So today i'm reviewing a few products from the brand Gehwol. I generously received one product to review from Nail Polish Canada and the others I have picked up at my beauty supply store. This brand has been around since 1978 and is loved for their use of natural ingredients and essential oils. As someone that dabbles in essential oils I can attest that they're using the real deal and you can tell as soon as you open a product. There's no "fake" smells going on here! Just real peppermint, rosemary, pine...you get the idea ;) It's so natural that whenever I have anything on my feet my dogs AND cats want to sniff it and lick it off! That's certainly not a normal thing....well the cats anyway!
First up...
So the first product i'm reviewing is their Leg Balm and i'm actually on my second tube because I enjoyed the first one so much. So this is their claim:
Gehwol Leg Balm is a gentle, non-oily herbal balm for the care of the legs and feet. It freshens the skin, leaving it beautiful, soft and supple. Dry skin, skin blemishes, discolouration, infections and premature skin ageing are prevented.
It's absolutely non-oily which I LOVE! Absorbs quickly and leaves my skin feeling soft just like it says it will. I have pretty dry calves and this definitely keeps them moisturized. It smells lovely as well...another bonus! I can't speak for the other claims as I don't have any of those issues on my feet or legs but with the ingredients Allantoin, Bisabolol, Panthenol, Menthol and Witch Hazel Extract I can see how it would work on those issues. All of the above ingredients are great for the skin, inflammation, irritations, soothing..just to name a few. Since my tube is almost empty i'll likely purchase another. The only con is that the product is pricey and it's a smaller tube for legs but Google some of those ingredients and you'll know it's worth it.
Next up is their Balm for Normal Skin. Their claim is: With a soothing, deodorizing action; helps to prevent infections. Cooling menthol and natural essential oils of rosemary and lavender have a refreshing, revitalizing effect. Sore, tired feet have a new lease of life. Tried and tested anti-microbial substances give lasting protection against foot odour, help to prevent infections and keep the feet hygienically fresh. Gentle, soothing substances such as jojoba oil and aloe vera leave the skin smooth, supple and resistant.
This one smells even better than the first one. This feels refreshing but not in an icy cool sort of way. A little goes a long way and it absorbs quickly and leaves your feet smooth and non-greasy feeling. This one is supposed to go in between your toes as well to prevent infections/fungus ( rosemary essential oil is anti-microbial and has antiseptic properties ). This one would be a great one to apply before putting on footwear and because it's non-greasy it's flip flop approved. I generally have hot feet all the time so I love wearing something like this in my shoes..feels good and i'm happy knowing they won't stink ;) Jojoba is probably one of the best oils out there for your skin as it's so easily absorbed...it's the number 1 ingredient I look for in cuticle products so i'm happy having it in my foot care products as well. As for the tired feet,,,new lease on life..I think if it was a touch more on the icy cool side it would work better but that is my only con for this product.
Next up is their Med. Salve for Cracked Skin. Their claim is: Caring ointment for excessively dry, hard, rough and cracked skin. They suggest using 2x daily and for quicker relief use after a Gehwol foot bath ( which I have but haven't used yet..sorry! When I do i'll add that to this post. )
This one definitely smells medicinal and you will likely want to wash your hands after applying. It doesn't stink but it sure doesn't smell like the rest of the ones i've tried. This is a thicker ointment type feel and a little really goes a long way. It does feel greasy after so I would likely use this at night or with socks. This is definitely a treatment and you can tell the difference after just one use. I can see why it would work well in conjunction with the foot bath and a foot file. Take off the dead skin and then apply this salve. It really works very nicely and as a Nail Tech and someone that's done my fair share of pedi's I would absolutely use this on myself and clients.
Lastly is their Fusskraft Mint Cooling Foot Balm. This is the product I received from Nail Polish Canada for my honest review..and honest is what you'll always get if you've read any of my other posts. So their claim is: Fusskraft Mint vitalizes and freshens your feet. Cooling menthol ensures invigorating icy freshness, essential oils from asian mint, mountain pine and lavender fortify tired aching feet spontaneously. It's absorbed rapidly without leaving a greasy residue.
So this one smelled the best out of all of them...so amazing! If you love pine and mint you'll love this. It does absorb quickly and doesn't leave a greasy residue..flip flop approved ;) So when I picked this one to review it was because I was hoping for some icy mint action but again it was mildly cooling. I mentioned earlier that I always have hot feet so maybe it's me..and just to see if it was, I actually applied Biofreeze to my feet as well...not kidding. Interestingly enough that felt just as icy cool as Fusskraft Mint so I think it's safe to say I have molten lava feet and this product would probably do fine for most feet. I think this is a very refreshing product, the smell alone provides that! I think this would also relieve tired feet as it has that asian mint which is wonderful for alleviating pain. This is another one I would wear with shoes. It would keep my feet cool and smelling awesome.
So that's it. I really enjoyed these products and because of them i'll likely want to try many more products from this line. As a licensed Nail Tech i'm lucky to be able to buy them at beauty supply stores for professionals but the average Joe can't as easily get access to these so it's great that you can purchase them from Nail Polish Canada! Here's the link: http://www.nailpolishcanada.com/categories/gehwol.html
Nail Polish Canada
See you next time :)
