Saaf Organic Body Balm & Foot Balm Organic Credentials
Saaf Organics products are all Soil Association-certified. The Saaf Organic Super Hydrating Body Balm is 98.5% certified organic. The Saaf Organic Foot Softening Balm contains 98% organic ingredients.
The standard set by the Soil Association is that at least 70% of a beauty product’s non-water ingredients must be organically grown and harvested. As well as this the ingredients must be sustainable, not use pesticides (of course), any extracts extracted without chemical solvents, all non-organic ingredients must have a non-GM certificate and pass strict toxicity and biodegradability criteria, must not contain any nanoparticles or irritating or potentially toxic chemicals, and manufacturers must pass an annual inspection and keep detailed production records.
Rebecca’s Review
Let’s start with the Super Hydrating Body Balm. In short, the balm element of this product is fab, it’s the fragrance I’m not so sure about. The clove essential oil in the product overpowers the ylang-ylang, patchouli and lavender. When I apply the product I feel like I’m baste-ing myself in preparation for cooking! The balm, however, does absorb easily into the skin without stickiness.
There are certain times when warming herbs are great, such as post-workout, in times of injuries or cold winter mornings but putting this product to the test in the summer…. the scent did nothing for me.
Be warned, the Saaf Organic foot balm is very rich so you either need to use only a tiny amount, or you apply a regular amount and give your tootsies a long massage, or pop on some booties and leave to absorb overnight. It’s not one to apply just before a night on the tiles in heels, otherwise, you may end up just that – on the tiles, after slipping out of your shoes!
That said once I had worked out how to use the product (being of the inclination to slather products on rather than use sparingly!) it is a very effective product. My favourite way to use it is overnight with my Urban Spa Moisturising Booties.
Most foot products possess a minty fragrance, so this balm makes a refreshing change. The fragrance is lemon myrtle couple with rosemary, but the former definitely dominates. Rosemary oil possesses the same stimulating properties as mint essential oils, helping bring blood flow to the feet!
The oils that make the balm are moisturising safflower oil, olive oil and cocoa butter, soothing nigella seed oil (perfect for tired or sore feet) and neem oil and beeswax to help treat and prevent any fungal infections.
Eline’s Review
I’m kind of having a love-hate relationship with the Saaf Organic Body Balm. For everything that I like about this product, there’s also something that I don’t like. I normally use body lotions or balms before I go to bed, but in this case, I read an extra chapter in my book before turning off the lights because this balm did not absorb well. That said, Saaf Organic was not lying when they named this balm the ‘Super Hydrating Body Balm’ because it’s truly very hydrating and nourishing. It might be best to use this product a couple of hours before going to bed or in the morning if you don’t have any direct plans. Rebecca wrote that this balm absorbs easily, but I was afraid the product would stain my sheets. And although the balm was quite thick, it was easy to apply to the skin.
The fragrance of the body balm didn’t bother me that much, but the Foot Softening Balm had a much more poignant smell, which made me a bit reluctant to use it. It smelled like my spice rack in the kitchen!
Again, this balm did not absorb well which also made it tricky to use. I could have used the balm in the bathroom so I could wash my hands, but that would have meant having to leave sticky footprints on the way to the bedroom. The other option, which is the one I chose, was to use the product in bed and just wipe off the residue off my hands with a moist towel. But as I said, I didn’t like the smell and not being able to wash my hands did slightly annoy me.
Again, not everything about this product was bad. Because the foot balm is very moisturising and the feeling when applying it and massaging your feet is quite nice (if you can put up with the smell at least). This might also be the time to point out that I really like the packaging of the entire Saaf Organic range. The bottles and jars look very luxurious without being too expensive. I just love it when beauty and skincare products make my bathroom look fancy!
Katria’s Review
I tried the Saaf Organic Body Balm after taking a shower. I was unsure about the scent, due to the overpowering clove which smells extremely spicy, almost as if you’re sprinkling pepper onto your body. I only applied small amounts to my dry areas such as knees and elbows, and any patches that may have needed a little moisturising pick me up. I found that the Body Balm did absorb quite quickly into my skin and left my body feeling soft the next day. Like Eline mentioned the Saaf Organic products use very luxurious packaging which is another plus if you like that sort of thing. I can’t find any faults with this product, other than the fragrance which can be quite unbearable if you decide to use a lot of the balm at once.
I mainly used the Saaf Foot Softening Balm on the heels of my feet because that’s where most dryness occurs. The texture is very thick and creamy, and I found that there is no significant smell to this product either. It was quite greasy when rubbing into the heels of my feet and took a while to absorb, but I found that this product did nothing for me. My feet felt untouched, and neither soft or moisturised. The directions on the packaging do suggest to apply a generous layer of the product and wear cotton socks overnight, but I personally like products that work instantly, and this didn’t do it for me.