The right hands

By fotostef on 8/9/2025

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When @traisto told me that she had learned how to make beeswax balms, I didn’t really know what to expect. I’m not much into cosmetics, and I’ve never been the kind of person who keeps a row of creams and lotions on the bathroom shelf. So I smiled politely, listened to her describing the process, and thought it sounded nice. But I wasn’t exactly counting the days until I tried it.

But that changed the moment I opened the first jar of her calendula balm.


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The scent was the first thing that struck me. It wasn’t overpowering as it has no artificial perfume. Instead, it was gentle, carrying the faint sweetness of drying plants. I applied a little on my skin and instantly understood why people become almost obsessed with this kind of thing. It felt so friendly, so right, so needed.

Watching her prepare a batch, was an experience in itself. Although it didn’t last too long, it felt like a quiet ritual. And an excellent opportunity to take a few photos :)


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The beeswax itself has its own story. Golden blocks from a local beekeeper, @traisto’s cousin, and someone we can trust completely to deliver 100% pure beeswax from his latest harvest. The olive oil, organic, extra virgin, harvested by our own four hands, had been infused with calendula in a slow process that takes days, as the flowers release their properties into the oil. A procedure that deserves a post of its own.

We stood in the middle of the workspace as the beeswax slowly melted, turning into liquid gold. The evening sunlight lit the scene brilliantly making the calendula oil glow. When the two were finally combined, along with organic cocoa butter, the air filled with a scent that was both earthy and delicate. I admired her as she stirred patiently, until it melted completely. It was less like making a product and more like preparing a delicacy for someone you love.


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The balm cooled quickly once poured into small, round jars. Each one looked simple, but I now understand how much care had gone into it, not just in the making, but in the gathering of ingredients, the patience, the knowledge.

And once it was done, I found myself using it more than I had expected, all over my body. From chapped lips to cracked heels, on my hands after gardening, on dry skin after a couple of hours under the hot sun, on mosquito bites. It’s strange, something I thought I’d never use has now become part of my everyday life.


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What surprised me most was not just the balm itself, but the procedure of making it, too. It made me think about how many small things we overlook simply because they don’t shout for attention. And maybe that’s what makes it so special. It’s not trying to be more than it is. It’s just the right ingredients, the right hands, and enough time to let nature do what it does best.


The camera that I used is a Canon EOS 850D with an EF-S 18-135mm lens attached. I edited the photographs in Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Classic
**All the pictures and the words are mine.**

Thank you for reading and if you want to know more about me you can check out my introduction post.

Commenting, upvoting and rebloging are highly appreciated!

Comments (7)

vincentnijman's avatar @vincentnijman 8/9/2025

Beautiful! This is the kind of natural goodness we want to put on our skin.✨

Who knows, we might end up making something similar, in the near future, @clareartista :^)

fotostef's avatar @fotostef 8/10/2025

You should! It is excellent and not too hard to make it :)

nicklewis's avatar @nicklewis 8/9/2025

We need more of this kind of thing in our lives really. People thousands of years ago would have done this all of the time, I imagine.

fotostef's avatar @fotostef 8/10/2025

Indeed!

Using almost forgotten ways of doing things, is exactly what we do with @traisto in our workshop. From candle making, to dyeing fabrics or making balms.

bleujay's avatar @bleujay 8/9/2025

Greetings @fotostef ,

What a beautiful post.....lovely photographs and well written commentary....thank you!

Now you have convinced us...we need this balm as well. ^__^

Kind Regards to you and your good lady,

Bleujay

fotostef's avatar @fotostef 8/10/2025

Thank you very much @bleujay :)

Cheers!

goga22's avatar @goga22 8/9/2025

A great play with focus and proof that even the simplest things and objects from everyday life, used in a skillful photography, can become special, bravo! !DIY

fotostef's avatar @fotostef 8/10/2025

Thank you, I am glad you liked the pics :)

sofathana's avatar @sofathana 8/9/2025

High-quality product, congratulations! ✨

fotostef's avatar @fotostef 8/10/2025

Thank you very much, from both of us :)

zoricatech's avatar @zoricatech 8/9/2025

P r e l e p o! 🙂 Hvala na divnoj priči i nestvarno lepim fotografijama, @fotostef.

Tako originalno i zanimljivo, retkost za trenutak u kome živimo...

fotostef's avatar @fotostef 8/10/2025

Thank you very much @zoricatech :)

I am glad you liked them!

gatubela's avatar @gatubela 8/11/2025

Αχ πόσο μου αρέσουν όλα αυτά τα φυσικά καλλυντικά 👌🏻💛, τα λατρεύω 😍. Άμα ζούσα στην Ελλάδα θα ήμουν ο πρώτος πελάτης χεχεχε 😁🤑. Felicitaciones y éxitos ✨👏🏻.

fotostef's avatar @fotostef 8/11/2025

Τι να σε κάνουμε που είσαι μακριά και δεν έχουμε αρχίσει εξαγωγές στην Λατινική Αμερική :)

Muchas gracias!

gatubela's avatar @gatubela 8/12/2025

😕🤷🏻‍♀️, ελπίζω κάποια μέρα να εισάγω τα προϊόντα που φτιάχνει η Φωτεινή 😃😌👌🏻, "ελληνικές πoμάδες, βάλσαμο και κρέμες, από γνήσια φυσικά υλικά 🍯🧫🧪⚗️👌🏻", εδώ οι γυναίκες λατρεύουν τα καλλυντικά 😁, και τέτοιο είδους καλλυντικά περισσότερο 😉.