Herbal creams are great; because unlike salves or ointments (for how to make them, preview my other post, How to Make a Ointment.), creams work in much better in harmony with the skin- they are absorbed.
Creams are also more cooling and soothing. They allow the skin to breathe and perspire naturally.
Herbal Creams are made in a very specific way. They are made of about 48% oil, and 48% water.together, with oil based infusions, as well as including tinctures (another one in my series) and essential oils. The 4% I will go into later.
Ordinarily, oil and water don't mix. This is because we need to add something called a emulsifier. This will bridge the incompatibility between the two, and allow them to blend together. If you have ever made your own mayonnaise, you will already understand this.
By far, I think the best emulsifying agent for creams would be beeswax, or any other solid fat that is similar. It is a 100% safe and natural product, that has its own healing properties; which of course adds to the healing cream.
Safety
You can have allergic reactions to certain things. Please be aware of your allergies and make sure the product you are using has nothing you are allergic to in it.
Also, if you are pregnant, herbalism can potentially cause complications, so please ask your doctor beforehand.
How to Make a Herbal Cream
You Will Need:
Infused Oil
Water-Based Herbal Preperation (Like a decoction)
Any EO/Tincture you wish to add
Beeswax/solid fat.
As I said earlier, you want to get a round about 50-50% ratio of water to oil.
1. Add one cup of your infused oil to your ceramic or glass bowl. Once you have done that, prepare a equal amount of your water-based herbal preparation; but DO NOT add it.
2. Gently warm the IO in a double boiler, which you can buy, but if you do not have one, place a glass or ceramic bowl on top of a pan full of boiling water. The idea is to let only the steam heat the bowl on top.
3. When hot, add 1oz of beeswax to the mixture. Remember the 1oz beeswax to 1 cup of oil ratio? The same thing applies. If you have added 2 cups of infused oil, add 2oz of beeswax instead. And so on.
4. Thoroughly stir the mixture as it heats up, until the beeswax is fully melted in. This will not look like a cream yet, do not worry! Do not let the oil get too hot.
5. Turn off the heat and give it a good stir. Then, pour the mixture into a jar or bowl that is suitable for using a hand blender or whisk in. Allow the oil to cool for a little before doing so. This is the time to add any tincture or essential oil you may want to add to enhance the smell or the properties of your desire.
6. Start mixing the mixture. Slowly as you are mixing, add in your wbp. You'll see the oil, water and emulsifier start to mix, and slowly but surely it will become a cream! It might be quite thin to start with, but as you add more wbp, you will see it start to thicken. Make sure you add all of your wbp in the equal amount of IO you put in.
7. Place the cream into jars, and enjoy!
Keep in the fridge and out of the heat when possible. Preferably, store in dark jars and label so you know the content. Shelf life: 3 weeks if not refrigerated, 3 months if refrigerated.