Comfrey is a powerful healer, working both at the skin surface and deeper into the muscle. We harvest comfrey leaf, stalk, and flower three times per year, partially dry it, and then extract the herb in organic sunflower oil before adding it to Green Wonder, Après Sun, and Après Ski & Sport salves.

For those who have heard that you should avoid comfrey, be assured that we use only aerial parts of purple flowering comfrey (not the root or the yellow flowering variety), which are generally considered safe for topical use. We do not recommend using any of our products on deep puncture wounds, comfrey included. And, as always, please consult a medical professional if you have any questions about which herbs are appropriate for you.

Symphytum spp.

We harvest two main varieties of plantain: the native blackseed plantain, and common plantain which was introduced to New England by the Puritans. Plantain is a wonderfully gentle, soothing herb for all skin conditions. We harvest the leaves regularly throughout the growing season and cold-extract them in organic sunflower oil and alcohol for at least six weeks. Plantain can be found in our Green Wonder, Après Sun, and Herbal Itch Relief.

Plantago major and Plantago rugelii

An ally for anyone who spends time outdoors in the summertime, sweetfern repels insects, soothes rashes and bites, heals skin ailments — and it smells great!

We sustainably wildcraft sweetfern during the summer and cold-infuse it in alcohol and organic sunflower oil for at least six weeks. You will find sweetfern in Green Wonder, Herbal Bug Spray, and Herbal Itch Relief.

Comptonia peregrina

Yarrow is one of our favorite herbs, and you will find it in many Half Wild products. It thrives in difficult places, always stands tall, and blooms even in drought, and it has so much to offer as a skin ally.

We harvest yarrow tops in full bloom before cold-infusing them in alcohol or organic sunflower oil. You can find yarrow in Green Wonder, Après Sun, Herbal Bug Spray, Herbal Itch Relief, Stay Cool Mist, Aftershave, and Beard Oil.

Yarrow heals and soothes skin, repels mosquitoes, cools the skin, and has a strong yet delicate scent. A favorite from our land to you!!

Achillea millefolium

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 beeswax from White Mountain Apiary in Littleton, NH, in all of our salves. Beeswax is great for the skin on its own, and it also helps our herb-infused oils stick around longer on your skin, so you get a greater benefit from the herbs.

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.