Difficulty: Beginners
Time: 30 minutes
Yields: 1 pot (150g)
Post-shave irritation is never a good thing, which is why a good aftershave balm is a must. This all-natural balm has the skin-healing and soothing benefits of the infused calendula oil, the anti-inflammatory properties of sandalwood essential oil and the cooling effect of peppermint essential oil, and the added coconut oil is an excellent moisturiser and conditioner, leaving your skin soft and calm.
You can either make your own calendula infused oil using this tutorial, or you can purchase it from Pure Nature. All the other ingredients, including the pretty aluminium pot are also available from Pure Nature.
Making a balm is fairly straight forward. You can either combine all the ingredients, except for the essential oils, in a Pyrex jug and heat it in the microwave until the beeswax has melted, or you can heat it gently on a low setting on the stove.
Once the all the ingredients have melted, let it sit and cool down a little, before adding the essential oil. If you add the essential oils too early, the heat will evaporate the volatile essential oils and reduce the effectiveness of the benefits. However, don’t let it cool down so that the liquid begins to harden, if it does, you will need to melt it again.
When you have added the essential oils, stir well to disperse the oils well into the mixture, and then pour it into your container. Leave the container open until the balm has completely cooled down and solidified before putting the lid on. This is to prevent condensation from forming on the lid.
This balm will make a great gift in combination with the shaving soap found here!
Soothing aftershave balm
Ingredients
- 80 ml calendula infused oil
- 40 g coconut oil
- 30 g beeswax
- 1 ml sandalwood essential oil
- 0.5 ml peppermint essential oil
- 150 ml aluminium pot
Directions
- Combine the calendula infused oil, coconut oil and beeswax in a heatproof Pyrex jug and melt in the microwave until fully liquid. (Alternatively, use a pot and heat on low setting on stove).
- Leave to cool down a little, and then add the essential oils.
- Pour into pot and let cool down and harden completely before putting the lid on.
Why calendula infused oil? What is substitute for recipe?
Calendula has soothing and anti-inflammatory properties, which makes it ideal for irritated skin, such as after shaving. If you don’t have calendula infused oil and you can’t make your own, you can use any other oil as a substitute, but if won’t have the soothing anti-inflammatory properties that the calendula would bring. If I didn’t have calendula on hand, I might go with jojoba oil, which has a composition similar to our own skin’s sebum (oils) and also has slight anti-inflammatory properties. Hope this helps!