The Mountain Mahma Story...
Like me, Mountain Mahma Salve Company was born in the mountains of Montana. Having lived here almost my whole life, I have a tight relationship with the arid climate and its effects on skin. Add any kind of outdoor adventure or manual labor and you can say hello to chronically dry, cracked hands. I must have lived in the tropics in a past life, because dry skin has always been an unbearable side effect of this one. I've spent a lot of time - and oodles of dough - on the search for a really great moisturizer.
In my late twenties I was awakened to the mess of chemicals that were in most products, and I started seeking out more natural options, only to find that the term "natural" doesn't mean poop on a label. The few products I could find that passed the 'no chemicals, no colors' test fell short of sustaining my moisture needs, or were too greasy. So I started buying raw ingredients, like shea and cocoa butters, and using them solo. Good moisture, hard to apply and absorb. Finally I stumbled onto a book all about organic body care - with recipes. It was like my personal holy grail! I dove in and began experimenting, sussing out my favorites and basking in the luxurious moisture of my concoctions. One of those recipes stuck, and I made so many batches that first year I ended up giving most of it to friends and coworkers.
Back then I was living and working on an organic produce farm - hands (and feet) always in the dirt - and using a LOT of salve. I was also, for the first time, getting heavy exposure not only to farming, but to herbs. Besides growing, harvesting, and cooking with them, I was learning so much about the healing powers of herbs and I was completely enthralled. It wasn't long before I started infusing my new salve with comfrey, calendula, chamomile.... always experimenting. Pretty soon I was growing my own patch of calendula flowers to use in my infusions. By then, I had ditched perfume for essential oils as well, and I loved creating and trying out scent profiles in my creams and salves. Eventually I discovered the therapeutic and healing properties of these oils, making them truly essential in my products today.
Back then I was living and working on an organic produce farm - hands (and feet) always in the dirt - and using a LOT of salve. I was also, for the first time, getting heavy exposure not only to farming, but to herbs. Besides growing, harvesting, and cooking with them, I was learning so much about the healing powers of herbs and I was completely enthralled. It wasn't long before I started infusing my new salve with comfrey, calendula, chamomile.... always experimenting. Pretty soon I was growing my own patch of calendula flowers to use in my infusions. By then, I had ditched perfume for essential oils as well, and I loved creating and trying out scent profiles in my creams and salves. Eventually I discovered the therapeutic and healing properties of these oils, making them truly essential in my products today.
Over the years, that original recipe became unrecognizable, as I continued to research ingredients and experiment with different ratios. The formula I use most today is the result of my diligent (obsessive) pursuit for moisturized hands, and I can tell you for certain, there's not a crack or a dry spot to be found. Mountain Mahma salves and butters are always made with the best ingredients I can get my super soft hands on - cold pressed, unrefined and organic oils, organically grown herbs, and therapeutic grade, quality tested essential oils. I still make everything is small batches to maintain consistency and quality.
For more than a decade I've been gifting my salves and making them for anyone who asked. They've been used by fishing guides, chefs, ski instructors, bartenders, rock climbers, carpenters, lumberjacks, gardeners, and mamas, healing and protecting hands and feet to keep adventures going strong. Now I'm bringing them to you, in hopes of making all your adventures a little smoother.
Heather Mah
Founder
