Spring on the Homestead:
The creation of Naturalis Lavender Salve
Spring is always an exciting time at Roxbury Homestead. Seeds are sprouting, fruit trees burst into bloom, and everything feels crisp, green, and alive. Lavender begins to flower — delicate buds in shades of purple, mauve, and even a hint of blue.
So what came first, the flowers or the bees? For us, it’s definitely the lavender. Yet both remind us of nature’s generosity: the bees gift us raw organic honey and wax, while the plants bring color, fragrance, food for pollinators, and a powerful herbal oil. As a homesteader, I couldn’t resist turning these natural treasures into something useful. But what?
As well as the wonderful things we can utilise from our bees, unfortunately a problem with lots of bees in the garden is that you will get stung occasionally. What is a natural relief for beestings? Lavender! And so, Naturalis Lavender Salve was born
The Lavender Story:
Not all lavender is created equal. At first, I planted French varieties — showy blooms with large buds and tassels, beautiful to look at and wonderfully fragrant. But when it comes to oil, English lavender is the true king. Less dramatic in appearance, but far richer in potency. The bees don’t mind the difference, but for salve-making, English lavender wins every time.
Harvest
At Roxbury Homestead, our current blend is about 60/40 French to English lavender. Over time, as more English plants mature, that ratio will shift toward even greater potency. Harvesting lavender is a lesson in patience. It’s tempting to snip flowers as soon as they appear, but stripping the plants too early robs pollinators of their feast. So I wait — until there’s a balance of mature blooms for the bees and younger buds for my herbal store.
Timing matters too. After a few dry days, once the morning dew has lifted, I head out with scissors. Only the freshest, clean buds are chosen, brimming with oil. They’re laid out in the sun to dry before dehydration. The scent is intoxicating, and even during preparation, my hands feel nourished by the natural oils.
The Infusion Process
Cold Infusion is gentle, slow, and hands-on. Dried and dehydrated lavender heads are placed in lidded jars, covered with oil, and set on sunny window-sills. Every couple of days, the jars are turned — like champagne bottles — until the oil is fully infused. Once strained, it’s ready to be used in our products at any time. We are utilising this same process for infusing calendula, plantain and comfrey oil for another exciting salve about to hit the website (watch this space!)
The Gift of beeswax
Our bees are tireless workers, transforming nectar and pollen into honey and wax. Did you know it takes the equivalent of eight teaspoons of honey to make just one teaspoon of beeswax? That makes it an incredibly precious resource — one we honour by using it carefully and never being wasteful.
At Roxbury Homestead, beeswax finds its way into soaps, lip balms, salves, and even practical products like our chopping board wax. For salves, we use the finest capping wax, washed and triple-rendered for purity. It locks in moisture, soothes skin, and adds stability to our formulations. We even usually have some left over which we sell in the eco-store in 24g bars so that our customers can make their own wonderful beeswax creations!
Healing Benefits of traditional Lavender Salve
- Calms nerves, eases stress, reduces inflammation, can be used topically as a sleeping aid
- Soothes eczema, burns, bites, scars, and rashes
- A natural alternative to chemical creams
Our salves are made in small batches, packed with the good stuff — and none of the bad. Currently, we infuse with grapeseed oil because it’s light, easily absorbed, and skin-friendly. But the beauty of small-batch crafting is the freedom to experiment, always seeking ways to make our products even better.
“Discover our Naturalis Lavender Salve — crafted with homestead lavender, pure beeswax and other skin- soothing goodies”
Shop with confidence — each jar carries the care of the homestead, the gifts of the bees, and the healing power of lavender.
Our 50ml and 30ml glass pots of lavender salve