Guest guest Posted September 5, 2010 Report Share Posted September 5, 2010 In my experience, this 10:1 ratio is very rough, and often of no use at all. It depends on so many factors: ambient temperature, for instance. If it's a hot summer, or you live in Greece (40 degrees every day last week...) then you need more wax. If it's bloody freezing, you need less. Certain oils will need more (or less) wax than others. I make a lot of ointment so I have devised a couple of tricks and tips. Originally, I did measure and weigh things out using the 10:1 ratio, but now, with experience, I tend to measure it by eye as a first step, then adjust as needed. Put some pudding spoons in the freezer, and have a packet of frozen peas handy too. Add the wax to the melted oil, but don't heat it too hot. It's better to let the wax melt slowly in very warm oil. Otherwise it takes forever to cool down. To test the consistency: Lay the packet of frozen peas on the counter. Now take the chilled spoons and lay them on the packet of peas. Take a teaspoonful of the oil-and-wax mix and dribble into one of the chilled spoons. As soon as it's set, test the consistency of your ointment. If you're not happy, add more wax, or more oil, and test again in another chilled spoon. Keep checking until you're happy. Then scrape all the tested ointment back into the melt-pan (waste-not-want-not!). Wipe any ointment off the pea packet and put it back in the freezer (sounds obvious but I have forgotten this step on many occasions, so worth noting!) Pour the ointment into your prepared jars, but not all the way to the top. Keep back some of the ointment in the pan. Cover the jars with a clean tea towel while they cool (I lay them all out on a tray, and then I can carry the whole tray to a quiet spot of the kitchen to cool). Once the ointment has cooled, some of the surfaces will be cracked or dimpled. Re-melt the retained ointment and pour it over the cracked surface of the cooled ointments to give a nice smooth surface. Bob's yer nuncle! > > >Hello All, > >I have a small amount of SJW infused oil (sunflower) and a lump of >beeswax and wish to make (a small amount) of ointment. I have as >guidance a 1:10 ratio wax:oil. Does this sound about right to you >experienced ointment makers - any other top tips gratefully received. > >Thanks >Ingrid > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 6, 2010 Report Share Posted September 6, 2010 ingrid wrote: > I have a small amount of SJW infused oil (sunflower) and a lump of beeswax > and wish to make (a small amount) of ointment. I have as guidance a 1:10 > ratio wax:oil. Does this sound about right to you experienced ointment > makers - any other top tips gratefully received. Go for 1:7 or 1:8. 1:10 will give you something not quite oil, not quite salve. (That's for up here. In hotter climates, perhaps 1:5 would be better.) H. -- Henriette Kress, AHG Helsinki, Finland Henriette's herbal homepage: http://www.henriettesherbal.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 6, 2010 Report Share Posted September 6, 2010 I do use a (rough) 1:10 and find it makes a nice soft easy to apply ointment (in Aberdeenshire if climate makes a lot of difference). In the past I've used lower ratios; 1:7 etc; and found it becomes too hard to use. In any case allow 48 hours to set before you know the final consistency. This is with grated " lumps " of beeswax from beekeepers not the beeswax pellets you can buy so perhaps they are processed in some way that makes them softer and therefore need more in the oil? a Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 6, 2010 Report Share Posted September 6, 2010 I use more wax in the summer and less in the winter..... it has been extremely hot here for 3 months - we have only now been able to open a window. J Fidler, MCPP, (RH) AHG Herbalist ________________________________ To: ukherbal-list Sent: Mon, September 6, 2010 2:29:40 AM Subject: Re: Ointment ratios ingrid wrote: > I have a small amount of SJW infused oil (sunflower) and a lump of beeswax > and wish to make (a small amount) of ointment. I have as guidance a 1:10 > ratio wax:oil. Does this sound about right to you experienced ointment > makers - any other top tips gratefully received. Go for 1:7 or 1:8. 1:10 will give you something not quite oil, not quite salve. (That's for up here. In hotter climates, perhaps 1:5 would be better.) H. -- Henriette Kress, AHG Helsinki, Finland Henriette's herbal homepage: http://www.henriettesherbal.