Super Love-Powered Calendula & A Tale of Chapped Fairy Lips

Last week my daughter developed a fierce case of chapped lips. Actually, it was beyond lips - it created a full-on half moon that extended below her lower lip - almost like a second smile. It came on abruptly overnight, and I'm certain was from anxious lower lip biting due to the excitement of school being back in session after our long break :) It was dry, burning and miserable for this dainty little fairy.

I initially tried using some lavender and shea butter balm that I had made as gifts over the holidays (and had been using on my own dry lips with success), hoping it would help to soothe and heal the dryness and irritation. This was met with shrieking and face fanning due to it burning the tender area - and it actually made the irritation even worse :( It was a humble reminder that not all products (even natural ones) work the same way on different people. And that lavender essential oil, though an amazing, healing oil, can actually irritate some individuals or certain skin conditions.

So, time for Plan B.

Giving thanks so last summer's beautiful herb garden, I reached for a very special fresh calendula flower infused oil that my daughters helped me to harvest and prepare in the midst of a sunny summer day.

The finished, love-powered salve.

I melted a few spoonfuls of oil in a bowl with a bit of trusty beeswax to give it some legs, then added a few drops of the last of my Roman Chamomile oil (a very gentle, healing oil that my daughter loves the scent of). We applied it right away and crossed our fingers.

After one nighttime application, the chapping was significantly improved. After 48 hours, the improvement doubled. By 72 hours, the chapping was nearly gone. And the following day, you could barely tell it had been there. Yahooooo!

The first day of chapping. From far away she looked a little bit Angelina Jolie.

After 48 hours of multiple salve applications with a happier smile.

While calendula salves are a pretty standard herbal preparation (and can be readily found in natural food stores if you don't have ingredients to make your own), I can't help but feel that the love and care that went into the growing, harvesting and preparation of this oil infinitely increased its healing power. Plants heal...