About Our Products

What Makes Squid Balm Products Special? 

• Squid Balm is Bee-Free and Vegan - we do not use beeswax, propolis, royal jelly or any animal products whatsoever.  Our products are also never tested on animals.

• Squid Balm is nut-free - we do not use shea or cocoa butters or any nut oils so our products are well suited to those with sensitivities to nuts.

• Squid Balm is paraben/preservative-free - we never add parabens to our products.  We use oils and butters high in tocopherols (vitamin E) which acts as a natural preservative.  We have also chosen the more stable oils that are resistant to heat degradation and have a longer shelf life.

• Squid Balm is gluten and corn-free.

• Squid Balm is phthalate-free - While we have unscented versions of all our products, many people like scents so we have made sure we only use phthalate-free fragrance oils or natural essential oils.

• Many of the oils and butters we use are organic or wildcrafted as well as cold pressed and unrefined.

Organic

Organic farming is free from chemicals and pesticides and cultivated in a more natural method.  It utilizes compost, green manure, natural pest control, and the exclusion of hormones & genetically modified organisms.  Organic farming is strictly monitored to maintain proper nutrient content of the soil to create a healthier plant and is regulated by pretty strict standards. 

Wildcrafted

Wildcrafted or wildharvested is organic taken to the next level.  These are wild growing plants from remote areas not subject to pesticides or any intervention from man so these can also be considered organic.  Wild plants do have a benefit over organically farmed plants.  These plants rely on nature to give them what they need; sunlight, water and nutrients.  Since they do not rely on man, they become tougher as they do what is necessary to survive and grow in ideal environments that allow the plants to be all that nature intended them to be.  Their tap roots can often go down more than 100 feet to firmly anchor themselves and draw up as much nutrients and water as they need from deep within the soil to keep healthy and balanced - more so than what they might get if they were farmed. 

Unrefined & Cold Pressed

As you may have read, most of our butters and several of our oils are NOT refined.  This is just one more aspect that makes us different.  An oil or butter in its natural state contains nutrients, vitamins and minerals, from the plant.  Once refined, much of the nutrient content is destroyed and you receive less of the benefits you were looking for to start with.  Butters are generally expeller pressed and minimally refined, just enough to make it usable and remove impurities you would not want in your butters - (the exception is the aloe butter we use - since it is aloe vera and coconut oil, it is technically an oil in solid form and is minimally refined).  We have also chosen oils and butters which are extracted by expeller or cold pressing.  These methods use the least amount of heat, once again protecting the natural nutrient content.  This may be more expensive, but we feel that the health benefits are so very worth it.  

We personally feel that these are extremely important aspects of our product.  We have searched high and low for the raw ingredient suppliers that can meet these requirements.  More often, we have purchased the pricier ingredients because they meet more of our standards than the less expensive versions.  After all, these ingredients are not just going on YOUR skin, but they were specifically chosen for our children and ourselves. 

Green Packaging

Now that we have obtained the best quality ingredients available and formulated them into a great products, it is now our responsibility to make sure we create as  little waste or impact on the environment as possible.  For our lotion bars, this means that we use tins rather than plastic containers.  Oil cleansers come in glass bottles and for our other products, we use only the minimum amount of plastic possible.  In cases where we have used plastic, we do ask that you recylcle or re-use when possible.   As always, we are looking for new ways to package greenly and we expect our packaging to change and improve over time to serve you and the earth better.

 Come join us!