So, as many of you that know me know, I do LOTS of other projects. From rebuilding a Volkswagen to making herbal teas. Well, here is the latest one. I am making a balm/salve for muscles and joints.
The idea is to make something stronger and better than Tiger Balm and others like it. I have been tinkering with it for a while. Here is the first steps. I had to make the base…
The most common base has either bees wax or petroleum. I didn’t want to use any animal products or petroleum (basically a by product of crude oil)… bleech!
I did some research and really tried many different things including almond oil, coconut oil, vegetable glycerin, different alcohols, and even trying to get some bees wax. I felt badly that I was taking from bees needlessly and so looked all over for alternatives.
Here is what I found. A really good wax called Candelila (which comes from a shrub) can be used in place of petroleum. It is a very hard wax though and has to be cut with something to give it a better feel and smoother texture. Also has to be somewhat easy to absorb into the skin without being irritating in any way. I got a hold of some Shea Butter which has great properties, is very stable and quite nice for and on the skin.
I had to experiment on what to do in regards to the amounts of each in the formula. I was looking for a similar texture to Tiger Balm or Siddhalepa (one I found in Sri Lanka).
Here was the process: I had to melt the candelila wax in a double boiler as to not burn the wax. I used a hot plate and an old pot I had for herb preparations I made.
The first picture of the table has all the ingredients I was working with. (I will post them in detail later) . I have the oil/wax mixture in the small Plexiglas ramekins I got at the local ‘chef’ store. I just had to keep mindful of which one was which. Once they all melted together I set them aside to cool and set. I had not added any of the active ingredients yet.
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As I was able to melt everything together I had to keep really good notes. I was able to find a great ratio of wax to Shea Butter and have it all set for the next step. Adding the chemicals and oils for the therapeutic effect.
So I had to come up with the labeling. What a chore that was. I was trying to get too much information on the little round 1.5″ labels. I ended up using Microsoft’s Paint application and was able to design the logo (The Blue Faced Bear) and the vital information. I found a printer that would get me the labels rather cheaply. I will post them in the next installment. But here is the new logo as well as a sample label.
I will be altering some of the info and also putting in a piece of paper explaining more about the product. Later I will be adding a couple different formulas to the mix. The end plan is to have three.
I will make an initial batch of about 50 and give them away for people to try and to rate.
So there you go.
Another project. Catch me for more later this month.
Dr. Sean
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