Green Tea Hand Salve

We first spied this soothing salve on the crafty Design Sponge site before adding our own Imbibe-y twist.

1 1/2 cups olive oil
1 1/2 cups shea butter
1 1/2 cups beeswax
1/4 cup dried, loose leaf green tea
20-30 drops of essential oil like lavender or bergamot (optional)
Tools: saucepan, fine mesh strainer, large box grater, wooden spoon or spatula

In a medium saucepan, combine olive oil with green tea and gently heat over medium heat for 20 minutes. Remove from heat, let cool to room temperature and strain out tea leaves. Grate beeswax on the large holes of a box grater and add to saucepan. In a microwave, melt shea butter until liquid, 1-2 minutes. Add to saucepan and set over medium to medium-high heat constantly stirring until all beeswax has melted. Add essential oil, if using, and pour into small jars (we used 10 of these). Let set overnight, until firm.