MJ's Herbals Calendula Salve, Skin Soothing Balm

I bought mine in September 2014 and looking at the jar the ingredients list is as follows: "Calendula blossoms* and real vitamin E oil (d-alpha tocopherol) in a base of olive oil* and unrefined propolis beeswax. *certified organic". Her list on the product information is exactly the same in March 2016 so I doubt the recipe has been altered much, if at all. Based on other responses, MJ gets the vitamin E oil from non-GMO sunflower seeds. According to gmo-compass.org, genetically modified sunflower seeds are not expected to be approved for commercial use for a very long time. While that doesn't mean MJ uses organic, at least you know it's not GMO. What I do know for sure is this stuff really has been helpful for me as someone who used to get sinus infections on a regular basis and constantly had a dry nose. I have also had many instances of dry, cracked lips (hydrated or not, my lips are always dry) and this has provided relief very quickly. I originally bought it because I kept breaking out in hives for an unknown reason and I was itching which led to scratching which led to irritated skin. The inflammation reducing qualities of calendula are what attracted me to this calendula salve. It didn't get rid of the hives but this, along with some lavender essential oil (which is drying to my skin if it is not mixed with a carrier), soothed the itch and kept me from scratching it raw. I live in Austin, TX...an area where something is ALWAYS blooming...other Austinites know what I am talking about!!! As a result, I was getting sinus infections almost monthly at one point. Once I started going to more natural healing products, they stopped recurring so often. When I did get them, I thought I would give this salve a whack at my chapped nose. Needless to say, it now served 2 purposes in my household. I went about a year before getting a mild sinus infection which didn't require the use of the salve...honestly at that point, I had forgotten I had it. It wasn't until I was dealing with severely chapped lips (to the point of painful cracking) that I stumbled across it again. I was using pure oils (coconut, almond, avocado, vitamin E) to soothe my lips but it wasn't working out so well. When I found this, I gave it another shot...I continued to use my coconut oil based lip balm throughout the day but first thing in the morning and before going to bed, I used the salve. My lips were not fully healed overnight, but they were much, much better. After a few days of use the cracks were gone. Currently, I have a really bad cold and am using tissue like it is going out of style. By itself, the salve is just as soothing to my chapped nose as it was a year and a half ago. Last night I was so congested that I used this to make my own "vicks". I took a small amount of the salve and added eucalyptus, tea tree, lavender, and spearmint EOs to it and mixed it together. I applied a light layer under my nose and just barely inside my nostrils and had no problem breathing all night. Using the commercial brand of the stuff I find myself waking up every couple of hours to reapply. It also made enough to last me several nights at that rate. I say nights because I cannot use this during the day with the lavender in it....it's is a very strong sedative for me. In addition, I feel I should note that after a year and a half, I still have about an eighth of this 1 oz jar left and it is the same price today as it was when I bought it. A little really does go a long way. MJ may use this to make her living but she is definitely not price gouging and it's worth the cost (less than 2 cents a day over a year and a half given I still have some left). Some folks seem concerned about the greasiness that is often left behind when using natural oil based products. I can say it is not overly greasy after it absorbs but there is some slick feeling left behind. However, I must also say that I have never had it ruin my sheets or clothing either. If it does leave a mark on the fabric, you can probably do the chalk trick before washing to absorb the excess oil. Also, the scent is not overpowering at all. I am not sure what calendula is exactly supposed to smell like but all I can smell is a very light, and I mean light, olive oil scent. If it bothers you, I don't doubt that you cannot add a few drops of another EO to it to change that. OK, I am done sounding like an infomercial now so let me close with my conclusion which is that this stuff really does help significantly when it comes to relief and healing the skin. I also love that its effects are increased when mixed with other real, natural products. Give it a shot. I wouldn't say it's a miracle in a jar but it is pretty close.

