Melting Camphor (Tiger Balm)

[Fragola]

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.

 

[Mellifera]

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

 

[Fragola]

Have you also used camphor ?

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

 

[Mellifera]

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.