Homemade Doggie Paw Balm

The other day, OH informed me that we'd run out of Doggie Paw Balm.  We tend to treat our dog's paws with it in the winter, as the wet and cold causes them to crack and get sore.

As a new pet shop had just opened on our high street, which I've been hoping for for a while, I thought I'd pop in on my dog walk the other morning and see if they had some.

As OH bought the last lot online, I wasn't sure how much it cost, I was thinking perhaps £5, but when I did see the price of the one in the pet shop, although it looked a big jar and good quality, I just couldn't bring myself to spend so much on it. (It was quite a lot more than my estimate!)  I decided instead that I'd look for a recipe online and make some.

As I carried on with my dog walk, I googled a recipe on my phone and to my delight I already had all the ingredients in my cupboard.  As soon as I got home I set to making it and within a few minutes I had several small pots of it ready to use. Here's the recipe I used:

(I checked this out on several different web sites and checked items for sale on Etsy and eBay, and most have the same or similar ingredients, so I'm 99% sure that this will be a safe recipe)

2tsp Organic Shea butter
2tsp Organic Coconut Oil
4tsp Beeswax Pellets
1tsp Sweet Almond Oil
1tsp Vitamin E Oil

I actually halved the ingredients for this recipe and then all of the ingredients were melted in a bain marie, before pouring them into small pots.  I'd just bought some pots on eBay in order to make my Peppermint Lip Balm for Christmas gifts. Here's the finished result:

Apparently, you can add Lavender essential oil to the mix, but I did read somewhere that you need to use therapeutic grade and mine is a cosmetic grade, so I didn't bother.

I tried it out on the dog.  She seemed to enjoy being pampered a little once she got used to it. She had no adverse reaction whatsoever and didn't even attempt to lick it off, so I will be using this regularly throughout the winter. I may even make a pot for some friends who have a dog. The best bit is finding a new and interesting way to use some of my stash of natural ingredients.