Giddy didn’t outshine the other products enough to earn our highest scores, but it was still a favorite among testers. Joshua Tree Climbing Salve For the best performance, you’ll want to make sure your skin is the perfect level of durable. The first thing you need to do is thoroughly wash your hands with soap and water after climbing. This removes dirt and chalk and allows your pores to breathe. You should also try to avoid things like washing up or activities where your hands are wet for a long time. Wear gloves instead, this isn’t an excuse to skip chores… To make matters worse, the oily residue means that it’s impossible to do anything else for about 10 minutes after application. Unless you have the time to sit and wait for your hands to dry, this is a pain. How well did my skin heal using the salve? Did it make a substantial difference? What were the characteristics of healed skin?

Yes, it’s a premium product, and it’s coming from Spain, but it’s a steep price to pay for an ounce of balm. The Giddy balm was a pleasant surprise and a strong performer. It missed out on an award only because of the prowess of the ClimbOn bar. The first lotion on this list is the Rhino Performance Cream. It is hydrating, regenerative, and cleansing. It is made with earth-grown ingredients and smells very nice. If you have beat up hands it really does help your performance. It is on the expensive side, however. We rounded up our favorite six climbing skin-repair remedies and set about destroying our hands for a month to declare an overall winner: the ClimbOn Original Bar. ClimbOn is one of the more well-known climbing salve brands, and it turns out the respect is warranted.

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However, the pros don’t outweigh the cons in this case – the residue of this salve is oily, so you’ll have to wait and sit around for about 10 minutes before you can go about your day. For about the same price as most of the salves in our test, you get about six times the volume. If you’re a frequent user, that adds up. And unless you’re pretty meticulous about your skin care, the difference between our best and worst performers isn’t drastic. It did help skin heal, but the result was softer than skin treated by products like the ClimbOn and Giddy balms. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing — some competition climbers soften their skin for better grip on plastic, and some climbers (understandably) prefer a hand that isn’t stiff and leathery. Research your chalk and skin type to make the right choice. Whenever you’re climbing, monitor your hands for cuts and tears. Retreat immediately if you notice one and apply first aid. 3. Handcare After Climbing ClimbOn isn’t the cheapest product we tested, but it’s far from the most expensive, and it’s in the ballpark of most salves we tested. It helps that you don’t have to use too much — the bar feels like it will last quite a while.

One of the main things you need to do when bouldering is take care of your hands. Make sure calluses don’t get too big, to avoid them ripping off, and keep your skin in top condition by using cream, or other products. Should I use oil, salve or cream for my hands after bouldering? O’Keeffe’s is the other cream-style product we tested, and it’s also the least climbing-oriented (or marketed) of the six. The idea of Crimp Oil is to keep your fingers in great shape and promote healthy muscles. It can be applied up to three or four times a day and it gives your hands the care they need to repair, but not to the point where they get too soft. None of the salves were terrible, and all of them helped a little. More good news: over the month of testing we learned that a) good skin care does make a difference, but b) it’s not a huge one. Most of the options here are relatively affordable and will last a while — choose one that makes sense for your budget. How We Tested Extreme abuse

Dr. Bronner’s Organic Magic Balm ($10)

The salves did differ plenty in effectiveness, feel, and of course, price. For the details, read on. Let’s be honest, when it comes to bouldering hand cream, balm, wax, salve or anything it is generally a personal choice. Most of the top end products are similar in what they bring to the table. As always, the best way to go is to try for yourself. You’ll so find you have a preference.

We often go along with the most popular chalk, but there’s a good chance it isn’t compatible with your skin type. Don’t use climbing chalk with active drying agents unless you tend to have sweaty hands.There is no other way than to try it. You can read the ingredients list and make sure you are not allergic to anything, other than that it is largely personal preference. Of course, things like the price will also sway your decision. Mainly, it is simply a good idea to try. Taking Care of Your Hands With Bouldering Hand Cream

If you continue to climb and train with a flapper, you’ll likely increase the “wound.” In the worst-case scenario, you’ll start bleeding from the area. Granted, it won’t be a LOT of blood, but it’s bad nonetheless.The Giddy product is similar: a hard bar that warms in the hand and leaves a coat. It uses Carnauba wax as well as beeswax, but the rest of the ingredients are a familiar blend of essential oils and vitamins. If you prefer your skin on the harder side, our testing showed that wax-based salves will be more effective. If you prefer softer skin, choose one of the creams. Price