If you care about the ingredients in your balm, we recommend using EWG’s Skin Deep Cosmetic Database to research the ingredients in the balms you’re considering before buying. Tip Care vs. General Care If you’re looking for quantity, Dr. Bronner’s Magic Balm has you covered. For the same price as others in this review, you get twice the amount with very a similar formulation. I love this balm because it has no noticeable smell and only a few ingredients. The balm has a very loose, almost buttery consistency but that means a little goes a long way. Unlike other balms, this one can be found at most drug stores so it’s easy to replace when you run out. The larger size means I don’t usually carry it with me to the crag. The hardcore wax-based climbing salves are mostly for severe restoration of the skin. They’re usually applied to hands after a long history of skincare neglect.

However, the pros don’t outweigh the cons in this case – the residue of this salve is oily, so you’ll have to wait and sit around for about 10 minutes before you can go about your day.

Joshua Tree Organic Climbing Salve is a “good” product at best. The salve only has two pros – decent skin healing and organic ingredients.

We have come to the end of our review of bouldering hand cream, yet all is not lost! We have gathered some of the most frequently asked questions in the section below. Have a look to see if they interest you. What is the best bouldering hand cream? Giddy didn’t outshine the other products enough to earn our highest scores, but it was still a favorite among testers. Joshua Tree Climbing SalveIf your salve needs are mostly for general skin restoration, you may not need to invest in a fancy climbing-specific salve. Like the Joshua Tree, it’s a soft solid that sits in a tin and allows a fingertip or two to be dipped in at a time. It smells pleasantly citrus-y and it’s easy to apply. Most climbing skin care balms and creams are a soft wax or oil based – in contrast to traditional skin care creams. If you have quite dry skin try to get something that moisturizes with natural oils that will be absorbed by your skin but not leave it to soft. If you have oily or sweaty skin, try and get something with a natural, mild drying agent. If you split a finger tip or get a decent cut, stop climbing and wash the wound thoroughly. Apply some neosporin or a similar antiseptic and antibacterial cream as soon as possible. You should then cover the area with a breathable plaster or band aid and let it heal, reapplying the antiseptic every few hours to help. The same applies to flappers but they can take longer to heal because of the large area of new skin being exposed to air.

And that’s a bummer, because the ClimbSkin is far and away the most expensive product in our test. Per ounce, it costs around double most of the other products we tested.For about the same price as most of the salves in our test, you get about six times the volume. If you’re a frequent user, that adds up. And unless you’re pretty meticulous about your skin care, the difference between our best and worst performers isn’t drastic. Buying a climbing salve comes down to three fundamental questions: what kind of ingredients do you want it to have, what do you need it for, and how much can you pay? Ingredients Methenamine produces formaldehyde on reaction with water in the skin. If you are allergic to formaldehyde don’t use it. As ever consult a doctor for professional opinions and don’t use the internet for health advice. Urgent Care – Repair Split Finger Tips, Flappers, Cuts There is no other way than to try it. You can read the ingredients list and make sure you are not allergic to anything, other than that it is largely personal preference. Of course, things like the price will also sway your decision. Mainly, it is simply a good idea to try. Taking Care of Your Hands With Bouldering Hand Cream Climbing salves are best for restoring fingertips, especially after extreme abuse. They can be helpful, but many climbers get by well without them — don’t worry if you don’t use one. Hard Skin vs. Soft Skin

How well did my skin heal using the salve? Did it make a substantial difference? What were the characteristics of healed skin? We have already detailed how to take care of bouldering calluses, and using cream is an essential part of that. By staying on top of your hands, you will allow yourself the opportunity to boulder more. We recommend using hand cream as part of your hand care routine. List of Bouldering Hand CreamHaving a little kit ready to go is really helpful when you need to perform with interruption. Pros like Adam Ondra and Magnus Midtbo have kits at hand wherever they go. Totally indispensable for climbing holidays without time for rest days. This is what we recommend: – And most importantly, DO NOT forget to reapply your handcare climbing lotion before bed. It’s a super important step that newbies often skip. How do climbers take care of flappers? Whenever possible, these results were corroborated by a fellow tester who would apply the same two salves (reversing which was on the dominant/non-dominant hand). It turns out to be hard to convince someone to spend a month and a half talking about hand salves, so I enlisted a rotating crew of testers. None of the salves were terrible, and all of them helped a little. More good news: over the month of testing we learned that a) good skin care does make a difference, but b) it’s not a huge one.