Read Mumsnet users reviews on Balneum scalp and skin care products

[EllieMumsnet]

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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

Dd and I have been using the cream and are very impressed, it's helped a lot with my dry skin and it has been great on dds eczema too. Dd has been using the shampoo for about a week now and says it's made a big difference to her itchy scalp and her hair looks soft and shiny. So far so good

I'm finding the shampoo really good. Itchy scalp- gone. Hair shiny and manageable and I've not even used conditioner the last couple of washes as I wanted to see what the shampoo could do on it's own. Really pleased with the product on the whole. Not so impressed with the packaging and branding... I do like a pretty bottle but maybe that's just me.

The lotion does have the desired effect on my dry, flake and itch-prone skin but I'm not keen on the slightly rubbery feel once it's dried in. Doesn't bother me so much on my body but not keen on how it feels on my hands once dried. The scent isn't brilliant but that's often the case with urea-containing products for sensitive skin I suppose.

So far, I'd definitely use the shampoo again as the results have been immediate. Not sure about the cream. I want to see how another week's use goes.

I'm currently having a flare up of psoriasis both on my scalp (a little) and a long term flare up on my hands (awful and ridiculously painful).

The shampoo is nice and does seem to be helping, I find medicated shampoos can be quite drying but this seems ok so far. It smells ok and can get a good lather.

The cream is moisturizing and is helping a little with the dryness (I also use a steroid, dermovate, regularly) it didn't do much for the itching but to be honest if it had I would have hunted down the manufacturers and offered them my soul in payment.

Overall, I quite like them both, I'd definitely use the shampoo again. I'm not sure if the cream is any better than my usual diprobase though.

I'll continue to use them and see how it goes.

I have used the shampoo on my daughter and the cream on us both. Impressed so far. The shampoo seems to be helping her problematic scalp and makes her hair look soft and shiny. The cream I find is really good. It's helped with my extremely dry skin and also my feet which go dry and itchy. I think the high urea content has really helped. I find it really soothing and would recommend.

The packaging of the products makes them seem medicated and not inclusive or friendly so unfortunately I don't think they are something I will pick up off the shelf in the first place which is a shame as they have been great, but all the more reason why I enjoy product tests like this!

The cream has been absolutely fantastic and done more on my feet which have been dry since having a baby 8 months ago then 8 months worth of various creams! It has also done a great job of nourishing my husband's very dry skin who is allergy and eczema prone. Unlike others I have not noticed any kind of offensive scent for any scent at all really.

The shampoo is good so far but often shampoos are good for a couple of weeks and then my skin starts to react to them so time will tell with this one! Fingers crossed!

My husband is using the shampoo and he is very happy with it. He likes that there isn't much of a scent and most importantly that his scalp hasn't been itchy.

The cream has been brilliant so far. I suffer itching - particularly on my legs - that drives me up the wall but this cream does relieve it. It feels rich and nourishing and unlike some others I haven't noticed any scent at all. I do like scented moisturisers normally but this probably doesn't help my itching!

The only drawback for me is the packaging, which looks very medicinal IMO. It wouldn't stop me buying it now that I've tested it but I probably wouldn't have bought it prior to the test. Saying that, my husband likes the packaging as it's fairly plain!

I started using both the shampoo and the lotion 2 weeks ago, the shampoo is brilliant, my son who suffers from eczema is able to use it in the bath and it leaves his hair clean without him coming up in eczema all over his body, I found that it left my straight, lank hair very clean and it helps the itching to my scalp, I do have to use an additional conditioner though as I would be unable to get a brush through my hair without it. The cream I have been using after a bath and it has left my skin very soft, it’s non-greasy so you can put clothes on immediately without worrying about the residue transferring to clothes. I’ve come up in a heat rash all over after our summer last week, and putting the cream on the rash does not cause my skin to burn/sting and this is what usually happens when I have a rash. I like the consistency and the smell is not offputting, to me it smells clean. It’s great as a hand cream also due to the fact that it doesn’t have any smell!

