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Reviews > Health & Safety > First Aid Kits > Badger Balm Lip Body Joint Healing Rub > Test Report by Josh Cormier

BADGER BALM LIP AND BODY, SORE JOINT & HEALING RUB

Tester series by Josh Cormier

 

Initial report: 27-Mar-09

Long Term report: 23-July-09


Personal biographical information:

  • Name:  Josh Cormier
  • Age: 29
  • Gender: Male
  • Height: 5’ 11” (1.80 m)
  • Weight: 155 lb (70 kg)
  • Email address:  swifteagle1 at hotmail dot com
  • City: Los Gatos, California
  • Date: 27-Mar-09

 

 

Backpacking background:

I joined the Boy Scouts when I was 11 and have been camping and backpacking ever since. I like to do challenging trips ranging from week long to weekend in mountainous areas. I would classify my gear as mid weight although now I am trying to move more toward lightweight. I now go backpacking at least once a year in the Sierra Nevada Mountains as well as monthly car camping trips with the Scouts.

 

Product Information: (information taken from Badger Balm website)

 

- Manufacture: Badger Balm

- Manufactures web site: www.badgerbalm.com

- Year of Manufacture: 2009

- Item Received: 20-Mar-09

Lip and Body Balm:

Lavender Lip BalmMint Lip BalmTangerine Lip Balm

Pictures courtesy of Badger Balm website

 

Lavender & Orange - *Lavender, *Sweet Orange & *Sicilian Orange
Highland Mint - *Spearmint, *Peppermint, Sweet Birch & *Lavender

Tangerine Breeze - *Tangerine, *Mandarin, *Pink Grapefruit, *Sweet Orange & *Sage

 

Base Ingredients: *Extra Virgin Olive Oil, *Golden Yellow Beeswax, *Castor Bean Oil, extracts of *Aloe Vera, and CO2 extracts of Rosehip & *Seabuckthorn Berry.
* = Certified Organic

 

Website Description:

Our elegant & refreshing .75 oz. travel size balms, each with a subtle natural flavor and fragrance, make a great lip balm, and the can be used to refresh dry skin anywhere on the body. We hear they are superb for achieving the after-leg shaving effect known as "Badger Smooth Legs."

 

- Listed Weight: .75 oz (21.26 g)

- Measured Weight: 1.2 oz (32 g)

- Measured Dimensions: 2 in x .75 in (51 mm x 19 mm)

- MSRP: $5.50 USD

 

 

Healing Balm:

Healing Balm

Picture courtesy of Badger Balm website

 

Ingredients: *Extra Virgin Olive Oil, *Golden Yellow Beeswax, *Castor Oil, *Aloe Vera Extract, and Essential Oil of Sweet Birch.

* = Certified Organic

 

Website Description:

Badger is the best organic salve for your cracked, chapped, rough, weathered and dry skin. This is the stuff you want with you if you are lost in some vast, uncharted wilderness. It has the mild, wintergreen-like scent of Sweet Birch, which has been traditionally used as an antiseptic, a muscle rub, and to ease the occasional symptoms of skin problems like psoriasis and eczema. Healing Balm is tough enough to soothe rough, dry skin, but gentle enough to use every day.

 

- Listed Weight: 2 oz (57 g)

- Measured Weight: 3 oz (85 g)

- Measured Dimensions: 2.75 in x 1.0 in (70 mm x 25.4 mm)  

- MSRP: $8.00 USD

 

 

Sore Joint Rub:

Sore Joint Rub

Picture courtesy of Badger Balm website

 

Ingredients: *Extra Virgin Olive Oil, *Cayenne Extract, *Golden Yellow Beeswax, *Castor Oil, CO2 Extracts of *Black Pepper, *Ginger, Arnica, & Rosehip, Essential Oils of *Lemongrass, *Cardamom, *Rosemary, *Sage, & Thyme.
* = Certified Organic

 

Website Description:

Sore Joint Rub with powerful Arnica and Black Pepper CO2 Extracts. The Arnica flower is well known for its remarkable muscle and joint soothing qualities and for aiding muscles and joints in recovery from injury. CO2 Black Pepper Oil is a circulatory stimulant. As such, it can help soothe the discomfort associated with poor circulation, general stiffness, sprains, and sciatica. The black pepper fragrance is said to support mental clarity and focus. And, as with all of our Sore Muscle Rub blends, SMR-J has a natural fragrance that is sublime.

 

- Listed Weight: 2 oz (57 g)

- Measured Weight: 3 oz (85 g)

- Measured Dimensions: 2.75 in x 1.0 in (70 mm x 25.4 mm) 

- MSRP: $13.00 USD

 

 

 

Initial Report - 27-Mar-09

 

 

 

Product Description:

 

I received three .75 oz tins of Badger’s Lip and Body Balm in three different flavors. The three flavors are: Lavender & Orange, Highland Mint, and Tangerine Breeze. Each tin is a different color signifying its flavor; this makes it easy to identify which tin I am picking up. I also received three of the larger two ounce tins of the Healing Balm and the Sore Joint Rub. They are also in different colored tins with different graphics on the top. Each tin was sealed with plastic shrink wrap around the edges keeping it from being opened but not completely sealing it from the air. Each tin also has an expiration date stamped on the side of the tin. The tins are easy to open, the tops don’t screw on they are instead a press fit. It does not take much pressure to open or close the tins. All tins have the name of what they are printed on the top of the tin graphic. In addition each tin has the ingredients and the balm’s uses printed on a sticker on the bottom of the tin.

