There’s basically nothing these occlusive treatments can’t do, including healing wounds, moisturizing lips, doubling as glossy highlighter, taming flyaways, and even reducing chafing.
Finding the perfect balm or ointment formulation for you is a lot like buying jeans: You can never really have too many, prices run the gamut, and once you fall for one, you’ll find it somehow fixes everything, like the signature distressed Levi’s that never let you down.
Speaking of which, the aforementioned skin saviors rarely ever do — fail you, that is — as they’re specifically designed for soothing, nourishing, and repairing even the dryest, most distressed skin types. While you should always consult a board-certified dermatologist about any skin concerns, there are plenty of over-the-counter formulas that are superb at healing chapped lips, smoothing flaky spots, soothing irritation due to shaving, and even alleviating burns or skin conditions such as eczema and psoriasis. Take Aquaphor, for example. This multitasking ointment moisturizes the lips, eyes, and body, heals cracked skin, minor cuts, and scrapes, prevents scarring, and even soothes cuticles.
If that didn’t convince you, one of the other balms, ointments, and salves listed below certainly will. For instance, you can use BYBI’s Babe Balm to add extra sheen to your cheekbones like a makeshift highlighter or even take the tiniest amount to smooth down flyaway hairs.
Without further ado, find some of our tried-and-true staples as well as a few new formulas we’re currently falling for. Pick up any one of these healing wonders and thank us later.
Aquaphor Healing Ointment
Ever heard of slugging but didn’t know what exactly all of the hype is about? It’s a pretty simple concept that can yield extremely soothing results, especially when you’re experiencing drier skin in the colder months and you are craving something a little more occlusive than your typical lotion to seal in all of your skin care as the last step of your nighttime routine.
Aquaphor Healing Ointment is one of the fragrance-free OGs that many choose to slug with and consists of “a mix of petroleum jelly, mineral oil, glycerin, and lanolin,” that acts as an emollient to create a protective barrier on the surface of your skin, as Shari Marchbein, MD, a board-certified dermatologist in New York City, previously explained to us. She uses Aquaphor herself to guard against eczema or dry skin on the eyelids and in the office as a post-procedure treatement to speed up healing and improve the look of scars.
Lucas’ Papaw Ointment
A fan-favorite of bloggers and editors alike, this do-it-all salve has been talked about all over YouTube and on big-name blogs. Every review touts the Lucas’ Papaw Ointment’s ability to hydrate, heal, and keep skin in a healthy and balanced state. Thanks to a mixture of fermented fruit (papaya) and pharmaceutical-grade petroleum jelly, it’s great for relieving pain caused by sunburn, scars, rashes, and stubborn dry spots.
Skinfix Eczema+ Targeted Body Balm
Our tester was introduced to Skinfix roughly three years ago when her skin was in a serious state of despair. Flaking, rashes, intense itchiness — the works. To her surprise, Skinfix’s line of ultra-soothing balms and ointments came to her rescue. Made without fragrances, steroids, or any other nasties, the all-natural Eczema+ Targeted Body Balm restores moisture and reduces redness with ingredients like colloidal oatmeal, zinc oxide, and sweet almond oil. Need more proof? The countless rave reviews from people with skin conditions say it all.
Egyptian Magic All Purpose Skin Cream
Created more than 20 years ago, Egyptian Magic has been called exactly that: magic. Celebrities and industry experts love the Egyptian Magic All Purpose Skin Cream for its lightweight formula, which packs a major punch with 100 percent natural ingredients derived from bees. It also works to perfect those coveted “glossy” makeup looks ubiquitous on Instagram. Fun fact: Rihanna’s makeup artist used this balm on her eyelids and lips for the star’s legendary “Bitch Better Have My Money” music video. Need we say more?
KNC Beauty Supa Balm
These tiny tubes of KNC Beauty Supa Balm are packed with moringa seed, kukui seed, and cottonseed oils. Squeeze out a pea-size amount for pillowy-soft lips with a healthy-looking — not gooey — sheen. Both flavors, OG Rose and Mint (pictured above), are vegan.
Monastery Attar Repair Concentrate
Blended by hand, the Monastery Attar Repair Concentrate melts upon contact with the skin, leaving limbs looking healthy and shiny in the loveliest possible way. You can credit a rare conjunction of hazelnut, rosehip seed, jasmine, and vitamins A, B, and C, for repairing skin back to its happy place. Even better: this decadent oil-balm hybrid is also made with antibacterial and antifungal hazelnut, making it incredibly effective at battling blemishes and skin conditions triggered by bad bacteria.
