Dandelion Salve

Dandelion salve turns a jar of yellow blossoms into a soothing balm for dry, weather-worn skin. It’s a simple olive oil infusion thickened with beeswax, and it’s the salve I keep within arm’s reach all winter for chapped hands and cracked knuckles.

Every spring, dandelions show up like they own the place, and honestly, they kind of do. We joke that we’re basically dandelion farmers, because they take over our fields and gardens the minute the snow finally gives up. Around here, we harvest dandelion plants by the wheelbarrow full for dandelion tincture and all manner of dandelion recipes, because if you’re going to lose the war against them, you might as well put them to work.

Some years we’re making really ambitious things like dandelion wine or dandelion mead that takes months to come into its own. Other years I just want the simplest of the old-fashioned remedies, and dandelion salve is exactly that. A pint jar packed with blossoms, a bottle of olive oil, an ounce of beeswax, and a couple of days of patience. That’s the whole project.

Save this article!

Get this sent to your inbox, plus get new articles from me every week via my newsletter!

Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.

Email *

Title Post Post

Save

Notes from My Homestead

Dandelion salve became my go-to balm the year I finally accepted that Vermont winters are going to do what Vermont winters do to my hands. I split wood, I haul water out to the chickens, I wash dishes in a drafty kitchen, and by February my knuckles look like a topographic map. The dandelion salve doesn’t make me invincible, but it makes the difference between sore, cracked hands and skin that mostly holds together until mud season.

What I love about it now is how nothing about it is fancy. The dandelions are free, the olive oil is whatever’s in the pantry, and a single batch fills four or five tins, which means I always have one on the windowsill, one by the bed, one in the barn coat, and a couple to pass to a friend. By the time the next spring’s blooms come around, the jar of last year’s salve is mostly gone and I’m ready to make more.

What Dandelion Salve is Used For

Dandelions are medicinal, and they have a long history of use by Native American, European, and Asian herbalists. Many people consider dandelion a useful herb for skin care, protecting the skin, and easing conditions like eczema.

Research is limited, but there have been a few animal and test-tube studies that suggest herbalists and cosmetic companies are on to something. One study found that a dandelion extract increased the generation of new skin cells. Another study indicated that it can help reduce skin inflammation. These days, herbalists generally reach for dandelion salve for dry, chapped skin and sore muscles.

Dandelion salve is best thought of as a soothing, protective skin balm. The flowers are traditional in folk herbalism for calming irritated skin, and the oil infusion pairs nicely with beeswax, which forms a breathable barrier that helps slow moisture loss.

I reach for it most for:

• Dry skin and rough patches (hands, heels, knuckles, elbows)
• Post-garden muscles and skin that feel tight or overworked
• Windburn and general chapping

A note on what salve isn’t for: Don’t use this salve on deep cuts, punctures, serious burns, or infected skin. If you have ragweed allergies or very sensitive skin, patch test a small spot first.

Ingredients for Dandelion Salve

This is a three-ingredient salve. Each piece matters, but none of them are hard to source.

• Fresh dandelion flowers: Use just-opened blossoms picked on a dry, sunny day. Avoid older flowers that are starting to look ragged or going to seed. You’ll need enough to firmly pack a pint mason jar. The green sepals at the base of the flower can stay on for salve, even though they get peeled off for wine and jelly. They’re not bitter in an oil infusion, and they add to the medicinal value.
• Olive oil (or another neutral carrier): Olive is what I keep on hand for cooking and what I use for most of my salves. You can also use coconut, sweet almond, grapeseed, or jojoba. All of these are gentle on skin and don’t carry strong scents. See the herbal infused oil guide for more on choosing a carrier.
• Beeswax (pellets or grated from a block): Beeswax thickens the oil and gives the finished salve its solid texture. Pellets are easier to measure and melt, but a block of beeswax grated on a box grater works the same way. If you’d rather skip beeswax entirely, the vegan herbal salve recipe uses candelilla wax instead.

Equipment for Dandelion Salve

You don’t need much, and most of this is probably already in your kitchen.

• Pint mason jar to hold the flowers and oil during infusion
• A way to keep the jar warm at around 110 to 120°F for 24 to 48 hours (see the infusion section below for options like Instant Pot, dehydrator, or warm water bath)
• Fine mesh strainer plus a square of cheesecloth for straining the infused oil
• Small saucepan or double boiler for melting in the beeswax at the end
• Small kitchen scale for weighing beeswax (or use pre-measured 1 oz beeswax bars)
• 2 oz salve tins (or small upcycled glass jars or quarter-pint mason jars) for the finished salve

How to Make Dandelion Salve

Making dandelion salve takes about 30 minutes of hands-on time plus 24 to 48 hours of mostly hands-off infusion. There are three parts: prepare the flowers, infuse them into oil, then strain and combine with beeswax. For the foundational method behind any herbal salve, my guide to herbal healing salves covers it in more depth.

