I’m a disaster in the kitchen.
I know, right, not exactly what you want to hear from the mouth of a food blogger.
I can cook up a mean batch of brownies, a to-die-for meatloaf, or the best collard greens the south has ever tasted. But,  the moment fire, heat, and pots are involved, I’m a pure mess. Burns, bruises, and cuts have been well-earned on my petite hands and arms. They are battle-wounds from creating delicious dishes day in and out. Battle wounds I proudly wear and probably a good hint I need to invest in a better pair of oven gloves.
Boo-boo’s are my specialty served with a side of meatballs.
I take a laid-back approach in life when it comes to ouchies. After all,  birthing two natural babies, one weighing over ten pounds, can definitely give you a “I got this” approach to any pain life may throw my way. A burn? A cut? Who’s got time to care for such minor afflictions?
Last year, after burning my wrists one too many times pulling out delicious crusty bread (so worth it), I noticed the scars looked pretty bad. I have sixty, seventy years still to live in this little body of mine, so having scars covering half my wrists all from baking glorious bread, just didn’t seem like the best idea.
Medical treatments like neosporin, filled with synthetic toxins just don’t fly. Nothing like rubbing chemicals on an exposed wound seeping into your bloodstream in a mere twenty seconds. No, thanks. I tried coconut oil, my go-to wonder product, and while it helped, I needed something more powerful. Something that soothed the burns and helped the healing.
My best thoughts often come while blow drying my hair, on the rare occasion that happens, which means I actually had a shower for the day. Anyway, the point being, one day while drying my hair, the thought occurred, why not make my own neosporin? A neosporin made with healing and soothing herbs and oils  A salve I can trust and feel good about.

This homemade neosporin (all thanks to my blow dryer) is my go-to salve. Made with healing herbs– calendula and lavender.  Moisture-rich and anti-bacterial oils like coconut and olive oil. With a few soothing drops of tea tree oil and lavender essential oil (also an anti-bacterial). Raw honey is also added to this powerful salve.  A salve that’s easy to make and free from toxins found in store-bought tubes.

This salve sits on my counter making a debut regularly. I use it on my boo-boos, my kiddos ouchies, or just to help moisturize extra dry hands (dishes are my specialty along with meatballs).  It will last a year, however, our salve is always gone within months.

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Homemade Neosporin

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup coconut oil
• 1/3 cup dried lavender 
• 1/3 cup dried calendula 
• 4 TB beeswax equals 2-3 oz. if using bars
• 1 TB raw honey
• 10 drops tea tree oil 
• 5 drops lavender essential oil 
• glass jars 

Step 1

In a large pan, combine the coconut oil, olive oil. Allow the coconut oil to melt over low heat. Once melted, add in the dried lavender and calendula. Keeping the heat on low, allow the herbs to infuse for 30 minutes.

Step 2

After 30 minutes, prepare a small bowl with a coffee filter (or cheesecloth). Pour the mixture through the filter, filtering out the herbs. With the infused oil in the bowl below.

Step 3

Return the infused oil to the pot (be sure to clean out any remaining dried herbs). Over low heat, add the beeswax, stirring until melted. Add the honey, stirring for about a minute. Turn off the heat and add the essential oils (tea tree and lavender)

Step 4

Pour the mixture into glass jars. The mixture will begin to solidify. Stir every minute or two, ensuring the honey doesn't sink to the bottom. The mixture takes 5-10 minutes to fully set. Once set, it's ready to use and will keep for a year.

This recipe was inspired by Mrs. Happy Homemaker.