We wanted to test these mainly for my DH and DD1 who both suffer with itchy scalps and dandruff. They have both tested the shampoo a few times now and so far so good, the itch has been reduced and so has the dandruff. They both say that the shampoo is leaving their hair very soft and clean.

I have used the cream just once I it seems OK, it rubs in completely and doesn't leave a greasy feel that some others do. DD2 has just developed a rash on the back of her hands similar to my sister's eczema (she has had this only once before) so she used the cream which seems to have helped and stopped any itching.

I have been trialling the cream so far, haven't had the chance to test the shampoo,
I live in a hard water area, so my hands do get extremely dry just by doing the washing up (i could use gloves, but I am not keen on them).
I really like the cream, it makes my hands feels really smooth.
The only thing I would have preferred is that the lotion is in a tub where you can keep track of how much is left.

So far so good ,the cream definitely helps with my sons incredibly dry and itchy skin and the shampoo is much nicer than I expected

Initial thoughts...

I like the cream, absorbs well, I don’t find it too greasy, like the bottle and the way it dispenses. My skin appears to be better, I’m not using it every day as I wouldn’t normally use a cream everyday, only when I remember! But it definitely seems to be better the next day compared to my usual “whatever is around”

Shampoo, really makes my hair static! I will continue to use, it appears to have made the dandruff slightly worse at first but now back to normal and hopefully will get better. I wash my hair once every other day

I agree with previous comments about the shampoo making fine hair more flyaway - this happens with me too. However, the shampoo has a nicer texture than other hypoallergenic shampoos I've used - there is plenty of foaming and your hair feels very clean. I can't say I've noticed a massive difference to my scalp after a week, but it might take a bit longer than that.

The cream didn't do much for my eczema as yet - well, no more than any other cream - but have had some kind of itchy reaction to something recently so will be trying it for that and will report back.

Cream: so far my son (age 4) has been using and no adverse reaction (he gets mild patches of eczema on arms and legs). I have an outbreak on my hands at the moment so I'm unable to use it currently.
Shampoo: so far I like it (I wash my hair separate to showering as I need to use gloves due to hand eczema) my hair looks much better than it does after using Tgel. Small reduction in itch and flakiness on scalp.

I'm really liking this stuff. Shampoo for me as I get a very itchy scalp. I have found I need to wash it less too as its not getting greasy as quickly. I'm using the cream on my son who is 8. He hates getting cream of any kind on his skin and this is no different, however it is helping with the exzema. Probably no more than his current cream, but I find it is very mild, albeit with a slightly plasticy texture which doesn't linger so that's fine.

The shampoo is very good, my scalp feels less dry/tight and significantly less itchy. Good for both frequent use or just once in a while. Have not needed conditioner since testing this, hair feels great without. Pleased so far.

The cream is rich and absorbs well, does not leave my skin with film of grease like other rich body creams, but the smell isn't wonderful. Reminds me of nappy cream. However the scent doesn't linger for long, so not really an issue for me.

I am loving both. The shampoo seems to be doing the tricky but agree that I don't have shiny hair. I never did to start with so can live with that. It's definitely less dry on my scalp and that worked pretty quickly. It did need a fair bit of rubbing in but that's to be expected too.

I like the cream too. Patches of dry skin I have had for some time (months) seem to be easing with this which is clearly excellent feedback. I agree the smell is not great but it's not awful.

The cream has so far helped my dry legs, but not really the itch.

Been using the shampoo every 2/3 days for almost 2 weeks I think. Seemed fine at first, but my hair has gone from great condition to now extremely dry, shame my greasy roots didn't get the same memo. Scalp is still itchy on a daily basis so far.

