Review: Badger Balm Cuticle Care (plus organic skincare discussion)

I don't know what it is, but I have become OBSESSED with everything organic recently; both in terms of what I put in and on my body.

Organic skin care products are made with ingredients that have not been subject to toxic chemicals, and contain no unnatural preservatives or parabens, nor are animals allowed to be tested or harmed in any way in their production.

The more consumers are learning about the 'bad' side of chemical-packed beauty products, the more quickly we seek out other (better) options, and the beauty industry is quickly cottoning onto this, hence why organic skincare is becoming one of the fastest growing areas in the beauty/skincare industry today.

Doing some research on the benefits of organic products not only answers the question of why I should use organic skincare products, but also replaces it with why wouldn't I use organic skincare products, particularly when they are becoming so much more accessible and inexpensive to buy?

Token quote: 'you should never put anything on your skin that you wouldn't put in your mouth.'

Bearing this in mind, enter stage left the almost-edible cuticle-care balm by Badger.

I'd never heard of the Badger company before, but happened to come across their products whilst shopping on Fragrance Direct for some sort of cuticle oil/cream.

You can find out all about the Badger brand by clicking the link above, but, in a nutshell, all Badger products are free from chemicals and synthetics, and are rich in vitamins, minerals and anti-oxidents.

The Badger collection includes lip, hand and foot balms, as well as sleeping and muscle aids.

The vast majority of the range comes in little round tins (think pocket-Vaseline tins) of varying sizes with really cute illustrations on the front and nice product names such as 'Healing Balm for Hardworking Hands' and 'Badger Bali Balm After Sun Skincare' (I don't know about you, but this kind of thing really appeals to me. Sad but true).

My own little tin of Cuticle Care cost £3.99 for 21g (RRP £4.59).

As you can see from the photo below, it is quite similar to Vaseline in colour, but in texture it's a bit more 'solid' (if that makes sense), and a little goes a long way - a tiny amount melts on contact with the skin and goes further than you would expect (hence why, despite using it every night for the past couple of months i've only made a small dent in it!)

This little tin is absolutely packed full of (mostly organic) all-natural ingredients, with no added fragrance:

All these yummy natural ingredients make for a real herbally smell when opening the tin - the one thing it actually reminds me of is fly spray that you use on horses (if you have a horse you'll know what I mean)!

The product has been marketed (as the name suggests) as a cuticle balm (a job it performs perfectly), but i've also found it is an excellent all-rounder, much like the cult-classic Elizabeth Arden 8 hour cream skin protectant: i've used it on my cuticles, as a lip balm, even on a really sore patch of sunburn on my chest.

However, unlike the Badger Balm, the 8 Hour Cream ingredients are not organic, or indeed even all-natural:

Petrolatum 56.8% - man-made

Lanolin- natural

Mineral Oil - natural

Fragrance - man-made

Salicylic Acid - natural

Propyparaben - man-made

Castor Oil - natural

Corn Oil - natural

Tocopherol - natural

BHT - man-made

Iron Oxides - natural

Given that the 8 Hour Cream has an RRP of around £25.00 for just 50ml, I think i'd rather pay the £4.00-odd for my Badger Balm and be safe in the knowledge that i'm getting a multi-use product that is not just packed full of natural ingredients, but actually works, and is really inexpensive into the bargain!

I'd love to hear if you've got any favourite natural/organic products that you think I'd like to try.

Melanie