# Melting Camphor (Tiger Balm)



## Fragola (Apr 2, 2012)

From my research, Camphor has a mighty high melting temperature. 

Do I need to heat the composition that high, or will the camphor eventually dissolve at lower temperatures ?

Btw, I'm working towards a Tiger Balm version. Problem is that I am hoping to use common oils/butters, which I am not sure how would handle such high heat. 

If anybody has suggestions about choosing the fatty ingredients, that would also help. 

I try to avoid both using vaseline and the greasiness it creates. Thinking of a "lighter" salve, something more easily absorbed into the skin, maybe with a lighter oil, a butter and a little beeswax.


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## Mellifera (Apr 5, 2012)

A five to one oil to beeswax ratio makes a nice salve. I've used olive, castor, sweet almond, grapeseed, and so on.


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## Fragola (Apr 5, 2012)

Have you also used camphor ? 

I'm more curious about it's dissolving skills ...


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## Mellifera (Apr 5, 2012)

Sorry, no. I thought you were asking about a sub for vaseline, too. 

Camphor is soluble in water, not oil, though, and its melting point is almost 380F, so that could be a real issue. Beeswax will ignite at 400F, and that's dangerously high for a lot of oils. So... I'd be really careful.


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