Balm days ahead

IN the warm months of midge bites, sunburn and prickly heat, I never travel without a balm.

Many established balms have well-deserved cult followings. Take Egyptian Magic All-purpose Skin Cream, €30/45 (biggreensmile.com). It’s adored by celebrities such as Madonna and Kate Hudson, and the testimonials on the website show its users’ devotion. They claim it can cure poison-ivy rashes, eczema and minor burns, and that’s partly thanks to bees — there’s bee pollen, beeswax, pollen and honey in this little pot of magic.

Australia’s papaw ointment, €5.95 (pawpawshop.co.uk), is more of a balm but claims to be a multi-tasker. In its 80 years, it’s proved its credentials, and its antimicrobial properties can treat minor burns, chafing, cuts and nappy rash, and sunburn (I speak from experience: after using the ointment I went from bright red at night to gone in the morning).

The packaging is pretty cool, too — with retro-looking typeface and a bright red colour. Love it.

While most balms pride themselves on natural ingredients, Moa the green balm, €11.70 (feelunique.com), shouts about it in the name. I wrote about this gem last week, as it has a super-handy travel size that’s ideal for bringing away on holidays without having to load your luggage down.

The mini size is also a good way of testing it to see if it works for you. Like most balms, it needs to be warmed in the palm of the hand before you apply it, but once you’ve done that you can use it for eczema, psoriasis, bites, bumps and burns. Bingo.

Back in more familiar skin-softening territory lies Trilogy’s everything balm, €16.95, which works brilliantly as a moisturiser for skin that needs a good boost of hydration. Packed with organic marula oil, organic rosehip oil, olive, honey and vitamin E, I especially enjoyed using this on my bump when I was pregnant. These days, I keep it on hand for using on skin that’s feeling dry and rough and also as a skin-prep treatment, pre-fake tanning, on knees and elbows.

Liz Earle’s superbalm, €19.25 (ie.lizearle.com), is another I’ll use again and again. It’s made with natural waxes, plant oils, shea butter, neroli oil and vitamin E, and I particularly like using it as a hand cream (it is a great cuticle softener), and it works a dream on dried-out feet, too. Most balms work well to help with sunburn, and on the unfortunate , occasions when you’ve overdone it on the sun exposure, they work a treat. In the summer, sun burn and too much sun exposure is more of a problem, and while you should make sure that you’re sufficiently protected at all times, accidents do happen. Still, if you’ve overdone it on the UV rays, here’s a few that will help you out...