"Climb On" hard salve recipe?

[Zing]

I just learned I've been "necroposting" so I'll start a new thread here. I want to replicate the brand Climb On hard hand salve that rock climbers use. My sons climb and swear by this product and I want to make it for Christmas gifts. I am curious if anyone has tried this recipe? The original post is
https://www.soapmakingforum.com/threads/questions-regarding-a-lotion-bar.63861/
and the list of ingedients can be found here
https://skinourishment.com/products/climb-on-original-bar

 

[lsg]

I googled and came up with these ingredients: Grapeseed oil, apricot kernel oil, yellow beeswax, wheatgerm oil, tocopherol (vitamin E.) and essential oils of lemon, neroli and lavender
Ingredients are usually listed in the order of greatest amount to least amount used.
Using an example from Soap Queen (https://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/lotion/beeswax-lotion-bars-diy/) I would suggest the following:
37% grapeseed oil
36% apricot kernel oil
26.5 beeswax
.5% wheatgerm oil
a few drops of Vitamin E
1% of the weight of above ingredients-- blend of lemon, neroli and lavender essential oils

 

[Zing]

Thanks, LSG!

 

[Zing]

I’ve been experimenting to come up with a duplicate of Climb On lotion bars. It’s a hard salve used by rock climbers. As I’ve mentioned in other posts, my rock-climbing sons swear by this product. I too got hooked on it (one trip on a rock wall was enough ) and it’s more effective and longer lasting than the many prescription cremes I’ve tried for my chronically dry and rashy hands. At $10 a pop, it’s expensive and I cannot believe how quick, easy, and economical it is to make and we will now save a fortune. Thank you @lsg and @BattleGnome for your input. I am so excited about this!

For anyone who is interested, here is the final recipe for what I call "ClamberUp." It’s heavy on the beeswax and much harder than a typical lotion bar. The scent is not the same but I prefer my milder scent over the name brand.

41% beeswax
40% apricot oil
5% lavender essential oil
4% grapeseed oil
4% wheatgerm oil
2% lemon essential oil
2% neroli essential oil
2% vitamin E oil

 

[Dawni]

How hard would you say this will be? I've been wanting to make lotion bars since I have some beeswax coming in but wasn't sure how much of it to add. Tropical climates aren't very good for the typical recipes I've found online. Unless the AC is on all the time, they melt.

Second question is regarding oil replacement, as I don't have apricot nor wheat germ. What I do have is coconut, olive, rice bran, grapeseed, avocado, moringa, babasu and tamanu. I also have shea, cocoa and mango butters.

I'll do some research as well, but thank you!

 

[redhead1226]

I read their description on the site you linked and I am not sure what is in this salve that is healing. Other then the essential oils and the wheat germ oil. IMHO I think you need some herb infused oils. Such as comfrey and calendula a little Marshmallow root, plantain.

 

[SaltedFig]

Dawni, Moringa and Tamanu are both known for healing properties, so they would be great to look into, especially if you can source it locally

 

[Zing]

How hard would you say this will be? I've been wanting to make lotion bars since I have some beeswax coming in but wasn't sure how much of it to add. Tropical climates aren't very good for the typical recipes I've found online. Unless the AC is on all the time, they melt.

Second question is regarding oil replacement, as I don't have apricot nor wheat germ. What I do have is coconut, olive, rice bran, grapeseed, avocado, moringa, babasu and tamanu. I also have shea, cocoa and mango butters.

I'll do some research as well, but thank you!

Dawni, my bar is a hard bar that pops out of the tin and slightly starts to melt with the heat of your hand. It's the only lotion bar I've seen so I cannot compare it to others. My recipe is very different than most lotion bars recipes which are 1/3 beeswax, 1/3 soft oils, 1/3 hard butters. Unlike soap experiments, lotion bars are real easy to experiment -- you can just re-melt and adjust ratios/add ingredients. Have fun!

 

[DeeAnna]

Here's a thread in which I share a recipe for a harder-than-usual lotion bar that I make (see post #21). It slightly softens when held in the hands for a few moments, but doesn't melt at hand temp. It might give you some ideas, @Dawni. I have friends who live in sunny, warm Belize and I know what you're talking about. https://www.soapmakingforum.com/threads/lotion-bars.72493/

 

[Loralei]

How hard would you say this will be? I've been wanting to make lotion bars since I have some beeswax coming in but wasn't sure how much of it to add. Tropical climates aren't very good for the typical recipes I've found online. Unless the AC is on all the time, they melt.

Second question is regarding oil replacement, as I don't have apricot nor wheat germ. What I do have is coconut, olive, rice bran, grapeseed, avocado, moringa, babasu and tamanu. I also have shea, cocoa and mango butters.

I'll do some research as well, but thank you!

Avocado oil is soooo good for the skin!! I've recently started using it in a number of recipes, and love it!

 

[Dawni]

Thanks @DeeAnna for the link, and @Zing for posting your recipe and giving me the idea

And letting me semi-hijack your thread lol

@SaltedFig, I believe my Moringa is local, doubt the Tamanu is but I will do my research on both before I make anything. Thanks

@Loralei, I haven't been using it enough to notice but I know one test soap that has it is my sister's favorite. Probably will do better in a leave on product, yes?

Maaaybe I'll get some lotion bars done in time for Christmas, who knows..

