Plantain Hand Balm
This hand balm brings together all the properties of Plantain, Beeswax and Almond Oil and is fantastic for your skin.
Yield: 15 Small Balms
Cost: £3.50
Materials
- 1 handful Plantain Leaves rinsed
- 200 ml Almond Oil
- 2 bars Beeswax Approx 30g
Instructions
- Pick your plantain leaves. Make sure you don’t pick all from one plant but gather a few leaves from each one, so as not to affect the plants too much.
- Cut the leaves into small chunks
- Put them into a pan with the almond oil
- Leave this over night in a warm place to infuse. I’ve used beside a fire, on top of the wood burner with a cake rack and on the side of the Aga previously. You want it infusing not cooking.
- The next day strain it through a muslin or sieve and really push through the liquid. When it starts to run to a dark green liquid that sinks below the oil stop squeezing.
- Return the oil to the pan - try to leave the liquid below the oil behind at this point - and add both beeswax bars.
- Put these on a low heat and wait until they melt.
- When they are melted pour into your chosen containers. - I’ve used silicone truffle cases here.
- Once they are set use, and give to friends and family.
Notes
Coconut Oil can replace the Almond Oil, which in turn means you need a lot less Beeswax, as the setting point of the Coconut Oil is so much lower, giving you a darker colour overall.
This photo was the first balms I made using Coconut Oil and a very small amount of Beeswax, before they had set. They melted in the warmer temperatures though, and could have done with a little more Beeswax. I used a maximum of 1/4 of a bar in this.
