4 tablespoons olive or almond oil

4 tablespoons beeswax

3 teaspoons cocoa butter

2 teaspoon lanolin

1 teaspoon coconut oil

15 drops lavender essential oil

Combine the olive or almond oil, beeswax, cocoa butter and lanolin.

Heat this mixture in the top of a double boiler, stirring constantly.

When the mixture is melted, remove the top pan from the heat and add the coconut oil and lavender essential oil. Stir the mixture briskly.

It will begin to thicken as it cools. Once the salve is thick enough to suit you, pour it into the glass jars that were prepared ahead of time.

Leave the jar sit overnight, uncovered so the salve can cool.

The next day, put a lid on the jar, label it with the name of the salve, the ingredients in the salve and the date.

This can be stored at room temperature for up to a year. If the salve begins to smell rancid, toss it and make a new batch.

Cayenne pepper salve is used to help relieve the pain of sore muscles. As with any home remedy, if the problem is serious or persists, a licensed physician should be consulted.

Before making any herbal salve recipes, prepare a clean glass jar ahead of time as well as a lid. A four ounce canning jar works great for this recipe as it is written.

Collect the needed ingredients which are 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil, cayenne pepper, beeswax and cacao butter. The beeswax and cacao butter are used to thicken the salve, otherwise it will be quite runny.

Begin by warming the olive oil in a stainless steel pan. Stir in ¼ teaspoon of finely ground cayenne pepper and continue cooking, stirring constantly, until the cayenne pepper is dissolved.

Remove the pan from the heat source and add in about an ounce of beeswax and an ounce of cacao butter. Stir until melted. You may need to put the mixture back on the heat source if the beeswax and cacao butter does not easily melt.

Stir continually as the mixture melts. You will notice it getting thicker. Continue adding cacao butter or beeswax until the mixture is the desired consistency. It does not take a lot to thicken herbal salve recipes.

Once the herbal salve recipes are thick enough to suit you, pour it into the glass jars that were prepared ahead of time. Leave the jar sit overnight, uncovered so the salve can cool.

The next day, put a lid on the jar, label it with the name of the herbal salve recipes, the ingredients in the salve and the date. This can be stored at room temperature. A little of this salve goes a long way. It is warming when it goes on the skin so begin by using just a touch of the salve.