UKC

I used Climb On for years, decades.

I believe they are out of business. So tell me, what do you recommend as an alternative?

For treating cuts, I always found Rhino Skin better than Climb On. It is quite gooey though. 

Joshua Tree Salve. Easy to buy online.

Based on nothing but personal experience, I use Climb Skin. More of a very thick cream rather than balm. I prefer it to the Climb On stuff.

The J Tree stuff is good too but pretty greasy.

I'm a huge fan of ClimbOn!  But I believe the small independent ethical brand was sold to Black Diamond a few years ago. 

Maybe it's been rebranded, or (as frequently happens) adjusted to be cheaper to make before rebranding.

Hand cream from Aldi.

Oh no, that's a disaster! I've become totally dependent on it to manage my eczema.

I'm keen to see if anyone can find a replacement.

Climb on etc are the laboartoir Garnier of the climbing world, full of woo and snake oil. Remember, this stuff claims to be "chemical free".

Make your own from bees wax and oil, it's really easy and the cost of one tin of cool branded climbing stuff will buy you enough raw materials to last a lifetime. You can even add some of those optional oils if you must.

I'm up for doing this if I can find a recipe. Something a bit more specific than "beeswax and oil" though.

that's a shame. Really good for healing up nicks or popped blisters without them getting infected 

Chemical free claims always make me laugh (or i'd cry) - are they selling a vacuum?

Lard.

Totally agree that "chemical free" is pure woo and bullshit. But I don't recall Climb On saying this. Are you sure you didn't just make that up?

Very much sure that climb in made that claim, it was advertised on here using the "100% Chemical free" line. I will.look.for a link.

My beeswax comes in 20ml sticks, I chop one of these up and mix with 90ml oil in a bain Marie. I use olive oil because I am posh, veg oil works fine too. Add optional oils, as recommended by your local witchdoctor. I use thyme oil as it reminds me of Kalymnos.

Pour into containers and allow to cool.

Done in under 10 mins.

And most importantly, chemical free 😁

Maybe not of use if you are still in Oz, but for others.

ClimbOn lotion crème and lotion bars, seem to be still available at Ellis Brigham Mountain Sports online last time I looked. https://www.ellis-brigham.com/climb-on-lotion-creme-2-3oz-131944 .

I have two old Climb On Bar tins still and both have chemical free (in capital letters) printed on the label on the base of my tins. They are old versions though.

https://www.outdoorshopping.com/os/Climb-On-45-Ounce-OZ-Creme-Single-Intens...

I never paid any attention to the guff, I just like the way it feels.

I didn't use anything until I was donated a tub of O'Keefe's working hand cream once - works for me and is available pretty much everywhere.

Lansinoh pure lanolin

Have you tried Epaderm ointment (not the cream)?

You can buy that stuff in Wickes

I'm not sure if I've tried that particular one, but I've tried a lot of the regular pharmaceutical creams like that, all sorts of regular dry skin products and "natural" ones. After years of trying everything I could find, ClimbOn was by far the best thing I've ever used. I've passed it on to other eczema sufferers, one declared it to be life-changing.

Thanks to this thread I've just bought the last available stock from Blacks online, so I'm covered for a couple of years. If there's no alternative product available by the time that runs out I guess I'll buy a bunch of ingredients and see if I can cook up my own.

I get good results from daily application of E45 cream. I  apply it every day regardless of the condition of my skin. improves elasticity and resilience imo. I do also avoid dynos and lasches on rough holds as that destroys the good work the moisturiser as done by tearing off layers of skin.

I use Pro Balm Puck. Similarish to climb on. 100% natural ingredients and uk made, though I use it because it works for my skin. 

I buy it from the probalm.co.uk website and it's great value. 

Kletter retter repair also works for me.

That looks like a very good candidate for a ClimbOn replacement. I'll make a note of that one.

It's ok but not the same. It's a bit greasier and doesn't absorb as well.

Ah. That's what has put me off trying to make my own. It's basically beeswax and oil with a few additives, but the devil is in the detail. The tricky bit is getting the balance just right.

Surprised you haven't come out with your own range. Loving the lippy.

I’m no skin expert but like the idea of the Cloud Balm bees having some kind of Roaches pedigree. The guy’s a climber too.

Lanolin or hemp oil 

Thanks all, I did some research… if you want to give it a go, the recipe for ClimbOn is roughly…

41% beeswax
40% apricot oil
5% lavender essential oil
4% grapeseed oil
4% wheatgerm oil
2% lemon essential oil
2% neroli essential oil
2% vitamin E oil

I get on well with tallow, particularly in the depths of winter when I suffer from dry skin and cracking thumbs. 

O Keeffe's working hands is great and lasts a long, long time. Not supposed to use it on open wounds though. 

Usually find it at the till area of builders providers etc. 

