Calendula is one of the few annual herbs that we grow here at Half Wild Farm because it grows abundantly even in our short, northern summers. Whole flower heads are harvested by hand every third day throughout the growing season, shade dried, and then extracted in organic sunflower oil, raw organic apple cider vinegar, or alcohol. One of the best herbs for skin health and enhancing red, blonde, and gray hair, you will find calendula in many of our products, including: Gentle Hands, Clear Skin Toner, Facial Serum, Light Hair Serum, Light Hair Rinse, and Herbal Body Oil.

Calendula officinalis

Organic, high-oleic sunflower oil forms the base of all of our salves and oils. Sunflower oil is excellent for skin and hair, and unlike the more exotic oils that you’ll find in mainstream cosmetics, it can be grown in our region.

Sunflower oil is packed with Vitamins A, B, C, E, beta-carotene, iron, calcium, and oleic acid — all wonderfully nourishing for your skin and hair from a natural, whole-plant source.

We source our sunflower oil as close to Half Wild Farm as possible. With the recent closure of FullSun in Vermont, we currently work with Century Sun Oil in Wisconsin, but we are always looking out for new sunflower oil producers closer to home.

We use sea salt from the Maine Sea Salt Company, which is hand harvested and solar evaporated on the Coast of Maine. No heavy machinery. No additives, whitening agents, or drying chemicals.

Maine sea salt is mineral-rich, sustainably harvested, and is a great natural exfoliant for your skin.

Did you know that it takes a dump truck full of rose petals to make one bottle of rose essential oil? This is powerful stuff that uses a lot of natural resources. However, plants have more to offer than their essential oils. If you use products with just essential oils, you are missing out on the full spectrum of plant medicine.

That is why we make all of our products by extracting whole plants in oil, alcohol, apple cider vinegar, or water. We use only a drop of organic essential oil in some of our products where needed to enhance the scent, and we always use an essential oil that is good for your skin or hair — like lavender!

For the health of our bodies and the planet, we encourage everyone to reduce the amount of essential oils that they use and focus on whole plant medicine instead.