The technique I use here is the warm rapid infusion method. It’s the right choice for fresh plant material, because the warmth pulls the medicinal compounds into the oil quickly enough that the flowers don’t have time to spoil or go rancid. A traditional cold infusion takes three to six weeks, which works beautifully for dried herbs but is risky for fresh ones. If you want to use the cold method instead, dry the flowers first.

Harvesting and Preparing the Dandelions

Dandelions are edible and medicinal in every part, including roots, leaves, flowers, and seeds, but this salve recipe uses just the flowers. Pick fresh-looking blossoms that have just opened, and skip anything that’s wilted or past its prime. Use scissors or your fingers to pinch the flowers off right where the stem meets the bloom.

If you suspect any little bugs are hiding in the blossoms, lay them out on a clean towel for an hour or two so the bugs can crawl away on their own. I generally skip washing the flowers, because adding water to an oil infusion is asking for spoilage. If you really need to rinse them, pat them completely dry first.

You want enough dandelions to fill a pint mason jar when packed firmly. The flowers can go in whole, or you can chop them up a bit with scissors or a knife. Chopping increases the surface area and helps the oil infuse faster, but it’s optional.

Pack the jar to within about an inch of the top, then cover the flowers with your oil of choice. Leave just a bit of headspace at the top of the jar.

Infusing the Oil

The oil needs to be kept warm at around 110 to 120°F for 24 to 48 hours, kind of like homemade yogurt. There are a few different ways to pull this off, and the right one depends on what you already have in the kitchen.

The simplest method is to set the jar in a bowl of warm (but not hot) water and check the water every few hours, refreshing it as it cools to keep things warm. An Instant Pot on “yogurt mode” works well and is mostly hands-off. A dehydrator set to 115°F is even easier, since it holds temperature automatically and gives you the steadiest warmth of any method I’ve tried.

A slow cooker on its own is too hot. Even the “keep warm” setting runs at least 170°F, which will cook the flowers and weaken the finished salve. You can use a slow cooker as an insulator by filling it with warm water around the jar, but you’ll need to refresh that water periodically to hold the temperature. It works, but it isn’t set-and-forget.

However you’re holding the heat, the goal is the same: keep the jar in that 110 to 120°F window for 24 to 48 hours so the oil slowly pulls the medicinal compounds out of the flowers without ever actually cooking them. If the temperature creeps above about 140°F, you’ll lose potency.

Straining and Combining with Beeswax

When the infusion is finished, strain out the dandelion flowers. Set a fine mesh strainer over a clean jar or measuring cup, line it with a square of cheesecloth, and pour the warm oil through.

Squeeze the cheesecloth gently to get the last of the oil out. Compost the spent flowers.

Return the strained oil to a small saucepan, the top of a double boiler, or a heat-proof mason jar set into a pot of simmering water. Add the beeswax and stir constantly over low heat until the wax has melted completely and the mixture looks smooth and uniform. If you don’t have a scale and you’re using pellets, one ounce of beeswax is roughly one heaping tablespoon.

Pour the finished salve into your tins or small jars. Let them sit undisturbed for at least 30 minutes to set up before putting lids on or using.

Storage and Shelf Life

Store finished dandelion salve in a cool, dark, dry place. A pantry shelf, a medicine cabinet, or a bedside drawer all work well. It keeps its potency for about a year, and stays safe to use longer than that, though you may notice it starts to feel less effective. I aim to make only what my family can use in a year and make a fresh batch every spring.

If the salve ever smells rancid or shows any sign of mold, toss it. For longer shelf life, you can add a few drops of vitamin E oil when you stir in the beeswax. It acts as a natural antioxidant. If you make more salve than you can use, the small tins make excellent gifts.

Ways to Use Dandelions

Once you’ve made one dandelion preparation, the rest tend to follow. The same pint jar of blossoms that makes a salve can also become dandelion-infused oil for cooking and skin care, or dandelion jelly that tastes like spring honey on toast. If you’d rather work with the roots, there’s a whole world of medicinal dandelion uses to explore, and the roots make a wonderful tincture.

For longer projects, I keep coming back to dandelion wine and dandelion mead, both of which capture a few jars of spring sunshine for the dark months. And for everything else, the full 60+ dandelion recipes roundup covers the dandelion plant from blossom to root.

