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Reviews > Personal Hygiene > Toiletries > Badger Balm Aromatic Chest Rub > Test Report by Jeff Ruhle

BADGER ARMOATIC CHEST RUB
TEST SERIES BY JEFF RUHLE
LONG-TERM REPORT

INITIAL REPORT - March 14, 2010
LONG TERM REPORT - June 19, 2010

TESTER INFORMATION

NAME: Jeff Ruhle
EMAIL: jjruhle@madski.com
AGE: 23
LOCATION: Waterville, Maine, USA
GENDER: m
HEIGHT: 6' 3" (1.90 m)
WEIGHT: 175 lb (79.40 kg)

I developed a love for backpacking while spending the semester abroad in New Zealand. I enjoy playing games and seeing how little I can pack to keep my pack light, however, I always pack a lot of food. My favorite terrain is steep, rugged, alpine terrain with more vertical and less horizontal. Living in New England, I find a lot of this terrain since the trail makers don't seem to make many switchbacks. I also am highly involved with a large number of other outdoor activities like skiing, kayaking, climbing, and biking. Generally, I like to push my comfort zone.


INITIAL REPORT

PRODUCT INFORMATION & SPECIFICATIONS

IMAGE 1
Front of Container
Manufacturer: The W.S. Badger Company, Inc.
Year of Manufacture: Unknown
Manufacturer's Website: www.badgerbalm.com
MSRP: US$10
Listed Weight: 2.0 oz (56 g)

Ingredients:
-Extra Virgin Olive Oil
-Castor Oil
-Beeswax
-Essential Oils of Eucalyptus Globulus, Tea Tree, Ravensara, Peppermint, Lavender, Tangerine, Eucalyptus Staigeriana, Wild Marjoram
-CO2 Extracts of Rosemary.

INITIAL IMPRESSIONS

The Badger Aromatic Chest Rub (for herein referred to as the rub) arrived in a simple 2 oz. (56 g) tin. A picture of the tin is shown above. It might be something I would expect to see on the counter of a Bath & Bodyworks type of store.

Inside was a fragrant yellow substance that had the consitency of solidified oil. It smells primarily of mint, with lemony and gingery tones. All in all, a fairly pleasant aromatic experience.

TRYING IT OUT

IMAGE 2
Back of Container
As I mentioned above, to me the smell is primarily minty with lemony/ginger tones. I enjoy lemon ginger tea, and this seems to have quite a similar aroma. The mint has a cooling effect on the skin and a soothing feeling on the respiratory tract. The consistency of the concoction, however, leaves the skin feeling oily.

SUMMARY

Things I like:
-The fragrance
-The cooling effect on the skin

Things I don't like:
-It leaves my skin feeling oily

This concludes my Initial Report. Please check back in two months for the Field Report.


LONG-TERM REPORT

LONG-TERM TEST LOCATIONS AND CONDITIONS

Due to that fact that this is a product used for recovery, it was used in the bedroom of my apartment in Winter Park, Colorado. Located at 9000 ft (2743 m), Winter Park is a very dry high alpine environment which can often give the respiratory tract a lot of stress. The humidity usually ranges from 0-20% and temperatures swing quickly from sub-freezing temperatures at night to around 80 F (26.67 C) during the day. However, I am sure the humidity inside my house remains a little higher and the temperature is set at 68 F (20 C).

Unfortunately for the test, fortunately for me, I never got sick during the period of this test. I usually get a minor head cold during the spring and fall, but managed to get by without one this season. However, I still used the chest rub occasionally for testing purposes.

PERFORMANCE IN THE FIELD

As I mentioned, I did not get sick during the period of this test, so keep this in mind while reading the test results.

The nights when I did use the chest rub, I did not wake up feeling any different from nights when I had not used the rub. Falling asleep, however, was quite pleasant due to the aroma of the rub. It is probably similar to the effect I would get while taking a bath with aromatic bath salts. It was very relaxing and the mint did provide a nice soothing effect, but I cannot say that it felt like it was opening up my airway at all. I have gotten similar effects from making a cup of mint tea and breathing in the aromatic steam that comes off the tea. In my opinion, the aroma of the rub needs to be much stronger.

The texture of the rub is interesting. Initially it is about the consistence of butter straight out of the fridge. However, as I apply it to my skin, it seems to melt a bit, almost becoming an oil. As I rub it into my skin, it definitely feels like and oil. At first, I felt like I would have to go wash it off before I actually fell asleep, but it seemed to soak into my skin pretty quickly. It provided a very slight cooling effect on the skin. There was still a slightly oily feel to my skin after about 15 minutes, but not bad enough that I felt it needed to be washed off before falling asleep.

In the morning, the skin where I had applied the rub was very soft and supple, and the remaining oily feeling had disappeared. Whether it rubbed off onto the sheet or got absorbed into the skin, I don't know.

SUMMARY

Things I like:
-The combination of different aromas
-The minimal cooling effect when applied to the skin
-The soft and supple feeling of my skin the morning after
-It is completely organic and I can recognize all the ingredients

Things I don't like:
-Oily feel after applying the rub
-Fragrance isn't nearly strong enough

This report was created with the BackpackGearTest.org Report Writer Version 1.5 Copyright 2010. All rights reserved.

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Reviews > Personal Hygiene > Toiletries > Badger Balm Aromatic Chest Rub > Test Report by Jeff Ruhle



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