Cayenne Salve —Heat Rub
Make this cayenne salve for pain relief. It’s like a heat pack in a jar!

A cayenne salve is not subtle! It’s fiery!
When you apply it on, you quickly start to feel its effect… prickly tingles on your skin, a warmth building up in your tissues, and ultimately a release of tension and pain.
Cayenne salves have long been used for all sorts of body pain —from sciatica, to lower back aches, post-surgery pain, muscle aches, headaches, menstrual cramps and arthritic pain (ref)
How does it work?
Cayenne works in several ways —it has antispasmodic properties that helps to relieve cramping. It’s anti-inflammatory and a circulatory stimulant —bringing blood to surface area and helping to release tension.
But what sets it apart from other herbs used topically for pain relief —is its specific effect on the nerves.
Cayenne works directly on the area where it’s applied —it desensitize the nerves, and reduces pain signals from reaching the brain. (Ref)
The active, pain-relieving compound is called capsaicin.
It’s an oil-soluble compound, which is why it works so well in an oil-based preparation, like a salve.
Capsaicin is what gives chili peppers its spiciness… the spicier the pepper, the more capsaicin it contains.
The most common pepper that’s used for making pain salves is Cayenne pepper, capsicum annum.
My intention was to get fresh cayenne peppers, and dehydrate them at home. When I can, I love starting with fresh ingredients and dehydrating them myself.
But, interestingly, I wasn’t able to find fresh cayenne peppers in supermarkets. There’s a lot of jalapeño, habanero, poblano… all with varying degrees of heat… but no cayenne.
So, I ended up buying cayenne powder to make this salve (which is what most people use) and it works perfectly well.
I also bought a packet of Carolina Cayenne seeds so that I can grow my own to harvest and dehydrate for next time.
Can you add other ingredients?
I see a lot of salves made with cayenne + ginger and/or turmeric… adding more anti-inflammatory, warming properties. For me, cayenne alone is pretty powerful —so for my salve, I decided to keep it simple. But you can definitely experiment and see what works best for you.
You can also add menthol crystals to get an immediate icy+heat effect. Menthol crystals are usually added at 2% in topical formulations. But if you look at the ingredients in Tiger Balm, they use 10% and I’ve read accounts from people who find it more effective at that higher range.
And of course, you can definitely add essential oils. Common oils used for pain are Sweet Marjoram, Frankincense, Rosemary… Personally, to compliment he heatiness of cayenne, I would combine peppermint essential + lavender essential oil for their soothing, cooling effect.. Peppermint has menthol, and lavender is often used for headaches This brand of essential oil is reputable and good.
How do you use it?
Carefully! Cayenne salves are spicy and bright orange. You don’t wan to apply it over sensitive areas, or get it on your white bed sheets. Wash your hands after application.
Cayenne salves give you an immediate sensory experience of deep warmth, which feels really good. And with continued use, you may start to feel its pain-reduction effects.
Apply it directly over the area that hurts, 4x per day for 2-4 weeks.
Especially if you’re treating chronic pain you’ll want to use it consistently “to achieve significant benefit” (ref) in pain reduction.
And as far as the oil, my oil of choice right now is Avocado oil. It’s a neutral oil in terms of aroma. And I love the way it feels on the skin, it soaks in nicely and leaves a velvety-soft finish.
Let me know, have you tried a cayenne salve? For me, it feels like putting on a heat pack. I love it and I hope you do too.
Cayenne Salve – Heat Rub
Let’s make a 100g sample-size and see how it works for you!
Ingredients
- 20g | 2 tbsp Cayenne Powder
- 100g | 1/2 cup Avocado Oil
- 20g | Beeswax pellets
- 118ml | 4 oz Salve container
Process
Step 1: Infuse Cayenne Powder into Oil
- Add 20 grams cayenne powder and 100 grams avocado oil into a glass mason jar. Stir well to combine.
- Close the lid and place the jar in your box dehydrator, and set to 110° for 72 hours (This is my favorite method for infusing —use your preferred method)
- Once the infusion is done, strain out the cayenne powder. I find it’s easy using a fine mesh strainer. This is the one I use.
- Cayenne-infused oil will keep for 1 year stored in a dark, dry space. The recipe below makes a 2 oz jar of salve —you’ll have some left over cayenne oil, to make more salves with (or to cook with!)
Step 2: Make the Salve
75g | 75% Cayenne-infused avocado oil
25g | 25% Beeswax
- Heat up a pot of water to simmering. Place a heat-proof bowl in the water, careful to not let water get into the bowl.
- Add the beeswax to the bowl. As soon as it melts, pour in the avocado oil and stir until everything is fully melted and well combined.
- Remove the bowl from the water, and wipe down the sides and bottom with a towel to make sure no water-droplets gets into your salve as you pour.
- Pour the melted salve into a 4 oz container (or several smaller one)
- Leave it on the counter to cool, with the lid off (to make sure no condensation builds up inside)
Notes:
- If the salve comes out too hard/firm for your liking —you can remelt the whole thing, add a little more oil and reset.
- If you’re adding essential oils —only add them in after you’ve removed the bowl from the heat. Essential oils are very sensitive to heat. Let the salve cool slightly, continually stirring and then add in the essential oils.
- If you’re adding menthol crystals —melt them in with the beeswax.
- If the % and ratios don’t yet make sense to you, if you’re new into making herbal skincare —sign up for my newsletter. I’ll share upcoming classes, where we can where we can go deeper into the world of making herbal skincare.