Read Mumsnet users reviews on Balneum scalp and skin care products

[EllieMumsnet]

This thread is now closed

This is the feedback thread for the 250 MNers who tested both the Balneum dry skin and itch relief Cream (click here for further information) and their dry and itchy scalp shampoo (click here for further information).

Here’s what Balneum have to say: “At Balneum, we understand that an itch is never just an itch. Irritated skin can get in the way of everyday life, causing frustrations and ongoing itch-scratch cycles. It’s our mission to help you itch less and live more. Whether that’s spending more time with your loved ones, smashing your exercise routine, or enjoying a more social lifestyle, we’re here to help. We don’t just care for you, we care for your skin and scalp too.”

Testers please answer the following questions:

• Overall how satisfied were you with the cream and shampoo?
  
• What did you or your family member like about the cream and shampoo?
  
• Did it improve yours or your family member’s skin and/or scalp?
  
• Would you recommend the product(s) to others?
  

All testers who leave the required feedback will be entered into a prize draw where one MNer will win a £300 voucher of their choice (from a list).

Thanks and good luck!
MNHQ

Standard Insight T&Cs Apply

[Beyond11cisRetinol]

Marking my place, though the Balneum is actually still at the post office atm. Hoping it helps calm the allergic reaction that DS had to the Lidl pull ups..... 😬

[TheWizardofWas]

Have been using this - so far, really good,. My skin is unbelievably dry and itchy and this settles it right away. It is soothing and so far so helpful. will keep it up. Observations to date - there is a funny little plug in the lid. Not sure if I am meant to keep putting this in and why? Also it is thick and greasy and I have not worked out how to apply it without transferring the cream by my hand to the container, which makes it slimy. Need to work on that..

[TheWizardofWas]

oh - have not tried the shampoo yet.

[Orangesox]

Ive been using both since they arrived.

Initial feelings are mixed, the cream is very nourishing and soothing, however it does appear to have an unpleasant undertone/ scent to it which I presume is due to the urea content. Whilst not completely offensive, it isn’t exactly something which would endear a product to me!

The shampoo on the whole so far seems good, although like others have pointed out on the previous thread, it does require significant follow up with conditioner which seems to contradict the claims that it “leaves hair smooth and shiny”. Much like other similar scalp care shampoos it seems to leave my fine but abundant hair quite prone to static, but this is a small price to pay for a calm and soothed scalp!

Looking forward to seeing the overall results going forward

[NeedSleepNow]

I'm really liking the shampoo so far. My scalp had been much less scaly and itchy since starting using it and it cleans my hair well (I'm using it every other day like I did my usual shampoo). I've used the cream on my daughter's dry skin and it seems to be working well (no reaction to it which she has had with many other products) and it seems to be helping with the dryness.

[Boynamedsue]

Loving the shampoo, scalp felt better after one use. Is good for my hair too. Not tried the cream yet.

[jackny]

The cream seems to be working well. I am putting more on each time I wash my hands and it stops the skin from drying out. My scalp is clearer and my hair is still soft. Anti dandruff products have previously made my hair go like straw.

[Coconutcreampie]

Like others, the cream is very effective on me and my sons but the smell is very odd. The shampoo is great for the scalp but. I have dyed hair and it definitely seems less vibrant but that could all be in my head tbf.

[Fergusmum]

So far so good. And surprisingly the shampoo has been a slightly bigger hit than the cream. The shampoo leaves our hair really soft and glossy and does not SMELL LIKE A MEDICATED SHAMPOO!
The cream could have been a bit more refined but it is doing the job. Have to say it is keeping pace with the steroid creams I was using so this makes me far happier about what my skin is absorbing.

[Namethecat]

The cream was very soothing. I've had an eczema area on my wrist for a good few months, it was red and very itchy. After using the cream it has mainly gone. The redness has completely gone away and now looks just a bit dry so I will persevere with it and see if it will go away completely.
I was hoping for greatness for the shampoo but I have lots of spots on the top of my head which dry out, scab over, and then I get more spots (sorry for tmi) I've had this for 5 plus years. Tried lots of shampoos, prescribed steroids, shampoos etc so perhaps I was hoping for too much but ive still enjoyed the experience of testing.

