Unlike the human feet the animal paws aren’t spoiled by shoes. Despite this they sometimes need extra help with staying healthy especially when it comes to extreme weather. I make this protective paw salve for out dogs which is great especially in winter because it protects the paws from the very very low temperatures. However, it’s a good protection from hot roads as well and as a regenerating salve.
This paw salve is no science, you can make it at home even though you have to experience making cosmetics at home. I haven’t used any super exotic ingredients that are difficult to get. My goal was to make salve that is greasy, dense and sticks to the paws and I think I succeeded. It is also nutritive so I sometimes use it on the paws after a walk and after cleaning the paws.
Just like humans the animals can have allergies, too. I recommend trying the paw salve only on a small part of one paw although generally there are no irritative ingredients that dogs would normally be allergic to.
Also, check out more of my cosmetics recipes, I have a whole bunch of them!
Supplies:
- 20 g/0.7 oz of coconut oil – I have infused it with dandelions so the salve has the healing power of this plant
- 20 g/0.7 oz of shea butter
- 10 g/0.4 oz of sheep lanoline
- 8 g/0.3 oz of of beeswax
- salve container
- heatproof container
Protective Paw Salve – tutorial
Weight the ingredients and put them in a heatproof container. Put the container in a pot with water and heat the water. This way the ingredients will melt in the water bath. Watch that the water doesn’t enter the container with the ingredients.
Stir when melted and pour the salve into the salve container.
Storing and Shelf Life
Store the paw salve in a cold place. If you keep it in your fridge you’ll have to take it out some time before using because it will need to soften a little.
The expiration date of your ingredients (especially of the one with the shortest expiration date) is the expiration date of your salve. Even if the shell life if my ingredients is long I prefer to make small batches which I use up fast.
