NEW! Wildcrafted Cottonwood Balm

Cottonwood buds exude a balsam, or resin, in the winter to protect the newly forming leaves. This balsam isn't water soluble so we infused it into some coconut oil over many months. The resulting infused oil smells so amazing! It's so hard to describe: warm, sweet and soft, with a hint of vanilla, but I think it is positively beautiful. It is sustainably hand collected by us from fallen branches, infused and filtered before we blend with Cocoa Butter, Beeswax and Coconut Oil. This salve can be used anywhere you need a little extra moisture. There are no additional essential oils added, as the entire fragrance comes from the cottonwood buds. Cottonwood salve is sometimes referred to as "Balm of Gilead".

Super convenient waste-free tin fits perfectly in your pocket or project bag! Just apply a little to your dry areas and massage in. A little goes a long way! Perfect to keep your hands in shape while knitting, spinning or any time your hands need a little pampering.

Some interesting information I read about the historical uses of Cottonwood:
Many First Peoples believed that Cottonwood was a sacred wood used as an instrument of communication between The Great Spirit and humanity. The Nuxalk/Kwakwaka’wakw and other Cascadian First People used the sweet inner bark and cambium tissues as food and medicine. Other tribal people collected the buds in the early spring and boiled in deer fat to make a fragrant salve. The gum from the buds was used to treat baldness, sore throats, whooping cough and tuberculosis. The resin from buds were used in a poultice with crushed cottonwood leaves to treat pains and rheumatism.

The cottonwood tree also provided materials for making and ornamentation. The inner bark was used to reinforce other fibers in spinning. The gum from the spring buds was used to waterproof baskets and boxes. Paint and dyes were made from the yellow and red resins of early spring buds."

-Pojar & McKinnon, (1994) Plants of the Pacific Northwest Coast, Washington, Oregon, British Columbia & Alaska, Lone Pine Publishing, Vancouver, British Columbia

You may occasionally notice some very small specks in your balm. These are due to using natural refined beeswax and are perfectly normal. Accessories shown for scale and not included.

Because this special formula melts at a slightly lower temperature than our traditional balms, please consider shipping to a cool location, such as an office or PO box, during extremely hot weather.

**Note on International shipping - USPS recently changed their international shipping policies, causing me to raise our shipping prices significantly. If you would like to take full advantage of the rates, 2-6 bars of soap will ship for the same price and I will refund any shipping overage over $1.00, after I ship your package**