Awhile back, I was sent some Knuckle Balm by Colorado Aromatics, a local company based out of Longmont, Colorado. They specialize in making all natural skin care products with herbs such as lavender, calendula, and parsley. Y’all know I have my hippy tendencies (can’t take Boulder out of the girl!) so these all-natural ingredients really appealed to me. Plus, Colorado Aromatics takes the local environment into account: all of their products – including the knuckle balm – are designed to specifically address the high altitude and windy conditions we have here in my beloved state. Since I am so frequently outside between work and playtime, I was instantaneously curious about the product.
The Good: Like all of the products by this company, the ingredients in the knuckle balm are all-natural: calendula, plantain, organic olive oil, and myrrh. The calendula behaves as an anti-inflammatory and the plantain acts as a soothing agent for the skin. Additional bonus? Both the calendula and the plantain herb are grown right on the farm in Longmont!
Bottom line? The knuckle balm does the job! I initially tried the balm out after doing a few end-of-season tasks at work. The temps were in the 20s, and the air was bone chilling and cold. Landscapers aren’t exactly known for having the prettiest hands, and mine are no exception!
I used the balm at the end of the day, after I returned home from work. My hands were pretty chapped and slightly cracked so I grabbed a huge dollop and spread it all over my hands before bed. I figured that bedtime was the best time for this stuff to work it’s magic!
Although my hands weren’t picture-perfect the next morning, the redness was gone and the cracks were painless and far less raw than they had been the night before. Definitely a win. I continued to use the knuckle balm in various circumstances—camping, in Haiti, and even as regular hand lotion—and am very happy with how it works.
The Bad: When you initially apply the knuckle balm, it is greasy! It takes a few minutes to sink into your skin, so until that point, you’ll probably feel like you just rolled around with a greased pig. I solved this problem by putting some organic cotton gloves on my hands after application so that I didn’t smear the balm on my Kindle while reading in bed. Luckily, it really only takes a couple minutes to absorb, so this was only a minor inconvenience.
In short, if you’re a local Coloradoan or anyone who has some seriously dry and cracked hands, I definitely think the Colorado Aromatics Knuckle Balm is worth a shot. A two-ounce tin retails for $8.95, so even if you decide you don’t like the balm, you aren’t out a lot of cash.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received the Knuckle Balm for free from Colorado Aromatics as coordinated by Deep Creek Public Relations in consideration for review publication. Opinions expressed are my own.
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Do you have a go-to hand product?
How important are all-natural ingredients to you when purchasing skin care products?
I don’t purchase everything all-natural (far from it), but I really try to keep my products natural if they touch my skin. I also use Bare Minerals face makeup for that same reason.
6 Comments
I think that greasiness is a good sign. Things that aren’t greasy tend to dry out your skin over time. I’m a vaseline user so I think I’d like this product! Nice review 🙂 I’m really loving the new blog
Thanks Ali! Blog is coming along, but I’m still trying to figure out how to change things around. Heidi, the friend that did the changeover for me, has gotten many an email with me being like, “How in the world do I do this?!”
Seriously, I needed some of this over the past week while we were in Tahoe. I’m looking at my hands now and they are a mess! Dry and cracked and ouch! Natural ingredients are pretty important to me since I have sensitive skin. I try to keep the ingredient list a minimal as possible and this looks great!
I was trying to find some good hand lotion in the store the other day and was blown away by the ingredient lists I saw on most of the products — so many words I couldn’t pronounce! I feel a lot better about using all national products for skin care. Nice review!
This would be perfect for backpacking. My feet are always so awful after a trip!
I’m a fan of Badger products, which sound similar to Colorado Aromatics stuff. Badger is based out of Gilsum, NH, and has a whole line of great skin and lip care, including sunscreen. Their hand balm is also a bit greasy when you first put it on (I think it’s the olive oil base), but it’s great once it’s absorbed a bit. I’m a huge fan of their lip balms, their bug balm, and their foot balm.