Black Diamond Climbon Bar, 1 oz

Product Information

We often talk about how intense climbing is – but mostly in the context of muscle toning and strength training. Truth be told, climbing and bouldering are just as tough on our hands, fingers, and skin. And most importantly, DO NOT forget to reapply your handcare climbing lotion before bed. It’s a super important step that newbies often skip. How do climbers take care of flappers?

Unfortunately, the salve failed to live up to expectations — it yielded decent but unremarkable healing. If you continue to climb and train with a flapper, you’ll likely increase the “wound.” In the worst-case scenario, you’ll start bleeding from the area. Granted, it won’t be a LOT of blood, but it’s bad nonetheless. ClimbOn isn’t the cheapest product we tested, but it’s far from the most expensive, and it’s in the ballpark of most salves we tested. It helps that you don’t have to use too much — the bar feels like it will last quite a while. CBD-infused products are all the rage these days, with some athletes even ditching ibuprofen for the extract, and some studies have found CBD to have anti-inflammatory, anti-anxiety, and pain-relieving properties. This topical is my go-to balm when I have an open wound that won’t heal or inflammation in my joints or muscles. It has a thinner consistency than other balms in this review and can be quite greasy, so I use it only at home. The smell is an overpowering mix of menthol and cinnamon that can be too much sometimes, but it can have an aromatherapy effect when I’m in the right mood. Wash your hands with soap thoroughly after your climb and use a climbing salve like Climbskin to deal with wear and tear.Because this is the primary function of the salves, this category was weighted most heavily in scoring. Feel O’Keeffe’s earns a mention here not so much out of performance — it was the weakest performing salve in our test — as for being drastically cheaper (per ounce) than any other salve we tested. Most climbing skin care balms and creams are a soft wax or oil based – in contrast to traditional skin care creams. If you have quite dry skin try to get something that moisturizes with natural oils that will be absorbed by your skin but not leave it to soft. If you have oily or sweaty skin, try and get something with a natural, mild drying agent. Giddy didn’t outshine the other products enough to earn our highest scores, but it was still a favorite among testers. Joshua Tree Climbing Salve

As I mentioned above, finding consistency wasn’t easy in this test. To make matters more difficult, the more I used the salves the harder it was to wear down my skin for testing. If you ever want an incentive to train all the time, salve testing is a good last resort. For about the same price as most of the salves in our test, you get about six times the volume. If you’re a frequent user, that adds up. And unless you’re pretty meticulous about your skin care, the difference between our best and worst performers isn’t drastic. Buying a climbing salve comes down to three fundamental questions: what kind of ingredients do you want it to have, what do you need it for, and how much can you pay? Ingredients

How to Choose Bouldering Hand Cream

Also like the ClimbOn, the Giddy bar produced slightly harder skin on healing. It wasn’t quite as consistent as the ClimbOn, but it was a respectable performer in almost all cases. It’s also the second cheapest option in our test, though not by a huge amount. If you care about the ingredients in your balm, we recommend using EWG’s Skin Deep Cosmetic Database to research the ingredients in the balms you’re considering before buying. Tip Care vs. General Care Climbing salves are best for restoring fingertips, especially after extreme abuse. They can be helpful, but many climbers get by well without them — don’t worry if you don’t use one. Hard Skin vs. Soft Skin Skin can also become so hard and dry along the tips that a split can develop. This becomes very hard to heal as any further use can open the split again – much like a split at the corner of your mouth in cold weather. Climbing Skin Care Tips

ClimbOn is one of the more well-known climbing salve brands, and it turns out the respect is warranted. No we are nearing the end of this review of bouldering hand cream we thought we’d provide the overall list with each one ranked by category: Methenamine produces formaldehyde on reaction with water in the skin. If you are allergic to formaldehyde don’t use it. As ever consult a doctor for professional opinions and don’t use the internet for health advice. Urgent Care – Repair Split Finger Tips, Flappers, CutsMade with 100% organic blend of essential oils this is a top-end bouldering hand oil. The natural plant extract acts as an anti-inflammatory and also a pain reliever. It’s a great product if you are experiencing finger pain or looking to prevent injuries. What must also be noted is that your hands will soften more with this one than other products. We would say be careful not to overapply this bouldering hand cream, as you may end up regretting it! Even so, for stopping broken skin it is really effective. There are products like New-Skin Liquid Bandage that work as a disinfectant and a glue in one product, though they don’t work as well as each one used desperately. You can also cover any cuts with climbing tape to keep them closed and create an artificial grip that works nearly as well as your finger. If a nail breaks you can get nail repair kits and glue that work well. Research your chalk and skin type to make the right choice. Whenever you’re climbing, monitor your hands for cuts and tears. Retreat immediately if you notice one and apply first aid. 3. Handcare After Climbing If your salve needs are mostly for general skin restoration, you may not need to invest in a fancy climbing-specific salve.

This is also a salve, but it is not bar-shaped. It is more like a vaseline tin, where you put your finger in and scoop some out. That is probably the main reason why it ranked lower than the bouldering hand creams on this list. Once again the products are natural, with beeswax, almond oil, mango oil, and jojoba all making appearances. If you prefer your skin on the harder side, our testing showed that wax-based salves will be more effective. If you prefer softer skin, choose one of the creams. Price Yes, it’s a premium product, and it’s coming from Spain, but it’s a steep price to pay for an ounce of balm.How well did my skin heal using the salve? Did it make a substantial difference? What were the characteristics of healed skin?