 

Initial Impressions:

 

Lip and Body Balm:

The tins I received fit easily into my pockets and on the initial carrying around did not pop open as was my concern. When I opened the tin, I rubbed my finger across the top of the yellow looking waxy substance. Giving my finger a few quick swirls over the top gave me enough on my finger to apply to my lips. I applied the balm to my lips using my finger and found that it spread easily. The smell of all the lip and body balms is acceptable although I think that Highland Mint will be my favorite. The balm did not feel sticky or heavy but I could tell it was on my lips.

 

Healing Rub:

Besides being larger than the Lip and Body Balm tins this one worked the same. I pushed my finger in a little harder this time and got more of the balm on my finger. Using my fingers, I applied it to my knuckles which get dry from time to time. It smells pleasantly like wintergreen and after a few applications it seems to be helping my knuckles. I look forward to using this on my hands and other dry/rough skin.

 

Sore Joint Rub:

This tin is also larger than the Lip and Body Balm but the consistency of the balm is the same. The balm in this case is more of an orange color than the other balms and smells somewhat of rosemary. I don’t have any sore joints at the moment but I rubbed some on my forearm to see if I could feel anything. I could feel the area getting slightly warm but not very noticeably. Not that I’m looking forward to sore joints, but I’m looking forward to trying this out on any sore joints or muscles I do get.   

 

 

Long Term Report - 23-July-09

 

 

Field Conditions:

I took the Badger Balm collection with me on a three day, two night trip to Oregon. The elevation was 1100 ft (335 m). The weather was clear and cloudless with some moisture in the air during the night. The temperature fluctuated between 52 F (11 C) at night to 85 F (29 C) in the daytime.

 

I also took the Badger Balm collection with me on a three day, two night trip to Royal Oaks Park, CA. The elevation was 92 - 150ft (28 - 46 m). The weather was clear and cloudless with some moisture in the air during the night. The temperature fluctuated between 68 F (20 C) at night to 91 F (33 C) in the daytime.

 

Beyond the uses on camping trips I have carried the lip and body balm in my pocket almost every day since I got them. I also kept one set of healing and sore joint rub at my office and the other set at home.

 

Lip and Body Balm:

I used this as my main chap stick for the duration of the test. I had chapped lips several times and applying the lip balm helped to make them moist again. I carried one of the lip balm tins in my pocket almost everyday. I did not have any problems with it coming open or drying out. The label in the tin lid became scratched but it was still identifiable as the mint flavor. I did not apply it everyday, just when I needed it.

 

Healing Rub:

I kept a tin of this at the office as well as at home so that I could get more use out of it. I found that it worked well to rub on wounds that were closed and healing. Doing this kept the wound from drying out and cracking. I believe that this also kept scarring to a minimum. I have very dry fingers which causes lots of hangnails. I started rubbing the healing Balm on the tops of my fingers near my finger nails and have had less hang nails since doing so. I also applied it to my palms which were getting rough and dry. A few applications helped to make them not so dry.

 

Sore Joint Rub:

Since the beginning of this test series I have had a few sore muscles and a sore back. I have used the sore joint rub to sooth my aches and pains. I have found that applying the sore joint rub does sooth my aches and applying it right before going to bed helps me sleep better. This is definitely a product I look forward to using again.

 

 

Following are questions that I said I would answer at the end of the test series.

 

Dependability:

Does the Balm dry out if I accidentally leave the cap off?

-         I have not had any problems with the balm drying out, though I have not left the cap off for a long time.

 

Does the Balm dry out even though the container is closed?

-         It does not dry out with the cap closed.

 

Does the cap stay on even when the balm is rolling around in my bag?

-         I thought this would be a problem, but I have not had any of the tops come off by themselves.

 

 

Efficiency:

 

Does the balm work?

-         The lip and body balm did a good job of keeping my lips moist.

-         The sore joint rub did provide some relief to my tired and aching muscles.

-         The healing balm was great for keeping my wounds from cracking as they healed.

 

Does the balm wipe off easily?

-         Once applied I found the balm left a kind of oily residue. The excess could be wiped off but what got into the skin stayed there.

 

 

Ease of Use:

 

Is it easy to remove the Balm cap?

-         Yes it is easy to remove, but I have not had any tops come off when in my pocket or my bag.

 

Is it easy to use my finger as the applicator?

-         Yes the balm just coats my finger tip if I apply light pressure. If I need to get more balm out, I can press harder and scoop it out.

 

Does the balm stain my clothing?

-         I used the sore joint rub on my back several times and wore a white t-shirt over it. After washing the t-shirt there was no distinguishable stain.

 

This concludes my report series. Thank you to Badger Balm and BackpackGearTest for allowing me to test these items.



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Reviews > Health & Safety > First Aid Kits > Badger Balm Lip Body Joint Healing Rub > Test Report by Josh Cormier



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