 

[Loralei]

@Dawni I've now used it in soap and lip balm.. I make a hand salve for my FIL who has psoriasis, and use other oils for that, but I'm seriously considering trying it out in a lotion bar!

 

[SoaperForLife]

I googled and came up with these ingredients: Grapeseed oil, apricot kernel oil, yellow beeswax, wheatgerm oil, tocopherol (vitamin E.) and essential oils of lemon, neroli and lavender
Ingredients are usually listed in the order of greatest amount to least amount used.
Using an example from Soap Queen (https://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/lotion/beeswax-lotion-bars-diy/) I would suggest the following:
37% grapeseed oil
36% apricot kernel oil
26.5 beeswax
.5% wheatgerm oil
a few drops of Vitamin E
1% of the weight of above ingredients-- blend of lemon, neroli and lavender essential oils

Looking on Amazon at the product, the list of ingredients in order of most to least:
What are the ingredients?
Answer: Cera Alba (unrefined yellow beeswax), Prunus armeniaca (apricot kernel oil), , Vitis vinifera (grapeseed oil), Triticum vulgare (virgin wheat germ oil), Essential oils of Citrus Limon (lemon), Citrus vulgaris (neroli), Lavendula angustifolia (essential oil of lavender)(non GMO) Tocopherol (Vit E)

 

[Zing]

Thanks, @SoaperForLife but I used a list where lavender is earlier in the list (post 1) and came up with a recipe (post 4) that duplicates the real thing.

 

[SoaperForLife]

Thanks, @SoaperForLife but I used a list where lavender is earlier in the list (post 1) and came up with a recipe (post 4) that duplicates the real thing

Yup but I wasn't replying to your post... I was responding to #2 which listed beeswax as the third ingredient - wouldn't want people to make it thinking it's a dupe for the original. After reading some of the reviews on Amazon, I went ahead and ordered a bar of it because I was curious about after feel and how hard it actually is. It sounds as if it is pretty greasy.

 

[lsg]

Yup but I wasn't replying to your post... I was responding to #2 which listed beeswax as the third ingredient - wouldn't want people to make it thinking it's a dupe for the original. After reading some of the reviews on Amazon, I went ahead and ordered a bar of it because I was curious about after feel and how hard it actually is. It sounds as if it is pretty greasy.

The ingredients for the bar I checked were listed with grapeseed oil as the first ingredient. https://www.rei.com/product/635168/climbon-lotion-bar-1-oz

 

[SoaperForLife]

If you follow the link on Amazon, the second picture is of the back of the tin. You can read the ingredients there. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0017TK2TC/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

 

[cmzaha]

The ingredients for the bar I checked were listed with grapeseed oil as the first ingredient. https://www.rei.com/product/635168/climbon-lotion-bar-1-oz

Following the link, beeswax is actually the first ingredient on the list

How hard would you say this will be? I've been wanting to make lotion bars since I have some beeswax coming in but wasn't sure how much of it to add. Tropical climates aren't very good for the typical recipes I've found online. Unless the AC is on all the time, they melt.

Second question is regarding oil replacement, as I don't have apricot nor wheat germ. What I do have is coconut, olive, rice bran, grapeseed, avocado, moringa, babasu and tamanu. I also have shea, cocoa and mango butters.

I'll do some research as well, but thank you!

If you want to make lotion bars for everyday use I would just jar it in your climate, which is what I do with my lotion bar recipe. I then call it Solid Lotion. When I am out at markets, especially in the summer, in which we get 100º F + temps and I also fight direct sun. So in the jar they go shrink wrapped then in the ice chest. When I sell one I warn the person not to put it in the hot car or at the very least keep the jar upright. Even with a seal inside they can leak

 

[SoaperForLife]

How hard would you say this will be? I've been wanting to make lotion bars since I have some beeswax coming in but wasn't sure how much of it to add. Tropical climates aren't very good for the typical recipes I've found online. Unless the AC is on all the time, they melt.

Just rec'd the 1 oz. tin from Amazon yesterday. I was surprised at how tacky (or maybe sticky is a better word) this is right out of the tin. It is very easy to apply - doesn't take much pressure to leave a thin coat on your hands. It stays greasy feeling for a fair amount of time (maybe 10 minutes) and then leaves a coating behind that is pretty obvious, especially when you wash your hands. The neroli is very strong and stays with you for a long time and I wouldn't think that guys would be all that in love with the smell. Overall I am assuming that it is the ease of application that is the draw for the rock climbers.

I wanted to add to the above post with a recipe but didn't have my copy of it at hand to do that. There is an old time recipe for a lanolin hand cream that I made some time ago. You can get more info at the link I've included below. You just can not beat this for skin repair although you are stuck with the lanolin odor. I have also made this subbing vegetable lanolin and cupuacu butter (individually) for the lanolin but it isn't as nice. I think that this would be a far better product for climbers hand repair but alas, it doesn't come in a cute little cube... https://www.pbs.org/weta/roughscience/series3/shakers/handcream.html

 

[DeeAnna]

Lanisoh lanolin is nearly odor free, although rather expensive, but it's an option if you only need a bit or want an ultrapure lanolin in your product or absolutely hate the smell of lanolin. I usually find it (in the US) with other products for nursing mothers. Walmart carries it. Pharmacies would be likely too.