Winter may be over, but I'm still suffering from dry skin. I'm taking Glow by Nature Made supplements daily, which is helping, but my heels and cuticles are extremely dry. If I skip just one day of using a lotion on my hands or feet, I get set back days in skin healing.

I wanted to make a dandelion salve recipe for a few years now, but I never had the time while the dandelions were growing rapidly. Honestly, I just liked the idea of using something that people think of as a weed in to something useful. This year, my daughter and I heard the tractor start, so we ran outside with a basket to get some dandelions before they got mowed off. We picked about 4 cups of dandelions heads that I infused to make this recipe.

Dandelion Salve Recipe for Dry, Cracked Skin

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When I started researching the benefits of dandelions for the skin, I discovered that they are wonderful for dry and irritated skin. That's when I decided to create a recipe just for dry, cracked skin, especially feet and cuticles.

What You Need

1 ounce beeswax
1 ounce cocoa butter
2 ounces dandelion infused safflower oil
3 ounces coconut oil
1 teaspoon vitamin E oil
2-4 drops chamomile essential oil

Infuse the Oil

The first step is to infuse the dandelions. You can learn more about how to infuse oils with herbs here.

Since the dandelions were fresh, I laid them on a cookie sheet to dry out for a few days. You don't want any water in the oil or the oil and recipe could start to get moldy or grow bacteria. I let the dandelions sit in the oil for just under two weeks, shaking the jar each day. Unless your dandelions are 100 percent free of any water content, I would say 2 weeks is the longest you should go until you strain them out.

The easiest way that I've found to strain infused oils is to use a triple layer of cheesecloth on top of a jar. I push the cheesecloth down a little bit to make an indentation and secure it with a canning ring. When you pour it all though, squeeze the oil out of the cheesecloth and toss it.

I infused my dandelions in safflower oil, but you could use another carrier oil. I used safflower because it helps trap moisture to your skin, which I wanted for dry, cracked skin.

After you infused the oil and strained it, it will be a beautiful golden color. I made more than I needed, so I'll label it and add it to my stash of oils.

Making the Salve

Since this recipe has beeswax and cocoa butter, both of which take longer to melt, I used a double boiler. I made a makeshift one out of a 2 cup Pyrex measuring cup and a saucepan. I use a canning ring to keep the cup off the burner. Never set a cup of oils on direct heat.

Add the beeswax, cocoa butter, infused oil, and coconut oil to the double boiler. Let heat until completely melted. Remove from heat and add the vitamin E oil and essential oil. Stir and pour in to a heat safe container.

I ended up making just under two cups of salve. You could use a mason jar, but I used this little tin I picked up at a local store. This recipe would also be great in a push up tube or even a lip balm tube for your cuticles.

If you like this dandelion salve recipe, then you'll love these recipes: