Healing balm

Unlike conventional lotions that are mostly water and full of toxic preservatives, this healing balm is made with ingredients you can pronounce. There are no added fragrances, though the source of the beeswax processed it with fire, so there’s a very, very minor smell from that. (As soon as I’ve got beehives that are established enough for me to harvest from them, I’ll use my own treatment-free beeswax.) More detailed information about each ingredient is available below and the exact ingredients used in each balm are listed on the ingredients tab.

Both balms make a marvelous, all-natural replacement for petroleum jelly and work well on dry or irritated skin (e.g., eczema, heat rash, diaper rash).

Crafted by hand in small batches. The larger size comes in a reusable glass jar with a BPA-free plastic lid, and the smaller in a tin with a screw-on top that’s the perfect size to take with you everywhere. The glass jar holds slightly more than double the amount of balm as the tin.

Skin is your largest organ. Do you know what you’re putting on it?

Beeswax

Beeswax provides emollient (soothing and skin-softening), healing, and protective properties, as well as creating a solid base for the balm. It was used worldwide for centuries for just those reasons, until it was replaced with petroleum by-products.

I use treatment-free beeswax, meaning the bees aren’t treated with chemicals for any reason, which ensures that there are at least no added toxins stored in the wax. It’s not possible to find organic beeswax in the US, since beekeepers can’t control where the bees pollinate, and therefore have no idea what environmental toxicants they’ve been exposed to and that remain in the wax. (If someone tells you they’ve got organic beeswax, be very, very skeptical.)

Calendula

Calendula is a powerful vulnerary (used for the treatment of wounds), antiseptic, anti-inflammatory, and a mild astringent. It is used worldwide, both internally and externally, to treat (among many other things): bruises, burns, cramps, diarrhea, eczema, fevers, skin ulcers, skin infections, sores, swollen glands, and rashes. It’s safe to use on children, being the main healing ingredient in many balms for cradle cap, diaper rash, heat rash, thrush, and other skin irritations.

I use organic, dried calendula flowers to make an infusion in olive oil. I then use the infused olive oil to make the balm, which adds the healing properties of calendula to the balm.

Coconut oil

Coconut oil is a very effective skin moisturizer, as well as being quite stable (e.g., it doesn’t go rancid almost immediately, unlike most oils). It is also solid at room temperature.

I use organic, expeller-pressed (made without the use of chemical solvents or lye), refined coconut oil (so we don’t smell like coconuts all day). It is 100% coconut oil. The source I buy it from tests it to ensure there are no additives or GMOs and that it is not hydrogenated.

Olive oil

Olive oil is also a very effective skin moisturizer and the oil of choice for medicinal uses. It is high in healthy fatty acids and very soothing, as well as being very stable.

I use organic, cold-pressed, extra virgin olive oil, the same kind I cook with. It is 100% olive oil. The source I buy it from tests it to ensure there are no pesticides, additives, or steroidal hydrocarbons.

These balms do not contain

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• Carcinogens
• Endocrine disrupters
• Environmental toxicants (human-made toxins)
• Fillers
• Fragrances
• Persistent bioaccumulative toxicants
• Preservatives
• Reproductive and developmental toxicants
• Skin and respiratory irritants

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• Alcohol
• Dyes
• Ethers
• Ethoxylates
• Parabens
• Perfumes
• Petroleum solvents
• Phosphates
• Phthalates
• Sulfates (SLS/SLES)
• Triclosan

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For more information about what you’re putting on your skin and in your body, visit Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep database.

Disclaimer

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.