Arnica
A yellow mountain flower traditionally used externally for bruises, sprains, swelling, and sore muscles. Arnica is one of the central ingredients in the balm.
Order
Super Balm, 2.5 oz stick
Pre-orders are open. The first batch ships November 1. After that, sticks are poured to order and normally ship within 5 days.
In Redding? Email mrstrongsbalms@gmail.com to arrange local pickup with no shipping charge.
Checkout is handled by Square. Shipping is currently available within the United States.
Why I made it
Most balms start with a budget and work backward.
I wanted to try something different.
If cost wasn't the first consideration, what ingredients would I actually want in a muscle and joint balm? And how much of each would make sense?
I looked for plants with long histories of traditional use, from the European Alps to the Amazon, the Mediterranean, South Asia, Africa, and the Pacific Islands. I also looked at what modern research has to say about them.
The result is a fairly simple idea: use a lot of good ingredients, in meaningful amounts, and don't add things just because they make the product feel stronger.
That's why this isn't built around a strong menthol burn or an intense cooling sensation. Some of the ingredients naturally feel warm or cool, but the sensation isn't the point.
The point is the plants.
What's in it?
The formula brings together flowers, resins, roots, seeds, fruits, and aromatic plants from a number of different traditions.
Flowers
Helichrysum
Also called immortelle because its flowers retain their color after drying. Traditionally used for bruises, wounds, burns, swelling, and damaged or scarred skin.
Calendula
The familiar pot marigold. A classic European skin herb traditionally kept around for scrapes, minor burns, and irritated skin.
Seeds & fruits
Tamanu
An oil pressed from the nuts of a coastal tree. Traditionally used for cuts, burns, scars, and damaged or irritated skin.
Rosehip
Rosehip seed oil has a long history in herbal and skin care, particularly around damaged and scarred skin.
Baobab
Pressed from the seeds of the baobab tree. Traditionally used to protect and condition skin in hot, dry environments.
Resins & roots
Copaiba
A resin collected from rainforest trees. Amazonian traditions have used copaiba externally for wounds, sore areas, and irritated or inflamed skin.
Turmeric
A central plant in Ayurvedic traditions, with centuries of use around aches, stiffness, inflammation, and physical recovery. The balm uses a concentrated CO₂ extract of the root.
Ginger
Long used in Ayurvedic and Chinese traditions for warming, aches, stiffness, and physical discomfort. We use a CO₂ extract rather than simply adding powdered ginger.
Frankincense
One of the world's oldest traded resins, with thousands of years of use across Arabia, Africa, and India. Beyond its ceremonial importance, frankincense resin has traditionally been used around aches, swelling, wounds, and physical discomfort.
The aromatics
Camphor, eucalyptus, black pepper, and peppermint
These are old standbys of the herbal liniment and rub tradition. They bring some combination of warmth, cooling, aroma, and sensory stimulation to the formula.
They're supporting ingredients rather than the foundation of the balm.
The oils
The botanical ingredients are carried in a blend of oils chosen for their skin feel and their own histories of traditional use.
Jojoba, tamanu, baobab, marula, hemp, rosehip, and olive
The arnica and calendula are infused directly into olive oil before being incorporated into the balm.
The rest of the formula is built around those infusions, beeswax, Cera Bellina, shea butter, and the concentrated botanical extracts.
Everything is hand blended and poured in small batches in Shasta County.
Full ingredients
Listed in descending order by the current formulation.
- Olea Europaea (Olive) Fruit Oil*
- Cera Alba (Beeswax)
- Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter
- Calophyllum Inophyllum (Tamanu) Seed Oil*
- Polyglyceryl-3 Beeswax (Cera Bellina)
- Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil*
- Copaifera Officinalis (Copaiba) Resin Oil*
- Helichrysum Italicum Flower Oil*
- Adansonia Digitata (Baobab) Seed Oil*
- Sclerocarya Birrea (Marula) Seed Oil*
- Cannabis Sativa (Hemp) Seed Oil*
- Rosa Canina (Rosehip) Seed Oil*
- Arnica Montana Flower Extract
- Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract*
- Boswellia Carterii (Frankincense) Resin Oil*
- Tanacetum Annuum (Blue Tansy) Flower Oil*
- Curcuma Longa (Turmeric) Root CO₂ Extract*
- Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf CO₂ Extract*
- Zingiber Officinale (Ginger) Root CO₂ Extract*
- Tocopherol
- Cinnamomum Camphora (Camphor) Bark Oil
- Eucalyptus Globulus Leaf Oil*
- Piper Nigrum (Black Pepper) Fruit Oil*
- Mentha Piperita (Peppermint) Oil*
- Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil
* Organic
Use
For external use only.
Apply a small amount to the area and massage into the skin. A little goes a long way.
For first use, try a small amount on a limited area of skin and see how you respond.
Avoid eyes and mucous membranes. Do not apply to broken or irritated skin. Stop use if irritation develops.
Do not use if you're allergic to plants in the daisy family, such as arnica, calendula, chamomile, or ragweed. Keep out of reach of children.
Returns
Unopened sticks can be returned for a full refund. Email mrstrongsbalms@gmail.com to start a return.
A note about the formula
This is the first version of Mr. Strong's Super Balm.
I'm making it available while I continue learning from how people actually use it. The formula will probably change as I learn more.
If you've tried it, I'd genuinely like to know what you think.
- What did you use it for?
- Did you notice anything?
- How did it feel?
- What would you change?
Good experiences are useful. So are disappointing ones.
Share your feedback