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

We adore dandelion flowers! They lift our spirits in springtime and provide essential food to the bees at a lean time of year. Bursting with antioxidents, dandelions also reduce wrinkles and fine lines, and balance troubled skin. We hear a lot of talk about Vitamin C serums these days, and dandelion deliver on that front, too. We harvest dandelions in May, and then cold-infuse the whole flower heads in alcohol or organic sunflower oil for at least six weeks. You will find these beautiful blossoms in our Clear Skin Toner and Facial Serum.

Taraxacum officinale

We are rehabilitating the reputation of goldenrod here at Half Wild Farm. Although unfairly maligned for causing seasonal allergies, goldenrod is pollinated by insects and not the wind. It has so many gifts for us: beauty, food for pollinators, tea for humans.

Goldenrod is anti-inflammatory and boasts more antioxidents than either green tea or Vitamin C. Used topically, it offers relief for aching muscles and joints and support for damaged and aging skin.

We harvest the top third of goldenrod plants from our fields just as they start to flower, and then extract the plants in organic sunflower oil or alcohol for at least six weeks before adding them to our products. The plants remaining in the field feed the bees in the fall and the goldfinch all winter.

You can find goldenrod in our Gentle Hands, Après Ski & Sport, Clear Skin Toner, Facial Serum, and Herbal Body Oil. We hope you’ll join us in switching to bountiful goldenrod and leaving arnica to grow in peace.

Solidago spp.

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.

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.