Dandelion Salve FAQs

Dandelion Recipes & Remedies

How to Make Dandelion Tincture

How to Make Dandelion Oil (& 7 Ways to Use It)

60+ Dandelion Recipes from Blossom to Root

5 from 3 votes

Servings: 4 Tins of Salve (2 oz. Each)

Dandelion Salve

By Ashley Adamant

A soothing dandelion salve for dry, chapped skin, made with olive oil infused with fresh dandelion blossoms and thickened with beeswax. Yields about 8 oz of finished salve, enough to fill four 2-oz tins. Keeps for about a year.

Prep: 1 day d

Cook: 15 minutes mins

Additional Time: 15 minutes mins

Total: 1 day d 30 minutes mins

Pin Rate Print

Save this recipe!

Get this sent to your inbox, plus get new articles from me every week via my newsletter!

Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.

Email *

Title Post Email

Save

Equipment

• Double Boiler
• Salve Tins
• Fine Mesh Strainer

Ingredients 

1x2x3x

• ▢ 2 cups dandelion flowers, firmly packed, just-opened blossoms
• ▢ 1 to 1 1/2 cups olive oil, enough to cover the blossoms in a jar. Can also use other oils, including coconut, sweet almond, jojoba, or grapeseed
• ▢ 1 ounce beeswax

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Instructions 

• Pack a pint mason jar firmly with fresh dandelion flowers, leaving about an inch of headspace at the top.
• Pour olive oil over the flowers until they’re covered, still leaving a small gap at the top of the jar.
• Keep the jar warm at 110 to 120°F for 24 to 48 hours. A dehydrator set to 115°F or an Instant Pot on yogurt mode is the most hands-off. A warm water bath in a bowl works if you refresh the water every few hours. Avoid a slow cooker as a direct heat source — even “keep warm” runs around 170°F and will cook the flowers.
• Strain the warm oil through a cheesecloth-lined fine mesh strainer into a clean heat-proof container. Squeeze the cheesecloth gently to release the last of the oil, then compost the spent flowers.
• Return the strained oil to a small saucepan or the top of a double boiler. Add the beeswax.
• Warm gently over low heat, stirring constantly, until the beeswax has melted completely and the mixture looks smooth.
• Pour the finished salve into 2 oz tins or small glass jars.
• Let the salve cool undisturbed for at least 30 minutes before putting lids on or using.

Notes

Yield ~ This recipe makes about 8 oz of finished salve, enough to fill four 2-oz tins.

Beeswax ratio ~ 1 oz beeswax per cup of infused oil produces a medium-firm salve that softens on contact with skin. Use about 3/4 oz per cup for a softer balm, or 1 1/4 oz per cup for a harder, stick-style salve. If the consistency comes out wrong, gently rewarm the salve and adjust before it sets.

Substituting oils ~ Olive oil is what I use most often. Coconut, sweet almond, jojoba, and grapeseed all work. Coconut produces a slightly firmer salve at room temperature; jojoba absorbs the fastest into skin. Avoid oils with strong scents that compete with the dandelion.

Infusion methods ~ Keep the jar at 110 to 120°F for 24 to 48 hours. The easiest hands-off options are a dehydrator set to 115°F or an Instant Pot on yogurt mode. A warm water bath in a bowl works if you refresh the water every few hours. A slow cooker can be used as an insulator with warm water around the jar, but never as a direct heat source, since even its “keep warm” setting runs around 170°F and will cook the flowers.

Shelf life ~ Stored in a cool, dark, dry place, this salve keeps its potency for about a year. A few drops of vitamin E oil stirred in with the beeswax can extend shelf life further. Discard any salve that smells rancid or shows mold.

For sensitive skin ~ Always patch test on a small area first, especially if you have ragweed or other Asteraceae family allergies.

Dandelion prep note ~ Unlike dandelion wine or jelly, you don’t need to peel the green sepals off the flowers for salve. The bitterness doesn’t matter in an oil infusion, and the sepals add to the medicinal value.

Vegan version ~ Substitute candelilla wax for beeswax. See the vegan herbal salve recipe for ratios.

What this salve isn’t for ~ Skip it on deep cuts, punctures, serious burns, or infected skin. For everyday dry skin, chapping, and rough patches, it’s perfect.

Like this? Leave a comment below!

Herbal Salve Recipes

Comfrey Salve Recipe (For Back Pain & Sore Muscles)

Calendula Salve

How to Make a Herbal Healing Salve