[Minisoksmakehardwork]

Initially my skin was so red raw that nothing was touching the irritation, redness and itchiness. Sadly I had to resort to more intense medical treatment with the aid of oral steroids to combat it.

The shampoo is definitely helping my scalp and I do like how th cream goes on, it certainly helps my skin feel soft. However, I can’t say that either are combatting the itchiness at present as I am as itchy as I ever was. Blood tests so far have shown no other reason as to why this should be.

[Scoleah]

Ive used both items & So far so good!

Myself & daughter have been Using the Shampoo as I have really bad dry skin on my Scalp & so does my DD. We have been amaz is with how much better & less itchy our scalps have been & it doesn’t smell Strong Which have put us off with others we have used in the past. Leaves our hair Shiny and Managable!

Cream is also Great, quite greasy but soaks in really well on the sore dry patches I’ve had on my face and eyebrows. Patches have now almost gone and skin feels Fantastic. Daughter has also used this on her Arms too and says they feel less itchy now.

Would highly recommend both products! Great to find something that Works!

[Minisoksmakehardwork]

I've used the shampoo and cream on ds2 as well. His head was so flaky and he gets a few dry patches of skin. His skin has cleared up lovely with both products.

[Cosmia]

Total convert to both.
The shampoo feels really gentle, doesn't leave my hair feeling like straw or smelling like a hospital and definitely helps the scalp.
The cream is brilliant - has totally fixed my super sore hands and has worked wonders on kids too.

[ncforthisok]

Have nc for this as its a little outing, my DP knows I have these products to test obviously.
Initially I find the cream really nice and smooth, I have itchy eczema prone lower legs and arms and its been good. Also used cream on DS who has extremely dry skin (has Ichthyosis, a skin condition) and its been good, better than the cream we usually use on his back, which is his itchiest area.

Shampoo I'm not keen, I have an itchy scalp and after a few days of use it was getting itchier not better, I'll give it another go for a few days but won't continue if it stays the same.

DS used shampoo a few times so far and liked it less than his usual Oilatum shampoo.

[Clarabell33]

Since receiving and starting to use the shampoo and cream last week, I think there is a slight difference in the ezcema on my scalp, which is great considering I've only used them 3-4 times each. The shampoo seems to be helping to prevent my skin from being quite so dry after washing, which helps with the itch to a degree, but this is fairly short-term as it does start itching again eventually. The cream does help with short-term itch relief but as it's not designed specifically to apply to a scalp covered with hair, it's quite messy and difficult to apply and obviously leaves my longish hair quite greasy, so I've only used this when I would be due to wash my hair not too much later anyway (e.g. before exercise).

I've also used the cream on the eczema on my hands and on DS (3yo) who has patches of eczema all over, and again it does seem to help short term, but we both find ourselves scratching again eventually. Perhaps we are just really intolerant of itching! Definitely a bigger fan of this product range than of a lot of others commonly recommended for dry and itchy skin.

[nadinexxx]

The cream was used for my daughter's itchy legs and back and it's soothed it so much, she's usually constantly itching her dry skin but with this I've noticed her not itching at all, the only thing is that if I miss a day or two then she seems to start itching again like crazy right away.
The shampoo was used on myself and DS, it's worked for me however I have very curly hair and it makes it go straight and flyaway so it doesn't really suit me, my son has noticed a difference in his dandruff but he does still have an itchy head.
We're going to carry on using them to see how we get on.
So far I am impressed

[HowsAnnie25]

I received these last week and like both products. The shampoo is fantastic. I have used it on myself and my daughter and we have long hair. It works really well and our scalps do appear to feel a lot better. The cream is good - it's a good consistency for us and our skin feels better. It's particularly good for my daughter as she gets very dry hands.

