First things first, I want to say thank you to anyone that shared my post about Kew Gardens, I was blown away by the amount of interest, and I will be talking more about it soon.

I bought this little pot of Niki’s Organic Original Balm almost a year ago, from an exhibition at a health show. I kind of forgot about it and it just ended up in a nondescript box of things in my bathroom.

I knew it had loads of uses, but having so many other products to use I never had a reason to get it out. Until I actually got it out, and tried it on a spot that was taking ages to heal. And wow, is it amazing! I’ve become obsessed with it, and have been putting it on all my ‘healing’ blemishes. I’m of the opinion that spots that are coming to a head need completely different treatment to ones that have already done their damage, and are calming down. So, Weleda Aknedoron when they’re red and angry, Niki’s Organic Original Balm when they’re healing.

I can really see the difference in healing since I’ve been using it – my skin is prone to hormonal outbreaks so I tend to spend one half of the month trying to control spots and the next half dealing with the aftermath. Now, I literally have nothing apart from a few marks that haven’t completely gone away yet (I’m still not showing you my face without makeup though). I scoop a bit out with a clean nail, and just pop it on the problem area in the evening after I’ve washed and moisturised. It goes on so smoothly, and feels lovely when it’s on!

The balm smells absolutely beautiful – and no, there isn’t any lavender in there but I have a whole bunch of dried buds which I needed to use for something. The smell is zingy and refreshing, and comes from lemon tea tree which I’ve never heard of before, but I like it very much. The balm itself is one of those gorgeous mixtures that blemishes and skin problems don’t stand a chance against:

Calendula oil – gentle healing, anti-microbial and anti-inflammatory and protective

Hypericum – healing and antibiotic

Tea tree – antibacterial

Rosemary – stimulates microcirculation to enhance healing

Beeswax – antibacterial, healing and protective

Sunflower oil – gentle carrier oil, nourishing, protective, non-comedogenic

Vitamin E – good for scarring

Lemon Tea Tree – yummy scent

I’m so impressed with Niki’s Organic Original Balm, and really pleased I came across it when I was last at home! Make sure you check out the list of uses on the website, because it’s really versatile. At £4.99 for a 10ml pot, I think it’s amazing value because you don’t need to use much at all, and it’s really effective. You’ll also be supporting a handmade product which is really important – there are some absolute gems out there in the independent market. This is unquestionably one of them.