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Reviews > Personal Hygiene > Toiletries > Badger Balm Foot Balm > Test Report by Leesa Joiner

Initial Report
Badger Foot Balm
September 7, 2007
Initial Report    September 7, 2007
Long Term Report   December 10, 2007


Personal Information:
Leesa Joiner 
leesaj@gmail.com
Southwestern Maine
45 yrs                                                                    
Female
5'7" (1.7 m)
160 lb (73 kg)


Background:
     My outdoor experiences include trips varying in length from one-day hikes to two-week trips.  Most involve my three children. While my style isn't as 'high adventure' as some, I do enjoy the time we spend outdoors.   My load used to be HEAVY - think pack mule.  Now that the kids carry their own gear, plus the two oldest help carry the food, etc, my load is lighter.  I go for durability over weight when selecting gear.
    While outdoors, I spend time hiking, geocaching, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing and camping. I spend almost as much time outdoors during the winter as I do during the summer.

INITIAL REPORT

PRODUCT INFORMATION & SPECIFICATIONS:
badgerbalm tins
Manufacturer: WS Badgerfoot balm
Year of Manufacture: 2007
Manufacturer's Website: http://www.badgerbalm.com
MSRP: US$ 9.00
Listed Weight: 2 ounces (57 g) (product only)
Measured Weight: 3 ounces (87 g) (including tin container)

Ingredients: organic extra virgin olive oil, castor oil,
organic jojoba oil, golden yellow beeswax, and essential oils of
rosemary, organic peppermint, organic balsam fir, eucalyptus, organic
tea tree and cardamom.

INITIAL IMPRESSIONS

Upon opening the tin, I found the aroma to be very pleasant and somewhat minty.   I tried a small amount on the bottom of my feet, then put on some cotton socks before going to bed.  I found that the oil content helps it to spread smoothly.  Instead of wasting what was left on my hands, I rubbed my hands on my elbows.   My feet felt a bit 'slippery' inside my socks, while my elbows seemed to absorb the balm more quickly.  That is most likely due to the fact that I put much less on my elbows.   When I woke up in the morning, my feet did feel much smoother.  The oil had all been absorbed, leaving my feet feeling moisturized, but not oily.  I have dry feet, that also suffer from me going barefoot a lot.  I have a callous on the bottom of my left foot that sometimes is irritated by my hiking sandals.  

The product is what I expected from the website.  The website explains the types of ingredients used, and that they are all natural and at least 70% certified organic.



TEST PLAN

I plan on using this balm both after hiking and in-between hikes.  My feet can definitely use the help!  I am curious as to how it will feel to apply it and then hike - will it reduce the tired feeling my feet get after hiking, especially when my feet get warm.   I had a funny thought about this product. Essential oils release more of their aroma when heated - does that mean if I apply it before hiking, my feet will give off a pleasant scent while I hike? That would be a real bonus!

Our weather will be cooling, and I will be switching from hiking sandals to hiking boots.  This will give me the opportunity to test the balm with different footwear/sock combinations.

I have a couple of weekend trips planned, the first being to the White Mountain National Forest.  I also have a weekend backpacking trip planned with the Boy Scouts.   Either the week before or the week after that I will be taking back to back day hikes of about 8 miles each (13 km).  I will have a few more weekend trips between now and the end of the test period.    Our temperatures are cooling quickly, with our first average frost date the end of September.   Day temperatures will drop from the current 75 F  (24 C) to below freezing by the end of the test.  We October tends to be our rainy season, with first snowfall usually by the end of November.

I appreciate the opportunity to test the foot balm and thank both Badger Balm and backpackgeartest.org.   Picture is from the Badger Balm website.


Field Report
December 10, 2007


Over the last few months I have used almost the entire tin of Badger Foot Balm
.   I apply some to my feet before every hike, and find that my feet may get tired, but I do not come home with blisters, sore spots or 'hot' spots.  Overall, the dryness of my skin has diminished considerably.  One two long weekend trips, I applied the balm before going to sleep and left socks on while sleeping.  In the morning I would put my clean hiking socks on and another thin application of the balm.  I came home both times with better looking feet than I left with.  I did find that on trips when I wore hiking sandals, without socks, more dirt stuck to my feet than when I didn't use the balm.   I don't believe I applied too much.  I wasn't bothered by this while hiking, but I'd be careful if I were to use it with sandals and then go somewhere in public.

I wore the balm with sandals on a few occasions, sometimes with light weight socks. Other times it didn't make sense to wear socks, because I knew I'd be getting my feet wet.   One thing that surprised me - when I wore the balm without socks, and got my feet wet, the water pretty much shed right off my feet.  I could see it bead up, and the water ran off, leaving my feet almost completely dry.   I have a feeling in cold weather, that could be a real plus!

I found the balm to have a pleasant fragrance, and a non-greasy feel.  I am extremely happy with the condition my feet are in after using it - and plan on purchasing more.    I didn't notice any increase in the fragrance while hiking, it seemed to disappear once I had my hiking shoes on.  

Positives:
Soothing
Non-greasy
Pleasant aroma
All natural
Relieves dry skin

Negatives:
Dirt stuck to balm on feet

I really enjoyed testing the Badger Foot Balm - I found it to be a very useful product that deserves its spot in my pack! Thanks to Badger and backpackgeartest.org for the opportunity to test this product.


Read more reviews of Badger Balm gear
Read more gear reviews by Leesa Joiner

Reviews > Personal Hygiene > Toiletries > Badger Balm Foot Balm > Test Report by Leesa Joiner



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