When exploring various delivery methods, the options can be overwhelming. Especially if you have never heard of a certain product type before. This might be the case when you come across our salves. Admittedly, some of our own employees were not even sure how to pronounce salve before joining the team, let alone know exactly what it is. So you are not alone by any means! In fact, pronunciation is sometimes still debated in the office as it can be pronounced as SAV or SALV, with most people in the United States preferring the former. Honestly, we are splitting hairs at this point as pronunciation is far from the most important part. What is important is exploring what salve actually is, why you may want to use a salve, what separates a quality salve from a not-so-good one, and whether a salve is the right product for you!
What is Salve?
salves are simply a form of topical infused with hemp extract. Similar to a topical balm, it is applied and absorbed through the skin. To make our salve, we slightly heat our Full Spectrum Hemp Extract and organic beeswax and then add in the other organic oils and homogenize everything together. In addition to the health benefits they provide, we use organic olive oil, organic sunflower oil, and organic beeswax to serve as a beneficial delivery agent and aid in turning the solution into a solid at room temperature. This allows you to rub our Full Spectrum Hemp Extract into your skin easily for localized relief, without feeling too greasy or oily.
Why Use a Salve
People use salves for various reasons. They're convenient, discreet, great for helping with localized ailments, include other beneficial ingredients, and are easy to use on-the-go. Additionally, it can serve as an easy introduction to products if you have never used before. Tinctures can be intimidating to those unfamiliar and not everyone enjoys consuming gummies. With a salve, you can apply as little or as much as you want without feeling psychoactive effects, which allows you to test out the benefits of.
As mentioned before, salves are absorbed through the skin which can be attractive to those unsure if they want to administer directly into the bloodstream by using a tincture or eating a gummy. With this, it is important to stress that because it does not enter directly into the bloodstream, you will only feel the effects where you apply the salve. This makes salves the best option for those with specific areas of pain or skin irritation.
What Makes a Salve Quality?
In every product category, there is a wide range of producers and, as a result, tremendous variability in the quality of the final product. We acknowledge we are not the only ones who craft their product with intention and we appreciate every brand that is conscious of what they make their products with, but we are also aware of the many foul players trying to take advantage of people's interest in and providing them with an inferior product. Because this exists, it is important to investigate any brand you purchase from. We take pride in our production process and believe there are a few things to look for when trying to find a quality Salve.
- Starting Material - First and foremost, a salve is only as good as the extract that was used to make it. It is important to know where the hemp was grown, how the hemp was grown, how the oil was extracted, and whether unhealthy additives like pesticides were used in any part of the process. Flora Sophia is 100% transparent in all of this as we were very mindful from seed to final product. In addition to hand selecting seed, our hemp was grown in Southern Oregon, a world-renowned location for growing quality hemp. We grew beyond organic, never using any pesticides. And for extraction we used a cold wash ethanol extraction method which is regarded throughout the industry as the least disruptive extraction process, resulting in a preserved chemical composition or true full spectrum oil.
- Full Spectrum - has repeatedly been shown to be more effective if the oil is full spectrum. This is even more true for salves or any other topicals. It is believed this is due to the phenomenon known as the entourage effect. (along with any other cannabinoids) produces the strongest benefits when as much of the plant composition is preserved. All of the cannabinoids work in a synergistic way. You can possibly find salves with much higher or concentration, but brands accomplish this by using isolated forms of cannabinoids. They strip the extract of all the other compounds and are left with only the desired cannabinoid. The amount of you get may be higher, but studies show cannabinoids are not nearly as effective when in an isolated form. Here at Flora Sophia we believe we are amongst the few brands delivering true full spectrum salves.
- 3rd Party Tested - A company can say their Salve is free of any harmful chemicals, but do they provide a Certificate of Analysis for their product from a 3rd party state accredited lab? We believe in 100% transparency, as safety should be the number one concern. All of our products undergo 3rd party testing and even if our Labs Page is down for temporary improvements, we are happy to provide a current COA for a product demonstrating its composition and safety.
- Quality Added Ingredients - The final thing to be mindful of when trying to find a quality salve is the added ingredients. Many companies will use unnatural additives or add dangerous ingredients to their products. Your skin, like your other organs, is very fragile and it's important to treat it with care. In addition to looking for harmful ingredients, it's important to look for additional natural ingredients which come with their own benefits and complement . Flora Sophia never adds anything unsafe, using only certified organic ingredients, and we even include things like wildcrafted arnica and palmarosa in our salves to provide additional healing properties. Driven by traditional herbalism, we acknowledge the healing power of other plants besides hemp.
Should I Use Salve?
By now, you’ve probably decided whether a salve is right for you. If you are still unsure, let's talk about two instances when a salve can be very beneficial.
Pain
We currently offer two different salve formulas. Our Muscle, Joint, & Nerve Support and our Soothe & Calm Skin Salve. The first one is great for those with aches and pains, especially those that are localized to a specific area. Simply apply generously as needed to the problem area and massage into the skin for maximum effect. The Muscle, Joint & Nerve Support Salve has and other ingredients like wildcrafted arnica which have antiinflammatory properties that may provide relief. Don’t just take our word for it, read our customer testimonials!
Skin Irritation
The Soothe & Calm Skin Salve is often overlooked but provides tremendous relief from many different irritations. Often skin irritation comes with inflammation and both and may help reduce skin inflammation, although further research is needed. Additionally, the Soothe & Calm Skin Salve contains ingredients like lavender, palmarosa, carrot seed, and sandalwood which are recognized for their calming and healing qualities.
If you do not have any aches or skin irritation, a salve could still be right for you. , and the other ingredients included in our salves have beneficial health properties. Our Salves aren’t just for addressing issues, but also serve as a preventative topical that supports overall skin health and wellness!
Potential Side Effects
salves are generally regarded as safe, but with any product there is the potential for side effects. Please read all ingredients before use to ensure there isn’t anything you have an allergy to. If your skin becomes irritated from use, please stop applying and consult a medical professional. Remember our salves are for external use only.
Now that you know what a salve is (the pronunciation doesn’t really matter), what you can use it for, and what to look for in a quality product, it might be time to give one of our salves a try!
