Spring is a wonderful time of year, especially after the cold, dark, and dreary weather of winter. I’m always so excited to see the first dandelions pop up, as that means that warmer weather is on its way and I can soon make homemade dandelion salve!
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Wildcrafting Weeds eBook
Before we get started with this dandelion salve recipe I want to let you know about my ebook!
Wildcrafting Weeds: 20 Easy to Forage Edible and Medicinal Plants (that might be growing in your backyard!) gives you foraging and identification tips along with full color photos and recipes for using your foraged weeds. Be sure to check it out!
Now for the dandelion salve recipe!
Dandelion Infused Oil
Foraging for dandelions isn’t difficult, as they are one of the most widespread and easy-to-identify “weeds” there is. There are so many wonderful things to do with dandelions, as every part of the herb is both edible and medicinal, even the root.
This salve is made using locally foraged dandelions and is the perfect spring project.
The first step in making dandelion salve is to make dandelion infused oil. After you collect your dandelion flowers, it’s best to dry them for a day or two to remove the excess moisture.
I like to do this on my homemade drying screens, but you could also lay them out on a clean towel.
Our neighbor’s yard was completely covered with dandelions, so we asked if we could pick some! If you do this, just make sure to ask first and confirm that they haven’t been sprayed with anything toxic.
After your dandelions have dried a bit, put them into a jar and cover them with oil.
The size of the jar depends on how much oil you want to make.
A pint jar should yield about a cup of oil after straining, which is the amount you will need for this recipe. I wanted more oil than that, and I had a ton of dandelions, so I used quart sized jars.
The kind of carrier oil that you use is up to you.
I prefer to use a blend of equal parts olive, coconut, and sweet almond as carrier oils when making my dandelion infused oil, as they are all nourishing for the skin in different ways. If you use coconut oil, it’s helpful to melt it first.
Let your dandelion oil sit in a dark place for a week or two, but not too much longer than that as it can spoil pretty quickly.
Strain out the flowers using a cheesecloth so that you can really squeeze all of the dandelion goodness out. You will end up with a lovely golden oil!
Get recipes for food, drinks, infusions, and self-care using dandelion flowers, leaves, and roots in my ebook, Dandelion Recipes From Flower To Root!
Dandelion Salve Recipe
Making this dandelion salve is easy once you have your dandelion infused oil made. First, you will need to warm the oil in a double boiler.
You can create a makeshift double boiler by putting a small bowl or a glass Pyrex measuring cup over a pot with about an inch of simmering water.
Put the dandelion oil and beeswax into the small bowl or glass measuring cup, and heat until the beeswax completely dissolves into the oil, stirring occasionally.
Add the shea butter and stir until it dissolves, then stir in the optional essential oils.
Carefully pour the mixture into small jars or tins and let sit until the salve sets up completely.
This recipe makes about 12 ounces of salve total, or six 2 ounce tins.
How to Use Dandelion Salve
Dandelion flowers have pain relieving and anti-inflammatory properties, so this salve is good for all kinds of aches and pains. It is particularly good for sore and tired muscles and joints.
Dandelion salve is also soothing and moisturizing for dry, cracked, and itchy skin. It would also work well as a lip balm for chapped lips.
I really love how this dandelion salve turned out! It smells wonderful and is perfect on my dry hands and feet. It’s really quite easy to make, too.
Dandelions are such an amazing plant, it’s too bad that they are so often thought of as a weed! What is your favorite way to use dandelions in the springtime?
Want more herbal salve recipes? Here are 10 for you to include in your natural skin care routine!
More uses for Foraged Dandelion
Did you know there are over 50 ways to enjoy this amazingly versatile backyard “weed”? Among them are:
- Dandelion Root Muffins
- Dandelion Tea
- Dandelion Jelly
- Dandelion Cupcakes
- Dandelion Lotion Bars
- Dandelion Mead
- Roasted Dandelion Root Coffee
- Dandelion Pesto
- Dandelion Kombucha
- Dandelion Soap
- Dandelion Vinegar
Dandelion Salve
Ingredients
Dandelion Herbal Oil
- 1 cup dandelion flowers wilted for a day or so
- 1 ½ cups carrier oil approximately; I like to use a blend of equal parts extra virgin olive oil, coconut oil, and sweet almond oil.
