My Tiger Balm knockoff - a flop? Maybe.

I'd been waiting for MONTHS to make this knockoff Tiger Balm recipe.  It took me For-Ever to get together all the essential oils and supplies needed for it.  But I finally did it.  I made it!  It smells just like real Tiger Balm too!

Why make it rather than just buy the real thing?  Because the real thing has petroleum in it.  Which is made from crude oil.  Yeah!  Let's rub that all over!  Woohoo!  ;)

There are a couple of small variations I made on the original recipe I linked above.  Mostly just different oils. I didn't have, nor did I intend to get, Emu oil or Andiroba Oil.  I also split the peppermint essential oil in half and used Cinnamon Bark for the other half.  Making this more like the Red Tiger Balm, rather than the White Tiger Balm.

Does it work?  Yeppers!  It sure does!  Hubby loved it on his sore back last night.  However, it irritated my skin.  I had tingling, burning, itching, red splotchy places on my arms and hands from rubbing it onto him.  So, for me, it's a no go.  The essential oils are probably just too powerful for my sensitive skin.  This recipe is approximately 50% essential oils.

Also, this is not a cost effective endeavor as I made it, unless you are REALLY wanting a petroleum free product.  I figured up the price per gram for each of the essential oils used and then multiplied that by the number of grams for each one used.  The essential oils alone cost me over $10.  That didn't take into consideration added shipping costs, the menthol crystals, nor the solid oils or beeswax I used.  Oh, nor the cost for the tins to put it in.

It made 2 - .8 ounce containers.  So, not even 2 ounces.  Which, you can purchase a 1.7 ounce container of Tiger Balm for just under $10 through the Frontier Co-op Wholesale group (if you have one local...which we do).

Finally, you COULD cut your costs a bit by using different, less expensive essential oils.  I order mine from Mountain Rose (see the little link on the side of my blog under Favorite Suppliers).  So, technically, subbing out the Cinnamon Bark alone for a much cheaper one from...say...Aura Cacia, purchased through Frontier would make it more cost effective.  But I used all Certified Organic Essential Oils from Mountain Rose.

So, for ME, this was a flop.  For my husband, it was GREAT!  And I COULD make it more cost effective. If I do make it again in the future, I definitely WOULD trade out the cinnamon bark for a cheaper brand.

Without further ado, a recipe for you.  :)

In a double broiler, melt together

10 grams of shea butter (or any other hard butter, like cocoa butter, etc)
10 grams of beeswax
6 grams of coconut oil
1 gram of sesame oil (vitamin e oil is good too, I just used sesame cause it's what I had and it's high in vit E content)

While it's melting together, weigh out your essential oils

5 grams Camphor
6 grams Cajuput
1 gram Clove Bud
4 grams of Cinnamon Bark
4 grams of Peppermint

Also, weigh out 4 grams of menthol crystals, or menthol essential oil.  Since Menthol Essential Oil is solid at room temp, crystals are an equal replacement here.

When your solid oils and beeswax are thoroughly melted, put in your menthol and let it melt as well.  Which, by the way, it will melt between 105 - 111 degrees.  So it doesn't need to be overly hot.

Once that's all melted together, take off the heat and pour in your essential oils and gently stir to incorporate. Then pour into your awaiting container.

It sets pretty quickly, so enjoy!  :)