Pine tar salve/lotion?

[Mockingbird Ramble]

has anyone experimented with pine tar in leave on products? Pine tar is on my go to list for scrapes and roap burns on my horses, that and lanonin creams. I love how my hands fel after doctoring, even after washing a few times.

I have been using lanolin in a few of the lotion bars I made and like that, but has anyone put pine tar in lotion bars or made salves with it?

Any tips or thoughts?

 

[AngelMomma]

For people or animals? I bet a calendula salve would benefit from a dab of pine tar. I make and use a calendula salve/balm all the time. On scrapes or just when my skin is dry. It works so good and is super duper simple to make.

I am rambling. To answer your question.......No, I have never tried it. But now I am going to! Lol! I just picked up some more little containers at the dollar store last night, so perfect time.

 

[Mockingbird Ramble]

For people, I use corona ointment on the horses and it is 30% lanolin. I think I am going to do a small test batch of lotion bar, start with like 5 % pine tar and remelt and add more if I like it, until I stop liking it.

 

[heartsong]

hi there! many moons ago I posted a lotion bar with pine tar, but i'm foxed if I can find it! for a balm you can pour in a tin:

this makes 100 grm:

25 grm natural beeswax (25%)
60 grm organic coconut oil (60%)
15 grm pinetar (15%)

you can tinker around all you want...if you increase the pinetar, then reduce the coconut oil...my favorite now is using BA's awesome lipbalm base & add pinetar to that for a softer salve-like balm...hth!
http://www.bulkapothecary.com/lip-balm/unscented-all-natural-lip-balm-base/

 

[Mockingbird Ramble]

Awesome heartsong, have you ever added Shea or avacado butter?

I think I am looking for more of a lotion then a leave on balm, something that will absorb pretty quick.

 

[DeeAnna]

I'm not too sure how well the pine tar will play with your idea of an absorbent type of lotion, just from playing around with a dab of it on my hands when I made pine tar soap. I might offset it with fractionated coconut, jojoba, almond, or other light oil if the goal is a lighter "dry" feeling lotion, rather than a heavy cream or salve. The shea or avocado butter will make the lotion more greasy and thicker.

I did find a few vague references to pine tar salve or lotion and was seeing percentages of pine tar similar to what is used for soap -- anywhere from 10% to 20% of the total oil-phase. Nothing really concrete to share, unfortunately.

On a related note, I took the plunge today and ordered some "Stockholm" pine tar -- the pine tar that is actually made in Sweden. It comes in "light" and "dark". I ordered the light, which is recommended for above-ground wood treatment, use on horses, etc. The dark is for below-ground wood treatment and other purposes where rot resistance is important. (No recommendation for soap or other products for use on humans, unfortunately.) I thought humans might be more like horses than like posts buried in the ground.

I get the impression that the Swedish product is thicker and more piney smelling than the "burnt rubber" smelling Bickmore product I have been using, and that would be a lovely improvement. It's considerably more expensive than Bickmore, but I'm looking forward to seeing the difference. What exactly I'm going to do with a whole 3 liters of the stuff, I'm not quite sure -- perhaps I shall become the crazy pine tar soap-and-lotion lady of northeast Iowa?!?

Oh, and Angel Momma, I use calendula infused sunflower in a lip balm aka lotion bar. Like you, I really like the calendula. This past winter was the first time in years that I have not had dry-itchy skin, and I really do credit the calendula for that.

Even my normally macho strong silent type of brother told me he really likes the calendula-based lip balm I gave him. For him to give that kind of praise is pretty amazing. Guess what he's getting for this coming winter season!

I think I'd avoid pine tar in a lip balm -- the odor is so strong and I'm not sure I want to ingest pine tar. But Mockingbird's idea of pine tar in a salve or lotion for general skin use is intriguing.

 

[Mockingbird Ramble]

I love the smell of pine tar, I must be a freak.

Anyway I did a very very small test of pine tar with equal parts lanolin. A third part beeswax and a third part shea butter with a bit of jojoba oil for shiggles.

This will be a healing salve I think more then a lotion... we shall see once it sets up.

 

[Kasha77]

how would you store a pine tar salve, in glass or a tin?

 

[DeeAnna]

I'm the only one still around who participated in this 2013 thread, so I'll take a stab at answering.

Pine tar is sold in metal cans, so metal should be fine. I don't care for putting products in glass due to the breakage issue, but I'm sure glass would also be fine. A plastic container -- polyethylene, polypropylene, or PET -- would work too.

 

[Kasha77]

That makes sense! Thanks so much!