When I traveled to Newport, Rhode Island last spring (see my post here!), I made a stop to the Farmaesthetics boutique on Bellevue Avenue and purchased a few trial-size products. I’m about to finish up my small tin of Hand to Heel Softening Salve, so this review is long overdue!

Farmaesthetics Hand to Heel Salve is an all-purpose balm with an all-natural ingredients list: sweet almond oil*, calendula*, beeswax*, lavender and peppermint essential oils, carrot oil*, and vitamin e (*certified organic). It’s solid in cooler weather, and softer to the touch during the summer months. It has a very, very faint beeswax-and-lavender scent.

I’ve been using Hand to Heel from, well, my hands to my heels. It’s an excellent balm for cuticles, as well as bare fingernails; I really think it helped to strengthen my splitting nails when I used it nightly this summer. It also provides healing moisture for dry elbows or cracked heels. I found it a bit greasy to use in large areas, or as a bedtime hand lotion, but for small problem areas, it’s a fine remedy. I think it would also work to heal minor scars or abrasions, provided you’re not sensitive to the essential oils. (Personally, I find most essential oils easy to tolerate.)

When I use up the very last of my tin, I’ll consider buying more Hand to Heel Softening Salve—it’s not cheap (the full-size product is $26 for 2.5 ounces), but it’s an all-around useful item, and I like the idea of supporting a small business like Farmaesthetics.

For more information, visit the Farmaesthetics website.