So far so good with both of them. The shampoo I was impressed with as it has made my hair really soft and doesn't really have a smell too it which is good. Hate then they smell horrible. Not done a great for the itching yet but still got time.
The cream has helped my daughters dry skin a bit, so hopefully when we have used it more it will help even more. Very impressed so far with them both hopefully it will only get better.

We like the cream in our household! I have suspected psoriasis and it soothes the sore parts of my skin. My son has eczema and is suffering with red, dry hands. He liked the cream because it seemed to soothe his sore hands, especially at bed time when they become more irritated. My son often refuses to put cream on as he hates the greasiness of most of them but this seemed to rub into the skin well.
I haven't had a try of the shampoo yet - I need to do this. I have a dry, itchy scalp (how many times have I checked for nits???) and it is prone to small spots around the hairline so it will be interesting to see how this shampoo works for me. I will feed back on that one too.

I have been using the products for two weeks now. I like the shampoo, and have found (unlike others) that I actually don't need conditioner with it. It leaves my hair shiny and smooth, and isn't hard to brush. The only negative would be that it doesn't spread easily through your hair when washing it which makes the experience less pleasant. The scent is fine, it just smells like an eczema cream. Dp says my hair smells nice once it's dried.

With regards to it's effectiveness for dry, itchy scalp, I would say it's ok, but not perfect. I need to wash my hair daily with it to get the best results, which isn't ideal as I would rather wash my hair every other day. I found that on the second day I was having dry and itchy scalp if I didn't wash my hair. When washing my hair daily though, it has been very effective and leaves my scalp feeling very healthy.

I have also used the shampoo on dd as she has been having dry scalp. I have found it hasn't been as effective as I had hoped as I have still noticed dry patches and some dandruff when brushing her hair.

The cream I had hoped to use on dd mainly, but unfortunately she hated the smell and didn't want it on her. I would say it smells very medicinal, quite chemical. I have found it an absolute godsend though, as with the hot weather I have suffered a flare up of hives, heat rash and dry skin. The cream seems to have a numbing agent that works quickly, and has stopped me from wanting to claw my skin off. It has helped the dry patches on my arms, which would usually turn into patches of eczema. My heat rash on my neck and chest has improved massively, which I think is mainly to do with the fact that it has been numbed and so I'm not scratching and making it much worse.

All in all I am impressed with the products, and would like to continue using them.

I've found the cream very useful for my flaky skin. It has really improved after a week of using it at night, and my skin feels less itchy.

The shampoo has made my hair feel less itchy and it has reduced my dandruff. I've only used it a couple of times as I wash my hair a couple of times a week. I tend to wear my hair tied back and I haven't noticed it becoming more flyaway.

Have been using both - so far so good. After using the cream my skin is much less dry and itchy.

Used the shampoo twice already & hair feels a little bit drier than it normally does.
The cream has only been used once & my skin felt a little bit greasier than normal. Maybe i'll not use so much the second time round.
Early days.

I didn't notice the smell of the cream and thought it was really good -but you don't need much as it spreads much further than heavy creams like sudocreme or Vaseline

Weirdly my daughter said the cream smelled odd but I didn't even notice it.

I really liked the shampoo but I think I'll learn how much you need to use with practice - my scalp is fine after using it but my hair felt a bit greasy the following day and by day 2 it looked it as well so I washed it again... we'll see how long that lasts. ( I know it is not true that washing your hair too often causes my 'bad scalp' but I was told it so often when I was in my teens that I still slightly believe I need to try really hard not to wash it too often).

The cream feels very soothing on my skin & it absorbs well into my skin so I am able to dress quickly after showering. My daughter & I both agree it has eased out eczema.

For me the shampoo is just ok, but I need a more intense shampoo for my bleach blonde locks. This shampoo just leaves my hair meh and lifeless. I need a moisture adding shampoo that protects my colour. My daughter likes the shampoo and says her scalp feels a lot less itchy - so I've left that one to her.

So far, pretty good results, thanks for letting us test.