This is amazing! I get bouts of exfoliative cheilitis on a regular basis. The last time I woke up with burning, swollen, puffy, peeling lips, I tried coconut oil, Aquaphor, Neosporin and finally pure lanolin. Keeping my lips coated in lanolin was the only thing that made them comfortable until the peeling stopped. On this go round, I had no lanolin so I used Boiron's Calendula Cream first. It was okay but I needed a thick application because any margins on my mouth where it had worn off immediately began to have a burning sensation again. Since the Boiron is homeopathic and the "inactive" ingredient (the MAIN ingredient) is petrolatum, I wanted to find something more "body friendly." I came across this salve. My lips felt soothed as soon as I applied it and I needed a lot less of this than the Boiron cream. It does not go on thickly, it has no discernible smell and it feels like it sinks into my skin as opposed to just being an occlusive. After only 1 day of use, my lips are soft, supple and not puffy nor do I have dry, burning red margins on them. I also found this to be a good burn ointment by happenstance. I was removing an item from a 400 degree oven and my elbow touched the inside of the oven door, causing a painful burn. I reapplied the salve to my lips and put the last bit left on my fingers on the burned area and went to bed. This morning, there is no redness or pain at the site of the burn. This did not stain my skin or my pillow case, but even if it had, the relief it afforded would have made that a small thing. Since I'm not a chemist, I am not going to sit and speculate whether it is the calendula, the bee propolis or the olive oil that does the trick in this salve; I am just going to be sure to always have it in my medicine chest and my travel kit. Good stuff! Edit-I recently had occasion to discover that this is fantastic for paper cuts. I got a very deep, painful one on my dominant hand that bled a lot. I washed it out , slathered it with salve and applied a bandage. The next morning, the cut was sealed and painless. I did not get the usual dried, curling skin edges as the cut healed and the whole healing process was much quicker. Good stuff!

I purchased this with the intent of trying it as a face moisturizer. My go-to moisturizer has been discontinued, and for over a month, I have been looking for a replacement that provides full, oil-based coverage. I have normal skin, but I use face products that need a great moisturizer to combat any dryness side effects. So far, this Calendula Salve is working very well. A little goes a long way. With just a small amount on my fingertips, I rub it to melt it quickly and apply it over my face, including my eyelids. I don't use much on my eye. I experienced no irritation at all. The great part is that this works well with other products in my beauty routine, which include AHA face wash and toner, Snail Mucin, Vitamin C serum, and peptides for my eyes. I only didn't use it with my Retinol 1% serum. It leaves my face feeling soft and I get no breakout. There's also no smell.

I have eczema on the palms of my hands. It is terrible! But I absolutely LOVE this product. It absorbs in the skin very well and does not leave your hands greasy or sticky which drives me crazy. Little to no smell which is also very good for sensitive skin. It is the only plant based product that I have used to that actually helps calm my eczema flair ups. I am a repeat customer. I honestly cannot praise this product enough. Well worth every penny to me.

I've purchased this product at least 10 times with no complaints. Until about maybe 6 months ago give or take. The product has not changed and is still a great product but for quite some time now the ONLY available size is the 1 ounce for $20. She has a 3 ounce for $30 which i was faithfully purchasing. But I assume MJs realized that it was more profitable to ONLY offer the 1 ounce instead of the 4 ounce one. I guess financially it makes sense, I mean why sell 4 ounces for $30 when you can sell each ounce for $20? The problem is loyal customers like my self take greed into account once we notice it. Personally I'm already looking for another substitute. I have 3 other Calendula salves on the way from different sellers who have a larger size container. The 1 ounce that MJs has goes like water in no time and I found that I'm giving up a substantial amount of money now for a way smaller container that lasts 20% of the time the 4 ounce used to. I see myself making MAYBE 1 more purchase as I search for a new seller. I'm a loyal customer to any good product but I'm not stupid or rich to just hand money out for a smaller product that you have to refill 80% faster than before. I would have rather the 4 ounce go up in price say to $40 and I would have gladly payed because it was still worth the money. Now, at a time where everyone has lost their mind with prices I'm sure everyone agrees that we are looking for bargains worth our money. Not to just hand over our hard earned money for smaller portions while the sellers has full benefits at the expense of their customers. Eventually I will just make my own one I have a formula down to a science. 1 thing is for sure, my days purchasing from MJs is counted. Not because of quality but because of premium price that has gotten out of hand. P.S I waited months for the 4 ounce to be restocked before I gave a review but after a little over a half a year it is obvious it will not be coming back.