As buyer for the health and beauty department at the Silver City Food Co-op, I have always been pleased and proud to be able to offer our customers an exceptional line of face and body care products that just so happens to be local!

 

Super Salve Company, is located in panoramic southwestern New Mexico near the ghost town of Mogollon. Denise Tracy Cowan, owner and developer of Super Salve, is a second generation herbalist. Her mother, Phyllis Hogan, is a practicing herbalist who began her own herb store, the Winter Sun Trading Company in 1976 in Flagstaff, Arizona and is director of the Ethno Botanical Research Association which she co-founded in 1983. As you might imagine, Denise spent her girlhood immersed it the world of plants. She recalls going on outings with her mom and sister, DeeAnn Tracy Brown, along the Gila River outside of Coolidge, Arizona to search for medicinal plants. Later, she apprenticed at Winter Sun and, after graduating from Michael Moore’s Southwest School of Botanical Medicine as a clinical herbologist, continued to work as manager of the herb store for nine years.

Her big move into the world of body care started with her formulation of a salve to prevent and heal foot fungus for folks on rafting trips down the Grand Canyon. Super Salve Company was born, in 1990, out of the positive response to this extremely effective salve. Today this eco-sustainably conscious company employs 14 people. All products are made in-house (including their plant infused oils), are botanically based, and contain no petro-chemicals or GMOs. Also, customers can now choose between three different skin care lines, Super Salve, Power Repair, and Body Nurish. Having used many of these products, I can attest to their effectiveness, purity, and sheer luxuriant quality. I certainly have my favorites but rather than recommending specific products, I urge you to dive into the world of Super Salve on your own. One exciting note is that this company’s Sierra Madre Sun Cream has been blogged for best sunscreen by Shane “The People’s Chemist” Ellison. Thank you Super Salve. We’re proud to be able to call you “local!”

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by Judith Kenney