I don’t know about you, but I tend to suffer from little dry patches of skin at this time of year… mine becomes drier in general, so I have to up my whole regime (more on this soon!), but I also get little itchy patches of flaky skin, mainly on my upper arms and legs. I guess it’s a form of eczema, which my little boy also flares up with quite badly at the change of seasons. First I want to talk about two balms which have been absolute skin saviours when a regular moisturiser just doesn’t cut it…
La Roche Posay Cicaplast Baume B5
This soothing, repairing balm has antibacterial properties to aid healing as it moisturises…. I’ve used it for dry, chapped skin on my hands and cuticles, as a lip balm. It’s also great as a barrier cream for my little boy’s face to prevent it getting red and dry in cold weather - and on his body before swimming to prevent eczema breakouts. The texture is light and quickly absorbed, so doesn’t leave a greasy residue. For one reason or another I’ve been reaching for this most days over the past month and wouldn’t be without it now. As an added bonus, it’s well priced, paraben, fragrance and lanolin free.
Selixir Peace Balm - Instant Serenity Treatment
I turn to this Swiss wonder when I need to take things up a notch - it’s an ultra rich, intensely moisturising balm and quite frankly, a wonder product - even its name is soothing!. Made with 21 highly concentrated natural ingredients, Selixir Peace Balm is designed to soothe extremely dry, scaly and irritated skin. I’m most excited about the effect it’s had on my four year old’s eczema. A couple of weeks ago his back felt like sandpaper - dry, scaly and so itchy he scratched it until it bled… after regular application with Peace Balm, it’s now completely healed and smooth as silk.
‘contains a powerful Serenity Seed Complex consisting of Blackcurrant Seed Oil and Black Cumin Seed Oil, to bring peace to red, itchy, cracked, or unhappy skin.’
To the naked eye, the difference in texture between these two is really obvious; the Selexir is much more dense in texture and leaves a temporary coating on the skin - it doesn’t really feel greasy but does have a sheen. I love it as an intense moisturising treatment for my hands and lower legs - too precious (& expensive!) to slather all over. It is suitable for all skin types, even very sensitive (inc babies from 3 months), as it is free from parabens, paraffin, silicones, mineral oils, petroleum, synthetic dyes and fragrances.
Heal Gel
Heal Gel isn’t a balm or moisturising treatment, but an aqueous gel and intensely healing ‘skin rescue formula’. I’m fascinated by the history of this product, which was designed by a team of the world's leading plastic surgeons and a renowned dermatological biochemist! They wanted to create products that helped them with their work, and to be able to provide the reassurance of genuinely effective skin care.
I’ve just noticed from the website that it’s been renamed as Healgel Intensive and repackaged to look like this - much more glamorous and chic, though I quite liked the quaintness of the little original jar…
As you can see from my swatch it’s a clear, light and easily absorbed gel which sinks into the skin immediately on application. I’ve used it to speed up the healing of lingering spots; on my children's’ cuts and grazes and insect bites. It can even be used on wrinkles as it contains several powerful peptides to increase collagen production, and decrease fine lines, swelling and puffiness. NB not suitable for use on broken skin.
Strides ahead of the Savlon cream my mum used to smear on my skin, the ingredients are as impressive and complex as you’d expect from a product created by such highly qualified medical experts. I won’t even attempt to reiterate, but if you like you can read more about it here. The range has been extended to include specific face and eye products, which I’m curious to find out more about.
Each of these products have remained within reach since I received them for review - ie the kitchen worktop, hall table or bathroom shelf. They have been incorporated into everyday life; every member of my family uses them. It’s very rare that I label any product a skincare wonder, but that’s exactly how I view this trio.
- Cicaplast £13.15 at Escentual.com
- Selexir Peace Balm £39 (£20 for travel size) Selixir.com
- Heal Gel £37.50 minus 10% during December with the code Christmas at Heal Gel
