Adventures in Apothecary, Part 2

Tiger Balm is great stuff. I love the way it smells. As a derby girl, I often have sore muscles, and Tiger Balm is my go-to sore muscle rub. But its base is the dreaded petroleum jelly. Yuck! It also comes in an obnoxiously tiny jar, making it difficult to use.

I found a recipe for homemade Tiger Balm! I had to invest in some essential oils I didn't already have (camphor, eucalyptus, cinnamon and clove), and I found some 4-ounce mason jars at Target that turn out to be the perfect size to hold one batch of this recipe. Score!

I decided to use olive oil as the carrier oil, mainly because I had it on hand and it doesn't smell like coconut.

I used my microwave to melt the beeswax. Next time, I think I will try a double boiler (or a makeshift double boiler, at least), as the recipe suggests. My balm isn't as fragrant as I would like, and I suspect that's because the wax was too hot when I added the essential oils. (It smells stronger now that it has cooled.)

The balm is also firmer than I would like, now that it's cooled. Its consistency would be great for a stick, but for a product that I want to scoop out of a jar with my fingers, it's too hard. Next time, a little more oil.