It's also a great name. 

I've always found Snowfire sticks pretty good.  Available at many pharmaceutical outlets, such as Boots.

https://www.boots.com/snowfire-ointment-stick-18g-10342390

Standby,

SS25 😉

What are you all on about?  Is this to help the chalk stay on or what?!

I've rarely used any skin products but 2 weeks in Joshua Tree left me with really painful hands from cuts, nicks and jamming rash. I tried the Joshua Tree Salve and much to my surprise it really helped. I've hardly used it anywhere else (sometimes after a day on the roughest moorland grit) but I guess some people get cut more easily than others (I've never used jamming gloves other than trying if they suited me (they didn't).

Pah!  Actually, my hands have not reacted well to two months on a non-climbing trip through Southern Africa after a couple of months pretty intensively on the wall - but nothing that sandpaper couldn’t sort out!

All this has got me identifying a gap in the market, perhaps I should start selling mine.

How about "Questing Balm" as a brand name, suck in all the cool kids.

Help supplement your pension

You seem very keen on your pensioner chic image

Are we talking fine grain paper or an industrial powered sander ?

another vote for O'Keefe's. Brilliant stuff and a very sensible price

Try “bullock boshing balm” far better than climb on imo. You can get it on eBay

 

And another vote for O'Keefe's. Most effective thing I've found, and I've tried a few. Reassuringly full of chemicals. Currently hoping it can fix in a couple of days the results of a gritstone bouldering session that got rather out of hand:

May I ask where you found that? It looks like a hell of a lot of essential oils in the mix. Not that I'm any expert mind.

Very useful starting point though. I've filed that away and when my stock gets low I'm going to give it a go. Thanks for posting it.

I find O'Keeffe's quite expensive compared to other emollients.  My usual go-to is Atrixo Intensive Protection cream which is around one fifth the price of O'Keeffe's.  It probably doesn't help that O'Keeffe's is made in the USA (whereas Atrixo is made in Spain, so "wins" in terms of emollient-miles).

That said, different creams will work better or worse on different skins - there's probably no single one-fits-all remedy.

Found on a soap making forum... bunch of weird people that talk obsessively about the minutia of a niche subject. Oh

For the best possible advice in hand cream, consult the real experts, old ladies.

As your mum, nan, aunt, whoever is still around. These people know their onions when it comes to hand creams.

The answer is usually Elizabeth Arden 8hr cream, eye wateringly expensive but far too girly for rugged climber types.

My wife bought me a tube of that once, as I get quite dry hands in the winter.

Horrible, greasy stuff - wouldn't touch it again.

Neutrogena and O'Keefe's seem to work for me.

We just found out what was causing the problems with my mums skin…

She had bought some shower gel and was using it as moisturiser 😀

Or anyone else that needs to wash hands a lot every day - chefs and nurses, for example. My Mum was a nurse and her trick was to slather on lots of hand cream just before doing the washing up - the heat of the water would help it really soak in. Wearing washing up gloves, obviously.

I remember years ago a former climbing mate of mine 'discovered' that climbing hand cream was basically the same, ingredients-wise, as a product used by farmers to protect the skin on cows' udders. The cow stuff was miles cheaper, as he was fond of telling anyone and everyone. Only trouble was, as farmers use it in rather greater quantities than yer average climber, the smallest package available to buy was a five litre tub. Oh, also it contained a bright pink dye, presumably to help said farmers see where they'd missed a bit. Otherwise it was great! Allegedly.

No chemicals though.

Swedish Army Balm...?

Försvarets Hudsalva Original Military Balm

At a push, spread it on toast, or use it for frying.

Of course! If you can imagine it, there is a forum for it. 😂

Swarfega.

Nivea. 

not so posh --- Ponds Cold Cream

Not used this but has the main ingredient, and some other stuff that might be useful.

https://www.psychi.co.uk/products/natural-beeswax-skin-repair-balm

Oh no! The smell always reminds of being in my 20s and having nothing to do other than climb as much as I could, although I still do that but other things get in the way nowadays

You must be lucky with your natural skin quality, traditional moisturisers like that are a sure fire way for me to have zero skin at all times.

Dripping. Tastes nicer in your sarnies too.

What were you trying!?

Me too. Now I’m using ProBalm Puck, which is very good and reasonably priced.

This is all a world away from the 90's, when I looked at my peeling skin with pride once callouses formed, and my male teenage self felt 'gnarly'. Climbing cream? It's all about callouses.

 This is canny 👍

https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/1497602975/beeswax-moisturising-bar-20g-lot...

Not sure if it'll let me link to it (and I think you might have to have an account to view the page) 

But Sportpursuit seem to be selling off some old Climb On stock from a collaboration between Climb On and Black Diamond:

https://www.sportpursuit.com/catalog/product/view/id/3762810