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 6, 2010 Report Share Posted September 6, 2010 That sounds brilliant! What a difference pudding spoons and peas will make!!! Thank you. J Fidler, MCPP, (RH) AHG Herbalist ________________________________ To: ukherbal-list Sent: Sun, September 5, 2010 4:39:58 PM Subject: Re: Ointment ratios In my experience, this 10:1 ratio is very rough, and often of no use at all. It depends on so many factors: ambient temperature, for instance. If it's a hot summer, or you live in Greece (40 degrees every day last week...) then you need more wax. If it's bloody freezing, you need less. Certain oils will need more (or less) wax than others. I make a lot of ointment so I have devised a couple of tricks and tips. Originally, I did measure and weigh things out using the 10:1 ratio, but now, with experience, I tend to measure it by eye as a first step, then adjust as needed. Put some pudding spoons in the freezer, and have a packet of frozen peas handy too. Add the wax to the melted oil, but don't heat it too hot. It's better to let the wax melt slowly in very warm oil. Otherwise it takes forever to cool down. To test the consistency: Lay the packet of frozen peas on the counter. Now take the chilled spoons and lay them on the packet of peas. Take a teaspoonful of the oil-and-wax mix and dribble into one of the chilled spoons. As soon as it's set, test the consistency of your ointment. If you're not happy, add more wax, or more oil, and test again in another chilled spoon. Keep checking until you're happy. Then scrape all the tested ointment back into the melt-pan (waste-not-want-not!). Wipe any ointment off the pea packet and put it back in the freezer (sounds obvious but I have forgotten this step on many occasions, so worth noting!) Pour the ointment into your prepared jars, but not all the way to the top. Keep back some of the ointment in the pan. Cover the jars with a clean tea towel while they cool (I lay them all out on a tray, and then I can carry the whole tray to a quiet spot of the kitchen to cool). Once the ointment has cooled, some of the surfaces will be cracked or dimpled. Re-melt the retained ointment and pour it over the cracked surface of the cooled ointments to give a nice smooth surface. Bob's yer nuncle! > > >Hello All, > >I have a small amount of SJW infused oil (sunflower) and a lump of >beeswax and wish to make (a small amount) of ointment. I have as >guidance a 1:10 ratio wax:oil. Does this sound about right to you >experienced ointment makers - any other top tips gratefully received. > >Thanks >Ingrid > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 6, 2010 Report Share Posted September 6, 2010 I tend to use the same ratio all the time, as I find a wax and oil based ointment swiftly melts with body heat any time of the year, and it may be kept through the seasons by the patient before it needs replacing. What ointments are people making? Sally susan fidler wrote: > That sounds brilliant! What a difference pudding spoons and peas will make!!! > Thank you. > > J Fidler, MCPP, (RH) AHG > Herbalist > > > > > ________________________________ > > To: ukherbal-list > Sent: Sun, September 5, 2010 4:39:58 PM > Subject: Re: Ointment ratios > > > In my experience, this 10:1 ratio is very rough, and often of no use at all. > > It depends on so many factors: ambient temperature, for instance. > > If it's a hot summer, or you live in Greece (40 degrees every day > last week...) then you need more wax. > > If it's bloody freezing, you need less. > > Certain oils will need more (or less) wax than others. > > I make a lot of ointment so I have devised a couple of tricks and tips. > > Originally, I did measure and weigh things out using the 10:1 ratio, > but now, with experience, I tend to measure it by eye as a first > step, then adjust as needed. > > Put some pudding spoons in the freezer, and have a packet of frozen > peas handy too. > > Add the wax to the melted oil, but don't heat it too hot. It's better > to let the wax melt slowly in very warm oil. Otherwise it takes > forever to cool down. > > To test the consistency: > > Lay the packet of frozen peas on the counter. Now take the chilled > spoons and lay them on the packet of peas. > > Take a teaspoonful of the oil-and-wax mix and dribble into one of the > chilled spoons. As soon as it's set, test