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Every summer my dad would bring out the activated charcoal when anyone got a mosquito bite or the occasional bee sting. He would make a paste with activated charcoal and baking soda (just add a little water) and apply it to the skin. It makes a major mess so we walked around with a paper towel bandage for hours. I was always skeptical of dad’s natural remedies, but this one worked! So I’m glad that activated charcoal is popular again – and this salve works just as well at drawing out stings, itches and splinters.

Activated charcoal & clay

At first glance, this recipe seems to have an intimidating number of unusual ingredients. Charcoal? Clay? Infused oil? But if you’re interested in building a natural remedy kit these are all good ingredients to have on hand.

You know how clay face masks are often used to draw impurities out of pores? The same applies here. Both the activated charcoal and clay in this pull the toxins from the skin, reducing the sting of bites and stings. Hence why this recipe is commonly called ‘black drawing salve.’

Calendula infused oil

We’ve talked infused oil before for headaches and healing, and the process is super simple. If using the solar method, just cover a handful of herbs with oil in a tightly closed jar and let it sit for a couple of weeks. Calendula-infused oil is easy to make and nice to have on hand because it has so many skin healing properties.

Activated Charcoal Salve Recipe

After wasting way too much time to count chopping up bars of beeswax, I discovered beeswax pellets, and, whoa, game changer! So much easier to measure out for recipes, which is quite handy because approximately 80% of DIY recipes start with busting out the double broiler to melt beeswax and oils together.

While we’re talking about melting ingredients, I recently discovered how much easier it is to just melt the ingredients in the glass container you plan to use. Put the container in a sauce pan with a couple of inches of water and warm it on low heat. Note: this only works with glass. Dorky me already melted a plastic container. :)

For a recipe like this, I recommend melting in a glass bowl in a makeshift double broiler and transfer to containers later. There are a lot of powders and essential oils to add and stir together, and that can get tricky with small jars.

When you’re ready to use the salve, apply it directly to the skin affected by a bug bite, sting or splinter. Yes, this stuff is still a bit messy so cover with Band-Aid or paper towel. Keep applying salve directly to skin every 12 hours until no longer needed.

Print 5 from 1 vote Activated Charcoal Salve Recipe Use Activated Charcoal to make a powerful salve to relieve bug bites and stings, and to even draw out splinters. Prep Time 5 mins Active Time 10 mins Drying time 2 hrs Total Time 2 hrs 15 mins Yield: 4 ounces Author: Stephanie Gerber Equipment Double broiler

4-ounce container with lid Materials 1/4 cup calendula-infused oil make your own or buy online

1/4 cup coconut oil

2 teaspoons beeswax pellets

3 teaspoons activated charcoal approximately 15 capsules

3 teaspoons Bentonite clay

10 drops lavender essential oil

10 drops tea tree essential oil Instructions Use a double broiler to melt the beeswax and oils together. Add the remainder of the ingredients together and stir.

Pour into a lidded container and let salve cool until it hardens. Keep in a in a cool, dark place.

To use the salve, apply directly to the bug bite, sting or splinter area. Cover with Band-Aid or paper towel.

Photos by Ana Stanciu