Foxglove wraps are handmade with 100% cotton fabric infused with ingredients as below. We have spent a fair amount of time getting the quantities and proportions right to ensure your wraps will have a long life and great sealing properties.

Beeswax

Beeswax (cera alba) is a natural wax produced by honey bees. The wax is formed into scales by eight wax-producing glands in the abdominal segments of worker bees, which discard it in or at the hive. The hive workers collect and use it to form cells for honey storage and larval and pupal protection within the beehive.

Beeswax has been used since prehistory as man’s first plastic, as a lubricant and waterproofing agent, in lost wax casting of metals and glass, as a polish for wood and leather and for making candles, and as an ingredient in cosmetics

Beeswax is completely edible, having negligible toxicity (similar to most plant waxes).

Tree Resin

Tree resin is a fluid produced by a number of plants (most commonly trees). Tree sap is generally watery, whilst resin is thicker and a lot stickier.

Similar to beeswax, resin is useful as well as it’s ability to be shaped, for its antimicrobial and antibacterial properties. Resins do not dissolve in water, they harden when exposed to air and melt when exposed to heat. People are known to have used resins before 1700 BC, and throughout history it has been used as a natural adhesive and as a medicine. Because tree resin is waterproof, ship builders often used it to seal and give long life to boat materials, ropes and tarps.

Today, it’s multitude of uses include as a sealant, rosin for the bows of string instruments, and an additive for soaps. You can also use it for wilderness survival in emergency situations, including the treatment of wounds, stopping bleeding and soothing rashes. Tree Resin is a great stabiliser for supporting the flexibility, antibacterial properties and long life of natural Beeswax food wraps.

Jojoba oil

Jojoba oil is the liquid produced in the seed of the Simmondsia chinensis (Jojoba) plant, a shrub, which is native to southern Arizona, southern California, and northwestern Mexico. The oil makes up approximately 50% of the jojoba seed by weight. This oil composition has an extreme shelf-life stability and extraordinary resistance to high temperatures, compared with true vegetable oils.

Jojoba oil is found as an additive in many cosmetic products, especially those marketed as being made from natural ingredients. In particular, such products commonly containing jojoba are lotions and moisturizers, hair shampoos and conditioners.

Jojoba oil has antibacterial properties and natrually contains Vitamins A & E that help control bacterial growth which makes it a great additive for Beeswax food wraps. The oil also assists with the wax flexibility.

Propolis

Propolis or “bee glue” is a resinous mixture that honey bees produce by mixing saliva and beeswax with exudate gathered from tree buds, sap flows, or other botanical sources. It is mostly used as a sealant for unwanted open spaces in the hive.

Propolis is natually occurring in harvested beeswax, and this ingredient that gives is it’s lifespan. The addition of a small amount extra is useful in a beeswax wrap to increase the usable lifespan even further.