What We've Learned About Herbal Salve and Eczema-Prone Skin
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What We've Learned About Herbal Salve and Eczema-Prone Skin
When I was a child, my father grew Comfrey in the garden. Living in the suburbs, gardening was not really part of what we did, but my dad insisted on growing this miracle herb. One year at school, my brother fell off a seated scooter on his face and scraped his eyebrow pretty badly on the pavement- it was messy to say the least. My father cleaned the wound, grabbed the comfrey, made a poultice and told him to keep it on there. He held it on for a few hours and by the next day, the ghastly wound was almost healed. My brother's teachers were amazed the next day- they had sent him home with a cut up eye area and the next day, his healing made seemingly miraculous leaps. This was my first encounter with this amazing herb.
Why We Started Making a Salve
I love working with calendula, yarrow, and comfrey, three herbs we now grow on the farm that are widely used in traditional herbalism for skin support. Calendula is known for its soothing properties. Yarrow has astringent qualities. Comfrey contains allantoin, which supports the skin's natural cell renewal. I decided to make an ultimate skin support salve by infusing all three into an herbal salve.
What Our Friend Told Us
Our friend had been managing eczema with conventional treatments for years. She had tried other natural products. Nothing provided lasting comfort. After use of Harvest Balm, she noticed a meaningful difference in the comfort and appearance of her skin.
Watching our friend go from extreme discomfort, itchiness, redness, puffiness to finding some relief support is the best gift we could ask for
What's Actually in Harvest Balm
Harvest Balm is a whole-herb infused salve made from three plants we grow and forage on our Pennsylvania regenerative farm: calendula, yarrow, and comfrey. Each herb is harvested by hand, dried, and slow-infused into a base of organic oil and beeswax.
We are committed to clean, natural skin care meaning we do not use essential oils, synthetic preservatives, or fragrance. The scents you in notice our product are is the herbs themselves- straight from the flowers and leaves.
We formulate Harvest Balm in small batches on the farm. We choose to slow infuse the herbs in our oils to give the added benefit of infusing the fat-soluble nutrients into the oil as well. When the infusion is complete, we strain the spent plant material and combine the infused oil with the beeswax.
We use the whole plants also to give the users a direct connection to the plants and soil giving each product a grounding quality.
The final balm is poured into our jars and ready to make it's way to skin that needs it the most.
Why "No Essential Oils" Matters for Eczema-Prone Skin
This is worth explaining because many people with eczema-prone skin have tried "natural" products and reacted badly to them.
Essential oils are concentrated volatile compounds extracted through steam distillation. They are extremely potent, hence the strong aroma they are known for. Potency of essential oils may be irritating to sensitive and eczema-prone skin.
Our herbal infused oils and balms are much more gentle. Slow infusion of the leaves and flowers preserves a different spectrum of the plant including the fat-soluble nutrients like vitamins, and the gentle scent obtained without concentrating or distilling the volatile oil compounds like in the production of essential oils. The result is gentle enough to support reactive skin while still delivering the plant's beneficial properties.
If your skin tends to react to "natural" skincare products, it may be worth looking into if essential oils may be contributing to the reations.
Who Harvest Balm Is Made For
Harvest Balm was made for people whose skin takes a beating. Farmers or gardeners whose hands crack, anyone managing eczema-prone skin who has tried every drugstore cream and found them temporary at best, people who work outdoors, wash their hands constantly, or live in climates where winter air strips moisture from exposed skin. It's for stubborn dry spots that need a little love. It's for rough elbows and feet that are in need of softness. Try it on the stubborn red spots that keep saying hello, and for supporting the healing of scabbed over bumps and scrapes.
It is also for anyone who has reacted to conventional "natural" skincare products and suspects the essential oils or synthetic fragrances were the problem.
Where These Herbs Come From
Every herb in Harvest Balm traces back to our farm. The calendula grows in our cultivated beds. In August, when the flowers are at their peak, our hands get so sticky pickign them from the medicinal resins they produce. The yarrow grows along the edges of our pastures wild. The comfrey makes the most gorgeous purple flowers that we love to see bloom.
That is the kind of skincare we make. Grown, foraged, harvested, and infused on the beautiful land of Pennsylvania, by me and David.
Wishing you Infinite Blessings and Happiness from the Farm.
Anne and David
This content is for informational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. Consult your healthcare provider for guidance on managing skin conditions.
