• Forest Post Wintergreen Balm, 25 g tin on a white background
  • purepicked Wintergreen Balm in a small metal tin with a teal label, resting on a mossy stone surface.
  • Women handling yellow beeswax sheets at a work table in the Nilgiris
  • Filling and capping bottles by hand at the production unit
  • Hillside plots above the valley in the Nilgiris
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Forest Post

Wintergreen Balm

Wintergreen Balm

₹200.00
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Olive oilBeeswax baseWintergreen & mintCamphorHandmadeEssential-oil scented
Clean

Simple plant-oil + beeswax herbal balm.

Reviewed by PurePicked

Wintergreen Balm is a herbal balm on a simple base of olive oil and beeswax. It carries the warming and cooling character of wintergreen, thyme, rosemary, camphor and peppermint essential oils — the familiar herbal-medicinal aroma of the balms kept in a great many Indian households. Handmade in small batches by women in Karikkadav Village, Kerala, with no synthetic fragrance.

Massage a little into the temples, the neck or tired shoulders for that warming-then-cooling sensation on the skin.

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₹200.00

Why We Like It

  • An honest, back-to-basics balm — olive oil and beeswax instead of petroleum jelly.
  • Familiar herbal essential oils, named, with no synthetic fragrance.
  • Anhydrous, so it needs no preservative system at all.
Ingredients

Olive Oil & Beeswax

Base

The whole of the balm base. No water, so no emulsifier and no preservative.

Wintergreen, Thyme, Rosemary, Camphor, Peppermint Essential Oils

Aromatic oils

Where the warming-then-cooling sensation on the skin and the herbal aroma come from. No synthetic fragrance.

Forest Post Wintergreen Balm versus other herbal balms
What to comparePurepickedRegular herbal balm
BaseOlive oil and beeswaxPetrolatum or paraffin common
Aromatic oilsWintergreen, thyme, rosemary, camphor and peppermint essential oilsOften the same notes, made synthetically
FragranceFrom the essential oils themselvesAdded synthetic fragrance common
PreservativesNone — an anhydrous balm needs noneWater-based creams usually need a preservative system
Palm oilNonePalm derivatives common
MakerHandmade by women in Karikkadav Village, KeralaContract-manufactured at scale

Is It For You?

Good for

Adults wanting a traditional warming-cooling balm

Those avoiding petrolatum-based balms

Avoid if

Children and infants — camphor and wintergreen balms are not suitable for young skin

Pregnant users, who are generally advised to avoid wintergreen and camphor

Anyone applying to broken skin or near the eyes; this is a strong essential-oil balm, not a cream

How to use
01

Apply a small amount to temples, neck or affected area

02

Massage gently until absorbed

03

Wash hands after use; avoid eyes and mucous membranes

What to look for in a Herbal Balm?
01

A short ingredient list is the point. A waterless balm needs no synthetic emulsifiers or preservatives; anything containing water usually does.

02

'Fragrance' or 'parfum' covers a blend the maker never has to break down. Named essential oils tell you what is actually in the tin.

03

Petroleum jelly and paraffin are the cheap balm bases. Beeswax and plant butters cost more and do the same job without the petrochemical.

04

Strongly aromatic balms are for adults. Camphor and wintergreen in particular are not for children or for use in pregnancy.

05

Patch-test a small area before the first full use, and keep any aromatic balm away from the eyes and off broken skin.