by ZOE FOSTER
As a seasoned traveller (oregano, for those interested), and a beauty editor, you’d think I was great at choosing which beauty products are great for travel.
And you’d be right. Well, sort of. I definitely still overpack, but I can say with confidence that my ‘essentials’ are crackers. They all work hard, deliver, and travel well.
One of these essentials is a multipurpose balm. For hair, skin, nails, lips SOS situations; all of it. To be fair, there are often two of these, one big one for the toiletries bag/body, and a smaller one for my handbag, which either proves my overpacking point even further, or exposes just how wonderful these balms are. You decide.
In the last 5-10 years, these do-it-all balms have exploded. Perfect for skin emergencies and general healing and remedying, I firmly believe ALL OF US us can benefit from one of these being in our lives. They are great cosmetically, yes, but also terrific for use with kids and babies, when camping, when in the sun, when out of the sun, when in the cold, when in the jungle, when on a plane and so on.
Aside of Lucas’ Pawpaw Ointment, which mum always had a whopping great tub of for bites and scratches and rashes and chafing when we were kids (that or Rosa cream – anyone else use that?), there was only really Egyptian Magic that I knew of, and I used religiously, slapping it on like a moisturiser in winter, and using it as after sun in summer.
They are all a little different, these balms; some will excel at healing, while others are better for soothing, some will smell delicious, some will not, some will feel fantastic on the skin, some will be cloying – it depends on their ingredients and your preferences and needs.
As such, I thought I would list a few of these everything balms, which I highly recommend for travel, but also for life in general, for use as/on/for but not restricted to: nappy rash, bites, stings, cuticles, nourishing chapped lips, dry patches of skin, post-shaving soothing, stretch marks, after sun, healing scars, chafing, eczema, hydrating the tips of your hair, adding some gleam and texture to hair, or slicking annoying baby hairs into place, giving the cheeks a dewy sheen, moisturising the skin, acting as a barrier when you are dying your hair or applying fake tan, grooming your brows into place, and turning tap water into pinot noir.
A celebrity favourite and one of the originals, this is touted as a ‘miracle skin cream’ and I definitely use it as a moisturiser in very dry/cold conditions, however, it might be too heavy for most, and so better kept to the usual needs, as above. Fine for sensitive skin, and full of olive oil, beeswax, honey, bee pollen, royal jelly, bee propolis for anti-inflammatory goodness and general soothing. And, according to the label, can eeeeeven be used in the ladygarden for rashes and so on and so forth and you know.