Cocokind Ceramide Recovery Balm
As you can probably tell, the star ingredient of Cocokind Ceramide Recovery Balm is, well, ceramide NP — a lipid that plays an essential role in minimizing moisture loss, maintaining your skin barrier, and preventing irritation. Use it anywhere that needs a little extra love, whether that be your lips, feet/heels, cuticles, or elbows. What’s more: sugarcane-source squalane, oat kernel oil, and vitamin E also support healthy skin function and replenish moisture for a smooth, baby-soft finish.
Bag Balm Skin Moisturizer
This no-frills hydrating Bag Balm Skin Moisturizer is great for curing cracked hands and feet. Made over 100 years ago in Vermont, it contains four simple skin-soothing ingredients, including petrolatum and lanolin, which work together to heal and repair dryness and irritation in a jiffy.
Farmacy Honey Savior All-in-One Skin Repair Salve
The Farmacy Honey Savior All-in-One Skin Repair Salve has quickly become an Allure editor favorite. That might have something to do with its ointment-like texture, which glides on like a dream and eradicates dry spots but sinks in fast without leaving a gross sticky feeling behind. Magic? Some would say so. Noteworthy ingredients include the brand’s patented echinacea GreenEnvy, which is said to “heighten the hydrating and purifying benefits of honey.” Speaking of, it also contains propolis a royal jelly, both of which are a rich source of skin-renewing amino acids.
May Lindstrom The Blue Cocoon
Lauded by just about every beauty editor in the industry as one of the best balms in the game, you could say May Lindstrom’s The Blue Cocoon is something of an anomaly. Lindstrom hand-crafts every single batch from her own studio in small increments to ensure freshness and optimal effectiveness. She also avoids any fillers, as well as non-organic or non-wildcrafted ingredients. Her work is all about purity and intention, as she specifically picks ingredients based on their potency (which depends on the harvest season).
A few heroes from her concoction include blue tansy — hence its aqua hue — lavender oil, marula seed oil, and a blend of essential oils, all of which aid in calming and restoring irritated and hypersensitive skin types. Our tester with sensitive skin loves it for its shea-like consistency, which always appears less red the morning after slathering this on.
BYBI Beauty Babe Balm
Fun fact: two of the United Kingdom’s biggest natural beauty bloggers came up with this skin-soothing BYBI Beauty Babe Balm, which features a host of healing oils like squalene, camellia, sunflower, and coconut. Packaged in a millennial-friendly, Creamsicle-colored jar, this salve also happens to look as cute as it is effective.
L’Occitane Almond Delightful Body Balm
L’Occitane’s divine-smelling Almond Delightful Body Balm contains skin-softening almond and sunflower oils to give skin an intensive boost of moisture. It’s super smooth, creamy, and more lightweight than some of the aforementioned salves, making it perfect for anyone who prefers products that sink in quickly.
Doctor Rogers Restore Healing Balm
Heather D. Rogers, a.k.a. the founder and formulator of the Doctor Rogers Restore Healing Balm, sought to create a cure-all solution for skin ailments like burns, rashes, eczema, and scarring. This is what she came up with: an ointment-like balm free of petroleum that uses glycerin, castor seed oil, and wax to create a thick consistency that locks in moisture, promotes healing, and reduces irritation fast.
Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream Skin Protectant
As classic as it gets, Elizabeth Arden’s Eight Hour Cream Skin Protectant — which for the record, feels less like a cream and more like an ointment — is an unwavering best-seller for a reason. Used to tame unruly brows, soothe cuticles and dry spots, and add high shine to lips and lids, it gives “multi-use” a whole new meaning. We’ve yet to meet a makeup artist or beauty editor who doesn’t have a tube or jar of this miracle stuff in their collection.
8 Faces Boundless Solid Oil
Beth Shuman, the founder of 8 Faces, spent two years scouring the globe for the absolute best ingredients possible. A few that she landed on and added to her solid-balm 8 Faces Boundless Solid Oil include cocoa and shea butters, coconut oil (which gives it its solid consistency), evening primrose oil, and what she calls its hero ingredient: amla berry. Amla berry is an antioxidant-rich ingredient that works serious magic on dry and irritated skin.