AmazonGem's Dry Skin Balm is a 100% natural balm which soothes and relieves dry, sore, sensitive skin. It's also suitable for eczema, psoriasis and rosacea.

On a visit to London, we went to Portobello Road market. It's a huge street market with some delicious food stalls under the flyover so worth checking out. One stall really stood out for me as it looked so calm and peaceful among the hordes of people streaming along the road on a busy Saturday afternoon.  This pretty little oasis turned out to be the stall of Gem's Dry Skin Care. I spent a few minutes looking at the banner stand and some customer testimonials which showed some impressive before and after photos from some of Gem's very happy customers. Gem told me that she'd created the product to help her mum who suffered with eczema on her hands. I tried some of  Gem's Dry Skin Balm (formerly Dry Skin Cream) on my hands and instantly, I could see and feel a difference so I decided to buy a pot.

Packaging

The balm comes in a glass pot with a metal screw top lid. It's a good pot to re-use yourself or you can recycle the glass jar but the lid will probably have to be thrown away.

Green credentials

• No parabens or preservatives
• 100% natural
• No steroids
• Not tested on animals

It is 100% natural with every single ingredient containing properties that heal the skin.

Directions

• Recommended to be applied twice a day (morning and evening)
• Balm melts on contact with your skin so easy to rub in
• A little goes a long way so economical
• For ages 3+
• Has also been used to prevent stretch marks during pregnancy

Be a Shade Greener verdict

I bought this as I hoped it would sort out a red, dry patch of skin under my chin which seems to flare up in response to temperature changes. (Although I hadn't been to a doctor about this, I'd asked a few people working in the natural beauty industry who said it could be rosacea.) After a few weeks of use the skin felt softer and smoother and was noticeably less red in cold weather. A few months on, things have greatly improved and the skin is almost back to normal. I'm hoping that with continued use it will completely clear up.

This is a wonderful multi-purpose dry skin product which although useful for eczema, rosacea and psoriasis, can be used in lot of ways:

• hand cream
• lip balm
• sore, dry patches such as elbows, knees and heels
• to treat or prevent chafing
• prevention of stretch marks during pregnancy

In fact, when I contacted Gem to ask if I could use the balm as a lip balm, she said she used it “everywhere”!

Every house should have a pot of this balm as it will definitely come in handy. I think it's a great green alternative to Vaseline and other petroleum jelly products.

Where to buy online

Gem's Dry Skin Balm is available direct from Gem's website where you can also read customer testimonials and see some fantastic before and after photos. It's also on sale at Amazon.

Gem's Dry Skin Balm ingredients

• Sweet Almond Oil
• Cocoa Butter
• Beeswax
• Evening Primrose Oil
• Carrot Carrier Oil (contains sunflower oil)
• Neroli Oil
• Geranium Oil
• Galbanum Oil
• Rose Oil

Join the discussion

Have you tried Gem's Dry Skin Balm? What were your thoughts? Have you tried it on any problems I haven't mentioned?

You may also be interested in…

• Review: Weleda Skin Food skin repair cream for dry, damaged skin
• Review: Narynda Skincare Heel Balm – best foot cream for cracked heels?
• Green alternatives to hand sanitiser
• What’s the green alternative to Vaseline?

Photos: Be a Shade Greener

Updated: November 2018, Original Post: 24 January 2016