Burt's Bees: Hand Salve Review


Do you know Tiger Balm, the balm trusted for generations, especially in Asia, for use against muscle-aches and mosquito bites? Well, this Hand Salve from Burt's Bees reminds me of Tiger Balm. Different ingredients, of course, but almost the same kind of texture and menthol/minty scent.


Burt's Bees' Hand Salve contains eucalyptus oil, so I think that would put some people off already from the very first sniff. However, if you are one who does not dislike that smell, you might want to read on.

According to Burt's Bees
Need some salvation for rough, dry hands? Our most intensive hand treatment, this formula is packed with botanical oils, herbs and beeswax to moisturise hard-working, rough, dry hands. It's an everyday miracle.

Ingredients
Sweet almond oil, Olive fruit oil, Beeswax, Sunflower seed oil, Lavandin oil, Rosemary leaf oil, Eucalyptus globulus oil, Lavender flower oil, Tocopherol, Rosemary leaf extract, Soybean oil, Canola oil, Linalool, Limonene

My Thoughts
It comes packaged in a practical wide tin, very big, in my opinion. I don't know if it was a fluke, but the tin that I have does not shut properly - the cover is loose and it slips off too easily.

The 85g of balm will last you many months. I've been using the salve once a day almost everyday for around four months and I haven't gotten through half of it. Price: €10.95.


As you can see from the list of ingredients, it does contain essential oils, so some oils will get absorbed into the skin. However, it is basically a balm based on beeswax. Expect it to sit pretty and oily/waxy/sticky on your skin for hours. I use it only when I know I won't be doing any chores or washing my hands much for a few hours.

Forget the scents of the other oils in the salve, the scent of eucalyptus oil is dominant in all the time the salve is on the skin. I don't mind the smell of eucalyptus oil, so it doesn't bother me at all.

This amount (two pea-size) here would be more than enough for both hands.


Is the Hand Salve any good? Well, I like it a lot for its three-prong action:

• Aromatherapy
That's obviously from the overpowering smell of eucalyptus oil. It perks me up.

• Moisturiser
The botanical oils are absorbed into the skin, leaving the skin nourished. I sometimes use it on my elbows and knees too. It's also great on nails and cuticles, especially after using nail polish remover.

• Protection
The layer of beeswax sits on the skin, protecting the skin from the elements. A thick layer of salve will of course feel very heavy on the skin, so apply a thin layer to keep the beeswax light.

The first and the third reasons why I like this Hand Salve may be the very reasons why some of you may not like it. To each his own. To me, this Hand Salve is great stuff!

There are presently many Burt's Bees retail points in the Netherlands, eg: Sephora and De Tuinen stores. I bought mine in Sephora.


More information:
My short write-up on the history of Burt's Bees
Burt's Bees website

9 comments:

Appu said...

I'm yet to try this but I've tried the Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream from Burt's Bees and it is AWESOME! Do try it sometime :D

Content Director - Strong Female Leaders said...

Looks like a nice product. Love Burt's Bee.

Glamourela said...

i loooove Burt´s Bees ♥

Have a nice day :)
http://glamourela.blogspot.com/

Anonymous said...

I recently purchased a few items from Burt's Bees and sofar I enjoy using it. Great post, my dear.

Take care, Nicole x

Witoxicity said...

@Appu
Hi, Appu! As a matter of fact, I have been using the Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream too and I agree. It's a very good cream. :)

@The Girlie Blog
Hi! I'm aware you like Burt's Bees products as I still remember your post on its baby oil. :)

@glamourela
I hope you'll have a lovely day too! :)

@Nicole
Thank you, Nicole. Oh, it's great that you've given Burt's Bees a try! They've got a huge range of products but it's quite limited here in the Netherlands. In some ways, it's good because otherwise, I would want to buy everything! :D

Anonymous said...

Have to try something real soon coz I have heard many good things.

Hugs "KTee"xx

sugar sugar said...

i can attest that this lasts forever and you're right it does have a resemblance to tiger balm LOL! x)

Witoxicity said...

@KTee
Hi, KTee! Yeah, do give Burt's Bees a try and see if you like it yourself. Do keep me posted! :)

@sugar sugar
I'm glad you agree about its similarity to Tiger Balm. :D

Cynthia Z said...

I was attracted to this last time in KL, until I got a whiff of it. I love Tiger Balm, but that smell on my hands all the time >.<. But it does look very soft & moisturizing...and love the tin packaging- too bad that it does not shut properly.

♥xx♥