Review : Balm Balm Frankincense Deep Cleansing Balm

Hello everyone, happy new year! First post of the year is a review of Balm Balm’s Frankincense Deep Cleansing Balm.

Ingredients
Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil
Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter)
Cera Alba (Beeswax)
Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil
Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract (Marigold)
Boswellia Neglecta Oil (Frankincense Essential Oil)
Citrus Grandis (Grapefruit) Peel Oil
Citral
Limonene
Linalool

Balm Balm’s products are 100% organic, made in Britain (George Osborne will be proud) and have nice n short ingredients lists. Some of the key ingredients are Sunflower and Jojoba oil, which are anti-inflammatory and thought to help heal the skin; and shea butter which is moisturising and rich in anti-oxidants. In TCM, frankincense is used to stimulate blood circulation and as a treatment for acne and wrinkles. Sounds all well and good but I wonder how much benefit you get since you wash it off :/ The most important thing is that it hasn’t caused any spots, which I always worry about when trying new products!

The balm has a very mild smell - its not bad, I'm just not sure what it is. The texture is smooth and it doesn’t feel really waxy so there’s no dragging the skin trying to work it in for a deep cleanse. (SO DEEP!) (Had to be said guys.) It doesn’t melt into an oil or emulsify so you have to rinse it off with a flannel and then voila! Super soft skin and no residues =^-^=

I prefer using the balm as my second cleanser in a double cleanse routine. I tried it to remove make-up and it doesn’t work well. To be fair, I was totally expecting that because cleansers with beeswax (like Neal’s Yard Wild Rose Beauty Balm) never seem to work well for me.

It costs £7.99 for a 30ml jar, which although not obvious by the photo, IS TINY. Some of the reviews on feelunique mention that the size is misleading and you’re actually paying too much compared to other brands. With too much time on my hands, I decided to round up as many cleansers I could find and calculated how much they would cost for an equivalent dinky little size. Among 30 cleansers, Balm Balm's Frankincense cleanser falls under the ‘low’ price category (nos. 1-9). (10-19 are mid-range and 20-29 are expensive)

Here they are:-

1. The Body Shop Camomile Sumptuous Cleansing Butter, £12/90ml >> £4.00 <Reviewed Here>
2. Clinique Take The Day Off Cleansing Balm, £22/125ml >> £5.28
3. RMS Beauty Raw Coconut Cream, £12.50/70g  >> £5.36
4. REN Rosa Centifolia Purity Cleansing Balm, £30/150ml  >> £6.00
5. Ole Henriksen Pure Truth Melting Cleanser, £24/118ml  >> £6.10
6. Bobbi Brown Extra Balm Rinse, £44/200ml  >> £6.60
7. Monu Cleansing Balm, £39.95/150g  >> £7.99
8. Aurelia Miracle Cleanser, £34/120ml  >> £8.50
9. Rodial Stem Cell Super-Food Cleanser, £32/200ml  >> £9.60
10. Antipodes Organic Grapeseed Butter Cleanser, £24.99/75g  >> £10.00
11. Emma Hardie Amazing Face Moringa Cleansing Balm, £36/100ml  >> £10.80
12. Elemis Pro-Collagen Cleansing Balm, £39.50/105g  >> £11.29
13. Balmology Neroli & Sweet Almond Cleansing Balm, £21/50g  >> £12.60
14. Diptyque Nourishing Cleansing Balm, £44/100g  >> £13.20
15. Charlotte Tilbury Multi-Miracle Glow Cleanser, Mask & Balm; £45/100ml >> £13.50
16. Georgia Louise Cleanse and Heal Duo Balm, £46/100ml  >> £13.80
17. De Mamiel Restorative Cleansing Balm, £49/100ml  >> £14.70
18. The Organic Pharmacy Carrot Butter Cleanser, £39.95/75ml  >> £15.98
19. Spiezia Organics Facial Cleanser, £26.95/50ml  >> £16.17
20. Natura Bisse Diamond White Rich Luxury Cleanse, £108/200ml >> £16.20
21. Eve Lom Cleanser, £55/100ml  >> £16.50
22. Suti Facial Cleansing Balm, £28/50ml  >> £16.80
23. RMK Cleansing Balm, £29/50g  >> £17.40
24. May Lindstrom The Honey Mud Cleansing Silk, £64/100ml  >> £19.20
25. Neal’s Yard Wild Rose Beauty Balm, £37/50g >> £22.20  <Reviewed Here>
26. Amanda Lacey Cleansing Pomade, £68/90ml  >> £22.67
27. ESPA Nourishing Cleansing Balm, £46/60g  >> £23.00
28. Darphin Aromatic Cleansing Balm, £32/40ml  >> £24.00
29. Omorovicza Thermal Cleansing Balm, £46/50ml  >> £27.60 <Reviewed Here>

While not the cheapest among the brands, this cleanser isn't expensive - especially for an organic product. I’d happily recommend it, just as long as you don’t intend it to remove make-up! It feels quite luxurious (especially when you accidentally leave it near a radiator and it melts a little) but doesn’t cost so much that you kinda resent using it. (See: Omorovicza. Every use breaks my poor frugal heart.)

Review: Balm Balm Super Light Coconut Cleanser

Since I stopped using DHC’s Deep Cleansing Oil (reviewed here) I’ve been trying out loads of new cleansers hoping to find one that removes the day’s make-up and grime and doesn’t cause another horrible outbreak of spots.