Journal.

Notes from the workshop: what we are making, what we have changed, and how to use it.

Dried calendula flowers steeping in a jar of golden oil

12 September 2026

Why our calendula steeps for six weeks.

Every face oil and balm we make starts as a jar of dried calendula flowers in sunflower oil. The flowers come from a grower near Oudenaarde, who picks them in July and dries them in her barn.

The jars sit on a dark shelf for six weeks and are turned every few days. The oil goes from pale yellow to deep gold and takes on the flowers' soothing resins. Two weeks is enough for colour; it takes six for the oil to calm red skin the way we want.

That is why a batch can sell out for a month. We would rather wait than hurry it.

3 June 2026

Refills, one year in.

A year ago we started filling your own bottles and jars in the shop. Since then 1,840 have come back, most of them the cleansing balm.

We wash every one again before filling it. If you post them back, we refill and return them with your next order.

18 March 2026

How much face oil to use.

Less than you think. Three or four drops cover the face and neck. Warm them between your palms and press them in rather than rub.

Put it on skin that is still damp from washing and it spreads further and sinks in faster. If your face feels greasy after ten minutes, use one drop fewer.

The face oil, €38