[MaryPoppinsPenguins]

The cream is fab. It’s not sticky or heavy and goes on very silky and dries quickly. My daughter has very sore skin and usually fights the idea of having creams applied but had no problem having this. I used it on my hands and it’s a lovely moisturiser.

I haven’t used the shampoo yet but plan to on her this evening.

[CatkinToadflax]

DS2 and I are using the cream. I like the thickness and non-greasiness of the cream, and the pump dispenses it without any mess. As the bottle gets emptier though I'll be interested to see if the pump works as effectively.

DS2 has very dry skin on his arms so we did a little 'scientific test' by putting the cream on one arm and then waiting to see if it felt noticeably better than the other arm. After half an hour he insisted on having the other arm creamed too because the first arm felt so much better. It's definitely making his skin softer and less itchy. I have random dry patches of skin on my hands, and although they haven't disappeared, the Balneum is working better than other brands have.

DS1 is using the shampoo. He has a lot of scaly skin on his scalp rather like cradle cap, and the shampoo is very obviously loosening it - so at the moment his head looks a complete mess - but I think with regular use all of that skin will be budged off. He says his scalp has been less itchy since using the shampoo (he has various disabilities including a sensory disorder, so constant itching is especially unpleasant for him).

All in all very positive!

[asuwere]

I'm really impressed with both the cream and the shampoo. My scalp was very dry and one wash shifted any loose flakes and made a visible difference. My hair was very soft afterwards but I did lather it carefully to avoid knots as like most dandruff/medicated shampoos aren't as conditioning as regular shampoo.

The cream also works well - it's helped my DD's skin a lot as seems to have helped break the scratch-itch cycle. It doesn't sting in any way which has put her off using lots of other creams. It's also a very easy bottle to use. It doesn't smell nice but isn't awful so isn't a complete negative.

Overall very impressed, which I wasn't expecting.

[ClangerTwanger]

I’ve been using the itch cream on both myself and my kids and partner for the last week or so. We all struggle with heat related itchy skin and I get dry patches sometimes too. It’s been great so far. Definitely soothes any irritation pretty quickly!, I’ve had to apply it after an hour or so to a particular itchy spot but I don’t mind doing that. The only thing I dislike about it, is that it makes my hands feel weird afterwards, like slightly greasy but with abit of drag if I touch some material etc afterwards. This can be solved by washing hands though so that’s ok.

The shampoo I have been using on my daughter who has really sore and dry scalp. It has completely cleared up and changed her skin! She’s only been using it a short while and it’s massivelt improved her scalp. She says it doesn’t hurt at all now and there’s no dry flakes or dandruff at all anymore. It’s wonderful stuff and I will definitely keep using it with her for the foreseeable future.

Excellent so far!!

Thanks

[FizzySmiles]

So far it has been amazing. We love the dry itch relief cream as a family product. It has been particularly great on my partners backs of arms and hands. I dont have any complaints on the smell of it like others have mentioned above. I think it's a neutral scent, compareable to other neutral dry skin/eczema creams and not noticeable when dry.

[llynnnn]

So far so good :) me and my daughter have been using both the cream and the shampoo.
We have both seen the benefits of the shampoo, with much less redness and itching. It also leaves hair feeling nice and clean

We have also been using the cream on our arms and legs which are usually very dry and flaky. We've both seen an improvement almost straight away, skin feels and looks much nicer, however dd doesn't like the smell of the cream. this isn't enough to put her off, shes still using it regularly!

[Bez33]

My husband has been using both, and seems to be getting on well. Only negative so far is the smell, which I’m not 100% sure how to describe - medical? It’s VERY strong, although he is not as bothered about it as I am so perhaps just my issue.

Other points from him: seems to have relieved much of the dryness on the scalp after a few uses, and skin on the forehead is also less red and flaky. Consistency is fine.

Is there a baby version?? Struggling with eczema on my little one at the moment and would give this a go seeing as how it seems to be doing its job.