Cottonwood Magic

If you are a long-time addict of our Cottonwood Balm and/or Massage Oil, we thought we'd share the process of how we turn this beautiful tree and our homegrown organic Calendula flowers into our magical healing balm and oil. If you haven't tried these products yet, you don't know what you're missing!

Cottonwood trees (Populus balsamifera) are my favorite. They have deeply furrowed bark and beautiful leaves that turn a gorgeous yellow in autumn. After the leaves descend, the tree takes its reserves and starts to set buds for next year's growth. The fragrance of the buds (and therefore our balm and massage oil), is beyond the best. It’s the scent of spring, magic, wild Alaska, summer-is-coming, all wrapped into one heavenly aroma.

During late winter the buds grow larger and sticky with resin. The resin contains phytochemicals that promote cell growth/healing, are anti-inflammatory and analgesic. Cottonwood is in the willow family (Salicaceae) which contain pain-killing compounds. We harvest gallons of these tiny buds which take many hours. We love this time in nature and with each other, but we are always grateful when all buckets are full.

Growing Calendula (Calendula officinalis) begins in February under grow lights in our home. By early May the starts are large enough to move to the greenhouse to adjust to the long daylight hours and varying temps of summer in Alaska. We plant two large garden beds around Memorial Day and cover them with fabric to buffer against winds and cold night temps. Calendula typically starts flowering by mid-July and we harvest weekly though mid-September. They too have a sticky resin full of flavonoids that reduce swelling and soothe skin irritations. 

We freeze the cottonwood buds and dehydrate calendula flowers until we are ready to make the balm and massage oil.

These 5 gallon paint strainer bags filled with cottonwood buds and calendula flowers are ready for extraction. Before we begin manufacturing the balm and massage oil, close to a hundred hours of work has gone into filling these bags. I always share a deep appreciation with Patrick at this stage. We are fortunate to be able to create this magic and share it with our customers. We receive more positive feedback on how much these products have helped customers, than any other product. 

We make an infusion by gently heating organic plant oils to extract the beneficial properties. Patrick calls this 'witch craft' but I don't share my songs of praise for these botanicals while he's watching me stir. Lest he really affirms I am indeed a witch. 

After extracting, we must carefully strain the infusion, add just the right amount of beeswax for balm and fill our jars. Sometimes friends help us with the bud harvesting process, and they always gain a much greater appreciation for the work involved with making this magical product. We go through the process all over again to make the massage oil, using different organic plant oils.

We would call it Cottonwood-Calendula Balm and Cottonwood-Calendula Massage Oil, but that's just too much of a mouthful. The point is, these products are absolutely fantastic for healing skin.

Use the balm on any irritation like a rash, burn, bee sting, mosquito bite, hang nails, blisters, chaffing, chapped lips and cheeks, diaper rash, cradle cap, exhausted feet, eczema, and dry skin. Use massage oil for larger areas to soothe sore muscles and for joint inflammation. The oil is great for dry skin as well. Nothing like it after a little bit too much time at the beach with not enough sunscreen on! 

I had knee surgery recently and I massaged the area with the oil morning and night, without fail for a month. I feel certain it expedited healing.

I hate to agree with Patrick on this, but the magic is real. Maybe I am a witch.