is odourless. I will try to make the cream with this and see how it goes. Thanks again and I will keep you posted.
Although wouldn’t a man WANT to smell like bacon??
Try shea butter or cocoa butter? I don’t know the consistency of cocoa butter well, but for shea I would use a little bit less than the coconut oil because it is a bit thicker/melts a little bit slower with body temperature.
Thanks Summer, I will look into the shea butter. But Volcanic ash gave me an idea to try as well. Thanks a million.
PS. man-scent? sandalwood.
Gah. Could’ve used this on my last trip to Santa Fe, when the severe lack of humidity threatened to peel my face off my face … 🙂
I think manly a good manly scent for this salve or any personal care product for men would be:
-sandalwood (or amyris if watching your budget)
-cedar
-chamomile
-myrtle
-a little of eucalyptus, fir, or spruce to give it a “medicinal” kick to the scent…agreed that he’s more likely to use it if it’s not all flowery or all the most pleasant scents??
-vetiver is always a safe-smelling addition
-If he doesn’t mind the smell, rosewood is a great middle note to hit and excellent for the skin. My handcrafted deodorant recipe includes rosewood because it’s a more subtle scent that blends well with my body’s chemistry and not lavender, ylang ylang or something overly floral.
This is the second coconut recipe for skin I have seen today. A salve, ok, i’m up for it!
Thanks for sharing these. I’m looking forward to trying yours out soon – think I actually have everything at home now. My hands seem dry year round.
Oh, cool. I made a slightly different version for my little girls tea party to make lip glosses with, less beeswax and equal parts coconut and olive oils. It made a ton, so I have a big jar leftover. I’ve been using on my arms and lips.
For those that do not like cleaning up beeswax or being careful for that matter. I found that old (clean of course) tin cans work great as a double boiler pan. Large batches large cans, small batches small cans. I always keep a few around for things like this. You can let it harden wipe and go onto the next thing instead of trying to scrub it out of you good pans because you were not paying attention and grabbed your good pan by accident. Ok maybe that only happens to me.
Wow…thanks for that suggestion!! I gave my daughter my double boiler and was going to try to rig one up with a couple of my other pans. Using a ti can is a great idea….don’t even have to worry about scrubbing out my pan afterwards. Thanks!
man scent = cypress
yummy
Hi Betty,
I totally love this. I’ve used your other salve recipe too, and the little-ins use it all the time for boo-boos. (It has honey in it and steeped chamomile, you know the one. I just forgot it’s name.)
I think a good manly-man scent is hands down: patchouli. I know it reminds some people of hippies (and I love hippies), but straight up patchouli is so wonderful and with the whole man-chemistry thing, it’s phermone-licious. (Perhaps we should think up another scent for Dads and save this one for the significant others? Dads can smell like…um…clove. Clove is nice, too.)
And that’s my $0.02.
Just made this! so wonderful! I tweaked it a little, and combined it with your whipped shea butter recipe (and added cocoa butter and replaced the olive oil with almond oil and vitamin E oil). So now I have a whipped shea butter, cocoa butter, healing body butter 😀 it’s amazing.
Hi Betty
For any vegans reading this you can sub candelilla wax for the beeswax using half the amount of candelilla than beeswax e.g. if the recipe calls for 1oz of beeswax then just use 1/2 oz of candelilla wax for the same firmness.
Love the site Betty and so glad that you’re back!
Thanks so much for the conversions! I’ve been using candelilla and finding it MUCH harder when solid than beeswax…
I figured out that if I place my jars on paper plates before I fill them, the mess is much easier to clean up. I suppose I could set the jars on a regular plate, then just stick the plate in the freezer and pop the oil off!
On hot days I like to put any butters and waxes I am melting into a glass jar and leave them in my car for 30-60 minutes. A little solar-powered melting.
Love this!! I infused oils for the first time to make your soothing deodorant (which is super amazingly awesome, and I’ve gotten my mom hooked on it too!). So incredibly easy! Why was I so intimidated?? My daughter gathered up rose petals yesterday, so we’re infusing almond oil this morning. I’m thinking we could use some to make salve! Thanks!! I’d be really interested to learn which herbs are best for healing boo-boos. It’d be great to be able to replace our petroleum-based neosporin with a healing salve.
She has a neosporin replacement salve, and it is awesome!
http://crunchybetty.com/not-your-mothers-neosporin-healing-salve-for-minor-scrapes-and-burns
Does anyone have any suggestions for essential oils that I could add that would make it extra soothing/healing for eczema? My poor mom’s hands are a mess right now.
My daughter had bad eczema on her hands and face. I made lotion bars (similar to salve, but with more beeswax– really stays on and protects your skin) with coconut and almond oils infused with chamomile, calendula, lemon balm, and marshmallow root. I’ve heard that comfrey and St. Johns wort are also good for eczema, but I was hesitant to use them on a child. Chickweed is supposed to be good for itching. My daughter’s eczema was almost non-existent this winter, so it’s worth trying!!
Coconut and lemon balm is what we use for my daughter’s eczema – and I swap my homemade jam at our local farmers market during the summer for organic goatsmilk and coconut oil soap – we haven’t had any problem with any of the scents that we have gotten from our swap =) I think my daughter (4years old) loves the bayberry the best. – Btw – new to this site and I am LOVING this although my hubby thinks I am crazy. Ever since we found my daughter cannot digest refined sugars (think high fructose corn syrup) I have been looking into a more natural lifestyle and am loving it =D
Your daughter is not alone…no one can digest high fructose corn syrup..some just know it sooner than others. I love this site too!
Crunchy Betty, you’re my hero!!!! Can’t wait to make this – and yes!!! for Father’s Day. It’s perfect for my construction daddy. Thank you! 🙂
Hi! This is my first comment ever on your blog, but I’ve been reading for over a year now. You have helped me with many, many things – I can’t even list how helpful your blog is for me. The oil cleansing method for my face and the non-shampoo for my hair are the two biggest ones. I’m getting over my shyness to ask a simple (probably stupid) question: where do you buy your droppers for your essential oils? I’ve been using a teaspoon handle to count out drops of tea tree oil, because the bottle I bought it in did not come with a dropper. And my local stores don’t sell droppers individually… they are usually found inside medicine bottles (that are full of medicine). Thank you for any advice you can offer.
Hi, Lilly! So the dropper that you see there came with the bottle. I don’t usually buy separate droppers, but I know places like Sunburst carry them (www.sunburstbottle.com).
Most essential oils you buy won’t come with actual pull-out droppers. They’ll have reducers on the top, which look like a little plug with a small hole in it. This allows the EOs to come out drop by drop.
I’m curious what oils you’re using that don’t come with reducers in them, at least. I know there are some brands of tea tree oil that don’t have them, but other than that I don’t think I’ve ever seen an EO come without one.
(Hope that helps!)
21st Century brand tea tree oil, available on amazon.com lacks a reducer. I use a simple dropper that came in a two-pack from the pet department of a big box store, though you might find them for sale in the pharmacy dept/store by the ear medications. Failing that, you might beg, plead, con, or hypnotically suggest that your local pharmacist needs to provide you with a measured syringe (don’t cringe: it comes without the scary metal part!), lest you fear you may be incorrectly dosing your young child’s medications with a common piece of silverware…
If you have a Whole Foods near you, they sell empty dark-tinted dropper bottles and salve/balm containers in their ‘Whole Body’ section!
Fausto! Be still my beating heart.
Salve sounds good too 😉