Easy DIY Yarrow Salve Recipe

Today we are making our own easy DIY Yarrow Salve made with only a few easy simple ingredients. This herbal salve is an easy to make essential item to have in your medicine cabinet to help heal all kinds of skin irritations, from bug bits, to open wounds and more.

The common yarrow plant (Achillea millefolium) is found growing naturally in many areas of North America and is from the asteraceae family of plants. If you are not familiar with yarrow, do not confuse the yarrow plant with similar looking plants such as poison hemlock or queen anne's lace. 

The yarrow plant has pretty white to yellow flowers, with fern-like leaves.

If you do not feel up to foraging for yarrow, it is easy to find at your local nursery or it is started from seed easily. I started several varieties of yarrow last year by seed, using the Winter Sowing method of starting seeds and it was very successful. 

Yarrow is great for attracting pollinators, and will spread very easily once you have it growing in your garden. Once you have an abundance of it growing, it seems a shame to not take full advantage of all of its wonderful medicinal properties. 

The properties of yarrow help with skin irritations of all sorts, as it has anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial as well as astringent properties. This simple recipe for yarrow salve can help with its healing properties for things such as poison ivy, bee stings, bug bites, minor cuts, dry skin, eczema, open sores, acne, hemorrhoids, varicose veins, bruises and more.

Simply apply the healing salve to the affected area, and it will get right to work. It is a must have item for your herbal first aid kit and it will also make for great gifts to those you love. 

How to Make Infused Yarrow Oil

The first step to make your own yarrow salve, is to make an infused yarrow oil. To do this, first you need to collect some yarrow. 

First collect the fresh yarrow flowers and the yarrow leaves. You can use them either fresh or you can use dried yarrow to make the infused yarrow oil.

Take a mason jar or any glass jar with a lid, and pack it in densely with all of your bits of yarrow plant material. Than add a carrier oil of your choice, covering all of the yarrow plant bits with it so the oil can steep.

Carrier oil options include olive oil, sweet almond oil, jojoba oil or hemp oil as these are all great for skin care. There are other carrier oils that will also work, so play around with this to find your favorite.

For a slow infusion, screw the lid onto the glass jar, and let sit for at least 4 weeks to allow the yarrow to steep in the oils.

To speed up the infusion process, you can heat the oil and yarrow in a slow cooker on low heat for 24-48 hours. You want to slowly warm the oil, not do it quickly on high heat, or you will lose some of the healing properties of the yarrow.

Strain the oil out using a fine mesh sieve lined with cheesecloth. Be sure to press down on the plant material to get all of the infused oil released. 

Store the oil infusion until ready to use in a cool dark place for up to two years. You can store it in the refrigerator but this may solidify the oil, just take it out and leave it at room temperature when ready to use it.

If it smells bad or looks off, don't chance it and make a new batch.

Equipment Needed to Make the Yarrow Salve:

• double boiler
• 2 - 2 oz tins with lids (or small glass jars with lids)

Ingredients for the Easy DIY Yarrow Salve Recipe:

Ingredients:

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• ¾ cup infused yarrow oil (see above for directions on how to make)
• 1 ½ Tablespoons beeswax pellets
• 15 drops of essential oil (optional)

HOW TO MAKE EASY DIY YARROW SALVE:

Notes:

• This recipe yields approximately 4 to 6 ounces of salve. You may want to consider doubling or tripling this recipe to make up enough to give as gifts!
• The shelf life of the salve is six months if it is stored in a cool, dry and dark place.
• Be sure to label your salve with the ingredients and the date it was made.
• You can use any type of carrier oil and can add essential oils as well if you’d like, such as lavender. 

Directions:

Step 1:

• ​Make your yarrow infused oil (see above for detailed instructions). 

Step 2:

• In a double boiler, melt the beeswax pellets with the infused oil. 

Step 3:

• If you are adding essential oils, add them once the yarrow salve mixture has slightly cooled down. 

Step 4:

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• Pour the mixture into tins or small glass jars and let cool completely before use.