Dandelion Salve
- 1 cup dandelion infused oil
- 1 ounce beeswax
- 1 ounce refined shea butter
- 12-24 drops essential oils of your choice lavender and sweet orange work well (optional)
Instructions
Dandelion Infused Oil
- Put the wilted dandelion flowers into a pint sized jar and cover them with the carrier oil of your choice. If you use coconut oil, it's helpful to melt it first.
- Let your dandelion oil sit in a dark place for a week or two, but not too much longer than that as it can spoil pretty quickly.
- Strain out the flowers using a fine mesh sieve and a cheesecloth so that you can really squeeze all of the dandelion goodness out.
Dandelion Salve
- Create a makeshift double boiler by putting a small bowl or a glass Pyrex measuring cup over a pot with about an inch of simmering water.
- Put the dandelion oil and beeswax into the small bowl or Pyrex, and heat until the beeswax completely dissolves into the oil, stirring occasionally.
- Add the shea butter and stir until it completely dissolves.
- Stir in the essential oils.
- Carefully pour the mixture into small jars or tins and let sit until the salve sets up completely.
Notes
Hello. This is my second batch I am making. I checked it after one week and this batch has a layer of white possibly moldy fluff on the top. Should I toss the whole batch or skim off the top?
Ps. This is best ever! It helps my daughters dry skin in the winter and will completely heal cracked hands in a short period of time.
I would try skimming it off and watching it closely to see if it comes back. Also, make sure that all of the plant parts are completely submerged under the oil.
What is the shelf life for it?
A year or more when stored in a cool, dark place.
Hello! I was wondering if Castor oil can be used in place of olive oil?
Yes, that should work!
So I’ve been wondering if herbs,I don’t like to call them weeds, can be infused into castor oil as well.
Yes, you can use castor oil as a carrier oil.
Any tip on where to required the jars? Thank you for a wonderful site
They are from Mountain Rose Herbs: https://mountainroseherbs.com/push-top-tins
I have ben drying my dandelion out for weeks I hoping it’s going to work the same.
Hello, I let my dandelions dry outside for like 10 hrs and they have a little bit of fluff but still yellow flowers as well. Is that okay or should I get new ones? Thank you.
I would only use fresh dandelions before they turn to fluff.
I just made my first batch of the dandelion salve, I melted my coconut oil, mix in the dandelions and now after a couple days it has become semi solid, is this going to be ok to continue to make the salve part?
I would move it to a warmer area of your home or a sunny windowsill to keep the coconut oil from solidifying.
Hi! Could the oil be infused faster by gentle heating to 100 degrees? And should the petals be removed? Thanks
Yes, you can do that too.
Would jojoba oil be a good carrier choice for this salve?
Yes!
What steps need to be taken to be able to keep it fresh longer ?
As long as there is minimal moisture in your flowers, it’ll last for a year or longer if stored in the fridge.
Add some Vitamin E Oil a dropper full
This recipe is more valuable than you know. Dandelion works to cleanse the liver of undigested fats. People are walking around with fatty liver disease and don’t even know it. Fats and proteins need help to digest properly for many Americans. Whatever is rubbed onto the skin is absorbed into the bloodstream. In this case it’s good! Thank you.
Colleen would this be a safe salve for dogs.? If I added a little more beeswax for winter paw pad protection ?
Yup!
Just made this salve and I love it, smells great! Thanks for the recipe :)
Any advice on cleaning my utensils? This was my first time making anything with beeswax, and it never even occurred to me that a hydrophobic substance might be hard to clean off my glass bowls and sponges xD
I would try soaking them in hot water.
Wipe off as much as you can with paper towels. Then, use very hot soapy water to soak briefly, rub clean with another paper towel then dry.. Discard paper towels in garbage and then toss the soapy water outside.
