Barrier Balm: What It Does, How to Use It, and What It Can’t Do

A balm is a genuinely different thing to a moisturiser, and most people buy one without anyone having explained why.

This is what a balm actually does, how to get the most out of one, and the things it cannot do that you may have been told it can. That last part matters more than the rest.

What a balm actually is

A standard lotion or cream is mostly water. Often seventy or eighty percent of it. The oils and butters are dispersed through that water as an emulsion, held together by emulsifiers, and kept safe by a preservative system.

A balm has no water in it at all. The technical word is anhydrous. It is fats, waxes and oils, and nothing else.

That single difference drives everything else. Water is what microorganisms need to grow, so a water-based product must carry a broad-spectrum preservative system that works for the whole time the pot sits open in a warm bathroom. That is not optional and it is not a corner anyone should cut. Take the water out and the problem disappears, which is why an anhydrous balm can have five or six ingredients and still be perfectly safe.

It also means you need far less than you think. A pea-sized amount, warmed between your fingers until it turns to oil, covers a whole face. People routinely use three times what they need and then find balms greasy.

Why I do not use petrolatum

People ask how my balms compare to Vaseline, so here is the honest answer.

Petrolatum is a byproduct of crude oil refining. That is the whole reason it is not in anything I make. This range is built on renewable plant materials, cold-pressed and unrefined, grown from crops that can be planted again next year. A fossil fuel derivative does not belong in that, whatever it happens to do on skin.

What it does on skin is form a seal that slows water leaving. That is the entire mechanism, and it is all it does. Plant butters and oils seal too, but they also sit down into the skin and soften it, and they carry fatty acids and vitamin E in with them. Two jobs rather than one, from something that grew in the ground.

You will also see natural brands claim petrolatum suffocates skin and stops it breathing. I am not going to say that, because skin does not breathe. It takes its oxygen from your blood supply, not from the air. I would rather give you a real reason than a made up one, and the real reason is that it comes out of an oil refinery.

How to actually use one

Apply to slightly damp skin. This is the single biggest difference between a balm working and a balm sitting there. Straight out of the shower, or after a cleanse, or over a mist of toner. A balm slows water leaving your skin, so give it some water to hold onto. It also spreads far further on damp skin, which means you use less.

Warm it first. Between fingers or palms, until it goes from solid to oil. Applying it cold and solid is where the dragging and the greasy feeling come from.

Press, do not rub. Press and hold across the face rather than massaging it in. On sore or reactive skin, less friction is better, and it absorbs perfectly well without being worked.

Timing beats quantity. Within a minute or so of drying off. That window matters more than how much you use or which balm it is.

For very dry or cracked patches, a thicker layer overnight works well. This has been rebranded as slugging in the last few years but people have been doing it forever. It suits hands, elbows, heels and small areas better than a whole face.

Which balm for what

People ask me this constantly, so here it is plainly.

Reactive, stinging, everything-hurts skin. The Barrier Repair Balm. It is deliberately plain and the lowest in essential oils of anything I make, because skin in that state does not need more to cope with. Best Buy in the Green Parent Awards 2026.

Hot, itchy, irritated skin, and children. The Hydrate & Calm Balm. It is the only balm I make with a high percentage of aloe vera leaf juice, which makes it lighter and cooler going on. It is the one parents come back for.

Dry rather than reactive, and overnight. The Intensive Night Balm. Richer, and better suited to mature or persistently dry skin than to skin in an active flare.

Body, hands, and anyone who wants the scent. The Ultra Rich Balm. The highest essential oil percentage in the range, so not the one to reach for if fragrance is a trigger for you.

Feet. The Foot Balm, which is the product people are most sceptical about and then reorder fastest.

If your skin is currently unhappy and you are not sure, start with the Barrier Repair Balm. It is the safest bet and the least likely to add to the problem.

What a balm cannot do

This is the part I would most like people to read.

It is not a replacement for prescribed eczema treatment. If you or your child have been prescribed a topical steroid, please keep using it as directed. Emollients and steroids do different jobs and are meant to be used alongside each other rather than instead of one another. Anyone telling you a balm means you can stop a prescribed treatment is wrong.

It does not treat hayfever. A little balm around the nostrils to catch pollen is something some people find helps, and there is no harm in trying it. Spreading balm across your whole face on a high pollen day will not shield you from allergens, whatever you may have read elsewhere.

It is not sun protection. No balm without a tested SPF is, including mine.

It will not diagnose anything. If skin is weeping, crusting, bleeding or looks infected, if it is not improving after a month of simplifying, or if it is disturbing sleep, that is a GP. Patch testing through dermatology can identify a specific allergen in a way that guessing cannot.

Why it goes grainy, and other things worth knowing

Unrefined shea butter crystallises when it goes through temperature changes, which is why a balm can arrive smooth in June and feel slightly gritty in November after sitting in a cold van. It melts out instantly between your fingers and it does not affect how the balm performs. It is a characteristic of unrefined shea, and it is the main thing customers message me about.

Colour and scent shift a little between batches too. Unrefined butters vary by harvest, and I have not added anything to standardise them.

Everything goes into amber glass, which is a functional choice as much as an aesthetic one. UV light degrades the delicate components in cold-pressed oils, and amber glass blocks a good deal of it. It is also why I would keep your balm out of a sunny bathroom windowsill.

I make in small batches because unrefined oils are at their best fresh. It is less efficient and it is the right call.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between a balm and a moisturiser?
A moisturiser is usually mostly water, emulsified with oils and preserved. A balm contains no water at all, which is why it can have a very short ingredient list and no preservative system. Balms are more concentrated, so you need considerably less.

Is a barrier balm the same as Vaseline?
No. Petrolatum forms a seal that slows water loss, and that is all it does. Plant butters and oils seal and also soften the skin, bringing fatty acids and vitamin E with them. I do not use petrolatum because it is a byproduct of crude oil refining, and everything I make is built on renewable plant materials instead.

Can I use a balm if my skin is oily?
Yes, particularly if it feels tight or dehydrated underneath the oil. Use a very small amount. I would be cautious about the common claim that moisturising reduces oil production, because the evidence for that is not strong. What a balm can do is stop the tightness that makes people over-cleanse, which often makes oiliness worse.

Can I use a balm on a baby or child?
The Hydrate and Calm Balm was made with children in mind and is the one most parents use. Patch test on a small area first, as you would with anything. If a child has diagnosed eczema, keep following whatever your GP or health visitor has advised and use a balm alongside that rather than in place of it.

Why has my balm gone grainy?
Unrefined shea butter crystallises with temperature changes. It melts back to smooth between your fingers and does not affect performance. It is a sign the shea has not been processed to remove that behaviour.

How often should I apply it?
As often as your skin feels like it needs it, and always within a minute or so of washing or bathing. For dry skin, that is usually morning and night. The timing relative to water matters more than the frequency.

How long before I see a difference?
Tightness and stinging often ease within a few days. Structural recovery of a damaged barrier takes longer, usually a few weeks, and longer again in winter or with age. The common mistake is reintroducing other products at around day five, when skin first starts to feel better.

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If you are not sure which one suits your skin, message me and describe what it is doing. I would rather point you at the right pot than the expensive one. The Barrier Repair Balm is where I would start if you are choosing blind.