[CrafterAl]

Making salve products fits perfectly with a homesteading sort of a lifestyle.

Salves are simple, basic and way less chemical-intensive than lotion-type products. You're much less likely to poison yourself with properly made salves.

Salves are mixtures of oils, butters and waxes. If you get the right proportions of each, you can get just the feel to the finished product that you want.

<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B009NKF86O"><img src="http://www.soapbizkit.com/images/making-herbal-salves.jpg" border="0" alt="making herbal salves" align="left" hspace="10"></a>We have a <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B009NKF86O">book</a> that shows how to make salves easily. Click on the picture to the left!

You can incorporate herbs and essential oils into the products. You can even use aromatherapy principles in designing these salves.

Some of the ingredients can come from your own gardens or fields, or from those of a neighbor.

These products are used to treat all sorts of medical conditions too, and have been used this way for a long time.

Now consider lotions... Lotions are water and oil emulsions. When you mix water and oils you build the perfect medium for growing bacteria and other life forms. To prevent that from getting out of control, manufacturers of lotions MUST incorporate anti-microbial preservatives. Therein lies the problem. These preservatives then end up on your porous skin.

Is that a good thing? Many people don't think so.

• So salves are simple products.
  
• They are easy and inexpensive to make.
  
• Making salves is fun.
  
• They can be used as part of a healthy lifestyle approach.
  
• Salves work like lotions, but without the chemical preservatives.
  
• Lip balms are a form of salves and are they ever popular!

What's more...

People will buy salve products.

Consider making salves, especially if you already make soap!

Look at our book about making salves and lip balms.

It's a shortcut to success if you want to make salve products.

<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B009NKF86O">Check it out here.</a>

 

[homebody]

I make comfrey, calendula, salve mostly. Make lip balm when needed. When I make salve, I make 4-8oz. at a time, keep in ref, fill small jars from that. Infuse in dark jars in a window wth olive oil, then add beeswax to harden. Easy, love making stuff like this.
Next on my to-do list is making stevia extract.

 

[ChristieAcres]

Depending on where you are, selling Salves and other personal products requires licensing, etc... There are also laws governing labeling and claims.

I infuse my herbs for usually six weeks, always in a dark cool place. The resulting oils are stored in dark jars.

 

[CrafterAl]

Note that governments, especially at the local and state levels, want you to get a license to sell most anything!

That's not too surprising. They also want you to have a certificate when you're born and another one when you die!

One, often simple, solution to the license issue is to get the license. There are other options as well.

Note also that if the seller of personal care items makes health claims for the product, the product is considered a "drug" - not good. The solution for that is to avoid ever making health claims for anything.

Salves might be regulated as cosmetics. Whether that is the case would depend on several issues. Soap products are mostly unregulated, with the exception of some possible label requirements.

 

[MullersLaneFarm]

But salves are not soap, Al.

To be perfectly blunt, I don't think I am the only one on this forum that has a bad taste in my mouth from the majority of your posts being about advertising yourself ....

There are plenty of folks on here that make their own soaps, salves, lotions, et al for a long, long, long time and I for one think it is rude to come on to a a new forum just to sell your products and books.

You have chutzpah, I'll give you that. But what credentials do you have?

 

[CrafterAl]

Remember, this is the Vendor Display. I have permission to be here.

As a Vendor I am trying to post something that some might find interesting and informative, while I make an offer of something that I have for sale.


"Vendor Display This section is for Vendor to promote their products and services."

 

[HSTAdmin]

Remember, this is the Vendor Display. I have permission to be here.

As a Vendor I am trying to post something that some might find interesting and informative, while I make an offer of something that I have for sale.


"Vendor Display This section is for Vendor to promote their products and services."

This is 100% correct. Al has specific permission to post deals and specials to this forum. This forum is dedicated to that and that alone.

If anyone here is a business and would like more information please send me a pm.

 

[MullersLaneFarm]

Not saying you don't have a right to be here, Al ... just that if you're only intent on being here is to sell things, it might be considered in poor taste.

Guess the rest of us will just continue to give friendly free advice on making salves & balms.

 

[Pony]

I guess a few of us were wondering about the way it's always been, that folks had to post in other areas and be active members before they could post a lot of adverts and such.

Also, some may consider it poor form to sort of talk down others' products whilst pedaling your own.

 

[ChristieAcres]

MullersLaneFarm has 8788 posts, so I figure she has earned a right to an opinion...the policy has been here, members were required to contribute in forums to earn the right to sell or promote anything on here. However, if that policy has changed, it would be nice to know.

 

[AngieM2]

This section is for advertising. But not belittling.
So, to have your wares in this area, contact Austin.

It was set up to be more like a Store/Vendor and to keep anyone that wanted to JUST advertise out of the regular community and so products that might be of interest to the community could be available to be reviewed, etc.

If this type of post had happened in any other forum, it would have been deleted.

So, this new Vendor - not regular member - is right in posting here, and trying to have business conversations - they will not go outside this forum.

 

[CrafterAl]

Thank you for all the comments.

I've learned a lot from the reactions here!

Have you considered that all sorts of products are salve-like?

By that I mean these kinds of products are formulated just like hand salves are.

Examples?

Furniture polish/cream.

Boot "grease".

Metal protection.

Even some car wax.

There are lots more...

So a "salve" isn't necessarily something you rub on yourself...

Income potential abounds...

for those with imagination...

who can market.