I'm a bit smitten with these pots of Comfrey & Lavender Balm. The base ingredient is the same as Green Monster Salve: comfrey leaf- and root-infused olive oil and beeswax. To that deep green miracle base I add lavender essential oil for a scent I find calming and grounding. I hover over the bowl, inhaling deeply, while this is cooling. After a good beating in the mixer the balm is creamy and smooth, much easier to spread on the skin than a salve. You can use it anywhere on your skin, including your face, for the powerful regenerative properties of comfrey, for the moisturizing olive oil, or for the aromatherapy and healthy skin benefits (anti-inflammatory, healing) of lavender (or for all of the above, of course!). Keep this on hand for frequent use, and be sure to give yourself a little extra time to rub this concentrated balm into your skin. Think of that time as "me" time and couldn't we all use a bit more of that?

As with most all of my products, there are no preservatives in this balm so using within 6 months after opening is a good idea. Don't hoard it too long! Seriously though, it will probably be perfectly safe after 6 months but after several months a whole, natural product like this starts to decline in quality. Generally safe to use, just not as powerful as it is fresh. Lastly, as with anything new on your skin, be sure to try a patch test at first.

You can find this wonder balm for sale at the Farmers' Markets I attend (weekly in Gardiner, Wednesdays 3-6 on the Common and every other week in Yarmouth, Thursdays 3-6 at 317 Main) and it will be available in my soon-to-open Etsy shop. Members of the Crooked Door Farm CSA will also be able to order Comfrey & Lavender Balm as one of their weekly add on options. Enjoy skin pampering and relaxing aromatherapy all packaged up in this little pot!

Over the past couple weeks I've been playing around with new products, new ways of putting ingredients together. Thought I'd share a few of my putterings for anyone interested.

This sunny pot of goodness below is a frankincense salve, made with a high ratio of frankincense essential oil. There's more risk of skin irritation at this level but the benefits are higher if your skin can tolerate it. I'm using it for a wrist issue and keep it next to the bed for a fragrant nighttime application. It also makes a really nice massage cream.

This elixir below is made from infusing brandy with dried medicinal fruits, herbs, and spices: elderberry, elderflower, schisandra and hawthorn berries, rosehips, hibiscus, cinnamon, cloves, ginger root, and orange peel. Along with a generous glug of honey, it sat for 6 weeks on a shelf, where I shook it once in a while. It's pretty intense, even at a small dose like 2 Tablespoons. I prefer mixing it with water and sometimes elderberry tincture for more palatablity and more elderberry. Next time I would be much lighter handed with the spices.

The color is gorgeous but not easy to capture with my camera. A delicious way to add beneficial herbs to everyday life.

Sweet smelling rose salve. Made with rose-infused olive oil and beeswax. The beeswax I use is highly fragrant so I like to call this Roses and Honey salve. The petals are just for the pretty.

Roses taking an oil bath.

One more rose picture, because roses.

I love the color green. This gorgeous stuff is my Green Monster salve (for when your skin feels a little scary). The base is a Greek extra virgin olive oil that feels phenomenal on the skin and smells the way the color green would if it had a smell. I infuse the olive oil with dried comfrey leaf and root. Comfrey is just amazing stuff. I'll write more about it another time but enough to say that its healing properties, particularly for the skin, are no joke. Mike has skin issues on his hands and he uses comfrey daily to keep his skin healthy. Having some of this around is never a bad idea. Plus, it's so green!

Comfrey leaf and root in Messiniako olive oil.

These pretties below are made from tallow infused with roses, chickweed, and lavender, combined with comfrey oil and lavender essential oil. After whipping in the mixer, they get poured into these tins to cool and I love the pattern on their surfaces. I have a lot (understatement!) to say about tallow but I'll wait for a separate post. Every ingredient in this cream is beneficial for your skin and the aromatherapy benefit can't be overlooked. Deep inhale...

- Cari