Menthol Chest Balm

by Johanice De Jesus
Student: CMH, MH & TND programs

Have you ever looked at the ingredients in those store-bought menthol chest rubs?

When you are congested, with cloudy eyes and you feel like your body is going to fall apart, it does not even cross your mind to read the ingredients, but I warn you, you will not like to discover what you have just rubbed on your chest. Commercial chest balms contain a mixture of derivatives that one would not expect. Although it will give some relief to the respiratory tract, you have just made an innocent, but serious mistake that can have serious consequences on your health.

Classic over-the-counter chest rubs generally have less than 10 percent herbal ingredients and are about 90 percent petroleum jelly in gel or cream form, which is usually combined with turpentine. When petroleum jelly is not properly or completely refined, as is sometimes the case in the U.S., it may be contaminated with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), which are known carcinogens, especially when used for an extended period of time.

Fortunately, there are excellent natural and organic respiratory chest rubs that you can make right at home that will offer sincere and safe relief for your health and the health of your entire family (especially for the little ones!) with all the benefits of herbs and without carcinogenic ingredients. . . such as those found in: Vaseline, or other P.A.H.S. pollutants.

So, allow me to share some information with you since the cold and flu season is upon us and we turn to products such as these in search of relief. If this is the case, be sure to always seek a natural response and use the opportunity to develop your trustworthy herbal passion.

Let’s Get Started!

Gather the following ingredients to create your respiratory remedy:

Ingredients:

Bees Wax – 40 grams
Menthol Crystals – 30 grams
Grape Seed Oil – 10 oz.
Eucalyptus Leaves – 3 oz.
Mint Leaves – 3 oz.
Rosemary – 3 oz.
Vitamin E – 1 Tsp

*At the end add 5 drops each of Rosemary, Lavender and Eucalyptus essential oils.

STEP #1 ~

Place the following ingredients into a glass mason jar.

10 oz. Grape Seed Oil
3 oz. Eucalyptus Leaves
3 oz. Rosemary
3 oz. Mint Leaves

STEP #2 ~

Put the jar into a bain-marie water bath for 4 hours on a low temperature. During the maceration time, occasionally stir using a wooden utensil.

STEP #3 ~

When the maceration process in the water bath is finished, proceed to strain the oil to remove the herbs. For this, use:

Clean Glass Bowl
Strainer

During the casting process be carful to not to let any particular herbs pass into the oil.

*At this point the oil has a spectacular smell! This is an indication that everything is going well, and the extraction of the herbal properties that was expected in this process, has occurred.

Such a Heavenly Aroma!!

STEP #4 ~

Once the oil is completely strained, place the glass container in the warm water of the bain-marie and add the beeswax. Use 40 grams of beeswax.

Next, using a wooden utensil, stir the beeswax so that it melts quickly. , taking advantage of the heat that the water conserves where we carry out the maceration process.

STEP #5 ~

Once the beeswax is melted, remove the glass container with the oil from the warm water and proceed to add the rest of the ingredients.

Adding the Remaining Ingredients…

STEP #6 ~

First add the menthol crystals (approximately 30 grams). Allow them to dissolve in their entirety.

STEP #7 ~

Next, check the temperature of the oil before adding the rest of the ingredients that make up this balm.

When the temperature drops to approximately 130 degrees F, continue.

STEP #8 ~

Then add the small teaspoon of Vitamin E. This ingredient protects all of the ingredients in the balm. Since the recipe is oil-based, Vitamin E acts as a preservative for the product.

STEP #9 ~

Now add 5 drops each of rosemary, eucalyptus and lavender essential oils. Then stir well to incorporate.

Now the balm is complete! I am super-excited to see the finished product. The aroma of this balm blend has blown me away. We are all eager to know how it will look and to sample it.

Decant the Product

The next step is to place our balsam mixture in the containers previously sterilized with alcohol.

This time I decided upon a beautiful 4-ounce glass container in blue to protect the final product very well.

Finally, while the balsam mixture is still warm enough to pour easily, pour it into the containers, then wait for it to harden. Once hardened, I will verify that the consistency is as I expect – a firm but creamy consistency.

I waited about one hour to make sure it was completely hardened. When it was completely cooled, it was time to complete the packaging process.

I am very happy with the packaging that I selected since it brings additional protection to the product that, in addition to looking very good, will offer security to the consumer.

My product is finally packed! Now with help from the canvas program, I am able to create beautiful labels for my product.

This is the information that I included:

Product name
Product weight and quantity
Product ingredients
Description and usage suggestions

Well, I won’t make them wait any longer. This is the result and I love it, and my whole family does too!

I really enjoyed this project and must say that In the end I am very satisfied. I tried as much as possible within my knowledge to take care of the details, but I know that there is a lot to learn and I am very eager to do so. I find it to be very exciting, the idea of having the ability to create something that is for the well-being of others and that helps them to live better and in a more natural way. Thank you for the opportunity to be part of this beautiful race.

Let’s Get Started!