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The best multi-purpose balms

Formulas that do a little bit of everything

By Briar Clark

BEAUTYcrew Beauty Editor / February 24 2021

If there’s one thing we can’t get enough of, it’s multi-use formulas. And the hero of them all? Multi-purpose balms.

These unassuming hydrators usually tackle a multitude of skin woes — from moisture loss to protecting skin from external aggressors — all the while being small enough to fit neatly into our handbags, conveniently ready to be used in a myriad of ways no matter the situation.

So, whether you need to hydrate dry lips, soothe any unsightly burns or moisturise the ends of your hair, these five multi-purpose balms are worth their weight in gold...

Christophe Robin Regenerating Balm with Rare Prickly Pear Oil

This highly concentrated hair and body balm hydrates, nourishes, protects, repairs and soothes strands and limbs, and can also be used for styling hair, of course. Plus with a paraben, silicone and colorant free formula you can look forward to enjoying the restorative properties of prickly pear seed oil guilt-free.

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Lanolips 101 Ointment Multi-Balm in Coconutter

If you’re a lover of Lanolips OG 101 Ointment then you can’t go past this coconut-infused offering from the Aussie brand. Antioxidant-rich coconut oil and milk are blended with 100 per cent natural, medical-grade lanolin to create an ultra-hydrating and nourishing formula that can be used on lips, hands, cuticles, healing wounds and burns, and even cracked nipples from nursing.

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Black Chicken Remedies Balm of Ages

Natural, certified organic ingredients take centre stage in this all purpose remedy that can be slathered over *literally* any part of the body. The long list of uses for this thing are seriously impressive and include but aren’t limited to: soothing itchy, irritated skin (including eczema, sunburn and rashes), chapped lips and nips, minimising the appearance of bruises, scars and stretch marks, and as a makeup remover. PHEW.

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Weleda Skin Food

A cult-classic of beauty lovers across the world and found in the kits of many of the industry’s best MUAs, Weleda Skin Food is the kind of practically-minded product that means it will eternally have a place on our beauty shelves. Soothing chamomile, rosemary, lanolin and sweet almond oil lie at the heart of this 100 per cent natural offering and keep skin effectively nourished, soothed and protected.

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Garnier Organics Argan Multi Use Rescue Balm & Hand Cream

Enriched with nourishing argan oil, organic shea butter and vitamin E, this body, face and hand hydrator is formulated to soothe and relieve dry, rough, overworked and itchy skin for soft, supple skin *literally* everywhere. Say buh-bye to discomforting dryness.

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From multi-purpose balms to masks with some very specific uses... These are the best treatment masks that aren't for your face.

Main image credit: @bellahadid

Briar Clark

Briar Clark got her start in the media industry in 2017, as an intern for Marie Claire and InStyle. Since then, her keen interest in fashion and beauty has landed her gigs as a Digital Content Producer and Beauty Editor with titles like Girlfriend, Refinery29, BEAUTYcrew and beautyheaven. She loves the way seemingly innocuous topics like skin care and style have the ability to put a smile on people’s faces or make them think about themselves a little differently. A big believer in self love and experimentation, Briar has made a point of becoming the Australian beauty industry’s unofficial guinea pig for unusual treatments and daring hair trends. When she’s not testing out the latest beauty launches, Briar is big on broadening her horizons, mostly in the form of food but she’s also partial to travelling to new destinations both near and far (and of course, allocating an extra bag to bring their best beauty offerings home with her).