Homemade Anti-Bacterial Ointment

There are just times in your life and in your day when things go sideways and you find you need a bit of medical attention. For all of those little scrapes, nicks, and skint places, we most always reach for our homemade anti-bacterial ointment. If you have kids, pets, a bike or skates, a garden, a farm, a rose bush, or a cactus you will find times where you need that anti-bacterial ointment. If you are or have a mechanic in the family, you know what I mean, busted knuckles and skint elbow. You could go to the store and buy that tube of stuff but why not make your own. Making homemade anti-bacterial ointment is fairly easy, in-expensive and you will likely have most of what you need on hand.

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You will need:

1/2 Cup Coconut Oil

1 Tablespoon Almond Oil

3 Tablespoons Beeswax pellets or shredded from a block (pellets are much easier to measure and work with)

1 Tablespoon Witch Hazel

10 to 15 drops of Lavender Oil

10 to 15 drops of Tea Tree Oil

10 to 15 drops of Lemongrass Oil

container a jar or tin approx 4oz or you can use more than one smaller container

Measure out your almond oil and put it in a glass container. Glass makes clean up easier at the end.

Measure your coconut oil, we used the solid but you can use the liquid. Add the coconut oil to the almond oil.

Grate the beeswax, if it is in a block, or add the pellets, if you have wax pellets, to the oil mix.

Put the mix in a pan on the stovetop, over low heat. A double boiler is best if you have one. Make sure to allow your ingredients to completely melt, stirring gently. You can microwave to melt but be sure to watch carefully. Do not let it overheat, boil over or bubble out of the pot. You will need to microwave short times and stir in between. It should be noted that it is faster and easier to heat on the stovetop than in the microwave.

Stir in the witch hazel.

Add Lavender, Tea Tree, and Lemongrass essential oils and stir well.

You can use other essential oils if you like but these were chosen for their anti-bacterial properties. Other essential oils also have anti-bacterial properties if you want to substitute for one or more of these. Be sure you have oils that are also anti-bacterial. Of course, always be sure to use high-quality oils. We use StarWest as our go-to for essential oils and herbs.

You can add herbs if you use them, fresh or dry will work. Stir to mix well and allow the herbs to steep for a few minutes. We did not use fresh or dried herbs, we only used essential oils for our ointment.

Once you have all ingredients melted and well mixed, turn off the heat and let cool a bit. Keep stirring until cool enough to handle.

Using a hand mixer, blend until creamy and smooth. Take note, use a container that is tall enough to keep your mixture in when you use the blender. Our first attempt we a mess as the bowl was too short and the mixture was slung everywhere.

The mixture will cool and turn solid quickly so be sure to work quickly. It usually takes about 15 mins for it to cool enough to cream.

Pour into your container to completely cool. Be careful when handling the hot liquid. Once it is totally cool, it will be a more solid form, not the soft, cream it started off as.

Once completely cool, put the top on and store it.

Once the mixture has cooled, it will be stuck onto your mixer, tools, and pan. Either you can wash as you go, which we normally do, or you can use vinegar and hot water to help clean off the wax and oils.

To use, just apply a bit to your finger and rub across the area where it is needed. A little bit will do, you will not need to overdo it. This recipe will last a good while. The ointment will last longer if you keep it in the fridge. The ointment will get harder in the fridge and it will take a bit of warming up when you want to use it so keep that in mind.

You have made your own homemade anti-bacterial ointment. You can keep it on hand for all the little nicks, cuts, bruises, and boo-boos that occur around the place. We have those fairly frequently on our farm. This ointment is good for bug bites, skint knees, busted knuckles, and anything else that can happen around the house, and that is quite a lot. If you are a very clumsy crew, you can easily double this recipe for larger batches. This is, of course, not to be used on large or open wounds that may need actual medical attention.

You can have the kids help with the measuring and if you need to grate the wax from a block. Make sure to be careful with the stove and hot liquids. The kids may like to see exactly what is in the ointment you use on them and how it is made.

You will get skin conditioning and softening from the coconut and almond oils. No one likes dry, tight skin around a cut or scrape that will pull and sting. The witch hazel and essential oils will give you the anti-bacterial properties to keep infection out of your boo-boo. And the wax will hold it all together. This recipe gives you a firm ointment and a nice, natural scent, not like that sticky stuff that comes from a tube at the store. I was never sure what that store-bought stuff smell was called, nor why that it has to be so gooey.

If you have picky kids, they will like this homemade ointment far more than the sticky, gooey, smelly stuff you have been using from the store.

We hope you have enjoyed this recipe and we do hope you will try it out for yourself. This is just one small step towards a more self-sufficient house and more environmentally friendly life.

Thank you for visiting and please come again for another edition or Out Standing in the Field.