Ancestral Balm

Warm a small amount between your fingers and massage into any area that needs extra nourishment or protection.

Use on dry or cracked hands, heels, elbows and knees, stubborn dry patches, chafed skin, or anywhere your skin barrier is feeling especially dry, irritated, or compromised.

A little goes a long way. For very dry areas, apply a thicker layer before bed and allow the balm to work as an overnight treatment.

Ancestral Balm is rich and intentionally occlusive, so it works especially well as the final step over slightly damp skin or other skincare to help seal in moisture.

Our rule around here: when in doubt, try Ancestral Balm.

Best used within 12 months.

Grass-Fed Suet Tallow | The foundation of Ancestral Balm. Tallow is naturally rich in skin-compatible fatty acids, including oleic, stearic, and palmitic acids. These lipids act as emollients, helping soften extremely dry skin and reinforce the skin’s protective lipid barrier while reducing moisture loss.

Emu Oil | An animal-derived oil naturally rich in fatty acids, particularly oleic, linoleic, and palmitic acids. Emu oil works as an emollient to soften and condition dry, stressed skin and helps reduce moisture loss without an overly waxy feel.

Cold-Pressed Olive Oil | Naturally rich in oleic acid, squalene, tocopherols, and antioxidant plant compounds. Olive oil provides rich emollient moisture and serves as part of the base for our slow botanical infusion.

Local Texas Beeswax | Creates a protective, occlusive layer over the skin that helps slow transepidermal water loss. This makes beeswax especially useful in a balm designed for extremely dry, rough, or cracked areas.

Calendula Flower | Traditionally used in preparations for dry, sensitive, and irritated skin. Calendula contains naturally occurring carotenoids and flavonoids and is one of our favorite whole botanicals for soothing, barrier-supportive formulas.

Chamomile Flower | Naturally contains flavonoids and other antioxidant plant compounds. Chamomile has a long history of topical use and is especially valued for soothing sensitive and irritated-feeling skin.

Lavender Buds | Whole lavender flowers are slowly infused into the oils rather than added as an essential oil. Lavender has a long history of use in traditional botanical preparations for soothing and conditioning the skin.

Marshmallow Root | A gentle botanical traditionally used in preparations for dry and sensitive skin. We slowly infuse the whole root into the fats as part of Ancestral Balm’s botanical infusion.

Myrrh Resin | An aromatic tree resin that has been used in traditional topical preparations for thousands of years. Myrrh contributes naturally occurring plant compounds and is valued for its conditioning and soothing properties.

Frankincense Resin | Another ancient aromatic resin with a long history of topical use. We infuse the whole resin directly into the fats rather than using frankincense essential oil.

Vitamin E | A lipid-soluble antioxidant that helps protect the oils in the formula from oxidation while also conditioning the skin and supporting its protective barrier.

Slow Whole-Botanical Infusion | Ancestral Balm takes more than a week to make. Whole flowers, roots, and resins are slowly infused directly into our fats and oils before being carefully strained. No shortcuts and no essential oils. Just a very slow extraction process that allows us to build the botanical infusion directly into the balm itself.

Ingredients:  Grass-fed suet tallow, Emu oil, Cold-pressed Olive oil*, Vitamin E oil*, local beeswax. All oils are botanically infused with whole lavender buds*, calendula flowers*, Marshmallow root*, Chamomile flowers*, Myrrh resin, and Frankincense resin

*organic

This is our “when in doubt, put Ancestral Balm on it” product. It’s the balm we keep around for really dry, cracked, irritated, or unhappy skin because there is SO much packed into it. We spend more than a week slowly infusing whole herbs and resins directly into tallow, emu oil, and olive oil before straining it all and turning it into a salve. It takes forever to make, but it’s also one of the most nourishing products we’ve ever created.