Hi Can I dry the flowers completely before adding to the oil. I am so looking to making my first batch. You have a wonderful with so many helpful recipes and suggestions. Thank you
Hi Linda. No, you cannot dry the flowers completely because they’ll turn into fluffy seed heads.
I purchased some of those “fluffy seed heads” from Poland on Etsy and made this salve. The oil turned a nice yellow color – does it not contain all the benefits I would have gotten if I had used fresh flowers? We don’t have any in our yard and so much of our local towns are sprayed, I wouldn’t feel good about picking any in a park etc.
Hi Michelle. I haven’t tried using dandelion seeds in a salve. Usually, when making herbal salves, it’s best to use the leaves, flowers, or roots of the dandelion because they’re packed with the health benefits that infuse well into the oil. The seeds don’t have as much of these beneficial compounds, so they might not be as effective as the other parts of the plant for this purpose.
I made the salve today– it is still very liquid after hours of letting it sit. I use 1 part coconut oil, olive oil and a good carrier oil that I use with my essential oils. Any idea what went wrong?
Did you use enough beeswax?
Nothing went wrong…the next step is to melt some bees wax and lightly warm/melt the salve and combine the two…The beeswax will provide a more solid texture to your salve.
I started the dandelion infused oil about 4 weeks ago. I honestly lost track of time. I kept it in a dark, dry place. There is light yellow film on the top, but other than that, it looks fine. It smells like oil, not the dandelions. Do you think it’s still ok to use?
Yes, that’s totally fine! As long as it doesn’t smell bad, it’s safe to use.
I’m allergic to beeswax, what can I use instead?
I love this so much!
Soy or any other type of vegan beeswax alternative will work.
Do you pick the green part off the backs of the flowers? I did once and it took me forever.
Yup. It’s okay to leave a little of it on.
Hi I just saw this about removing the green backs! In your picture with the oil though it appears the green backs are still on?! Do they need to be removed or not? Would hate to pick them off if I don’t have to lol
You can do either, it won’t change the recipe much.
I am just starting the process of making this! I used straight coconut oil, however once it sits for a week to 2 weeks it will be hard… do I sit it out to dissolve again before straining the flowers? Does it still pull out enough from the flower before hardening ?
If I had added olive oil would it do the same thing?
Hi Danielle. Even with additional carrier oils, coconut oil with harden. It’s best to keep it in a warm or sunny location while it infuses.
I used the solid coconut oil, heated it to liquify it. Added the dried dandelion to make the infused oil. I put it in the closet for 2 weeks. I took it out this morning and the coconut oil was solid (not surprised by that), but there was mold growing on top. Should I throw it out??
Yes. Moisture from the dandelions must have caused mold to form. Try wilting the dandelions over night to remove some of the moisture, but not long enough that they turn to fluffy seed heads.
How long does this keep once it’s in tins? Thanks!
When stored out of direct sunlight and in a cool location, they’ll last a year or longer.
Just made these, and they are great! Love the scent from the dandelion, so I added just a bit of grapefruit essential oil for a bit of citrus. Very easy to make, and I ended up with 14 “cakes” of salve about 1 inch wide by 1/2 inch thick. I still have some leftover oil, so planning to make lotion bars next. Thanks for the recipes!
So glad you liked this recipe!
What do you use to cover your jars?
A sheet of parchment paper and a lid.
Hello! I am currently in the beginning stages of making the salve, and I came across your dandelion lotion bar recipe which seems to be the same thing? Is there a difference between the two or is it just that one is in bar form and the other sets in a tin? Thank you!
The dandelion lotion bars require a bit more beeswax so that they’re hard enough to be a bar.
I didn’t see that we were supposed to take the green off I did mine with the green on is it ok to use still?
Hi Michele. That should be fine.
Can you over dehydrate the dandelion flowers in a dehydrator?
Hi Somer. I’m sure you can, but I’ve never done it. I personally wouldn’t use a dehydrator. Dandelions turn into puffballs when dried, so be sure to pluck all the petals away from the green base before drying.