the consistency of your > ointment. If you're not happy, add more wax, or more oil, and test > again in another chilled spoon. Keep checking until you're happy. > > Then scrape all the tested ointment back into the melt-pan > (waste-not-want-not!). Wipe any ointment off the pea packet and put > it back in the freezer (sounds obvious but I have forgotten this step > on many occasions, so worth noting!) > > Pour the ointment into your prepared jars, but not all the way to the > top. Keep back some of the ointment in the pan. > > Cover the jars with a clean tea towel while they cool (I lay them all > out on a tray, and then I can carry the whole tray to a quiet spot of > the kitchen to cool). > > Once the ointment has cooled, some of the surfaces will be cracked or > dimpled. Re-melt the retained ointment and pour it over the cracked > surface of the cooled ointments to give a nice smooth surface. > > Bob's yer nuncle! > > >> Hello All, >> >> I have a small amount of SJW infused oil (sunflower) and a lump of >> beeswax and wish to make (a small amount) of ointment. I have as >> guidance a 1:10 ratio wax:oil. Does this sound about right to you >> experienced ointment makers - any other top tips gratefully received. >> >> Thanks >> Ingrid >> >> >> > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 6, 2010 Report Share Posted September 6, 2010 Lovely clear instructions, takes me back to when I made lots - especially the tea tray bit. Sally susan fidler wrote: > That sounds brilliant! What a difference pudding spoons and peas will make!!! > Thank you. > > J Fidler, MCPP, (RH) AHG > Herbalist > > > > > ________________________________ > > To: ukherbal-list > Sent: Sun, September 5, 2010 4:39:58 PM > Subject: Re: Ointment ratios > > > In my experience, this 10:1 ratio is very rough, and often of no use at all. > > It depends on so many factors: ambient temperature, for instance. > > If it's a hot summer, or you live in Greece (40 degrees every day > last week...) then you need more wax. > > If it's bloody freezing, you need less. > > Certain oils will need more (or less) wax than others. > > I make a lot of ointment so I have devised a couple of tricks and tips. > > Originally, I did measure and weigh things out using the 10:1 ratio, > but now, with experience, I tend to measure it by eye as a first > step, then adjust as needed. > > Put some pudding spoons in the freezer, and have a packet of frozen > peas handy too. > > Add the wax to the melted oil, but don't heat it too hot. It's better > to let the wax melt slowly in very warm oil. Otherwise it takes > forever to cool down. > > To test the consistency: > > Lay the packet of frozen peas on the counter. Now take the chilled > spoons and lay them on the packet of peas. > > Take a teaspoonful of the oil-and-wax mix and dribble into one of the > chilled spoons. As soon as it's set, test the consistency of your > ointment. If you're not happy, add more wax, or more oil, and test > again in another chilled spoon. Keep checking until you're happy. > > Then scrape all the tested ointment back into the melt-pan > (waste-not-want-not!). Wipe any ointment off the pea packet and put > it back in the freezer (sounds obvious but I have forgotten this step > on many occasions, so worth noting!) > > Pour the ointment into your prepared jars, but not all the way to the > top. Keep back some of the ointment in the pan. > > Cover the jars with a clean tea towel while they cool (I lay them all > out on a tray, and then I can carry the whole tray to a quiet spot of > the kitchen to cool). > > Once the ointment has cooled, some of the surfaces will be cracked or > dimpled. Re-melt the retained ointment and pour it over the cracked > surface of the cooled ointments to give a nice smooth surface. > > Bob's yer nuncle! > > >> Hello All, >> >> I have a small amount of SJW infused oil (sunflower) and a lump of >> beeswax and wish to make (a small amount) of ointment. I have as >> guidance a 1:10 ratio wax:oil. Does this sound about right to you >> experienced ointment makers - any other top tips gratefully received. >> >> Thanks >> Ingrid >> >> >> > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 7, 2010 Report Share Posted September 7, 2010 Many thanks for excellent advice - this list is invaluable for such expertise... Ingrid Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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