Once a Klutz, Always a Klutz: How My Clumsiness Led to Survival Balm

Hi, my name is Anat, and I'm a klutz!

"Klutz" is a word that comes from Yiddish, and it simply means an awkward or clumsy person. That's me, through and through.

I've struggled with my eyesight since I was a young girl, and because of that, I was forever banging my elbows, scraping my knees, getting scratched by thorns, and being eaten alive by flying critters. My skin was permanently marked by iodine or hidden under bandages and Band-Aids.

My parents reacted the same way every single time: a severe look, a flash of panic, and the exact phrase, "Oy vey, Anat, how did you manage to do that again?"

There was one incident that finally tipped them over the edge. I cut my knee on an innocent-looking boulder at the seaside, and my parents had to bandage it with an army field dressing pulled straight from my father's kit. After that, they decided enough was enough, and from then on they carried a first aid kit just for me.

It was a fantastic khaki-coloured bag filled with bandages and povidone-iodine antiseptic solution. My parents nicknamed it "The Anat Kit," or simply, "The Klutz."

 Some things never change

Fast forward a few decades, and I'll admit I'm still a klutz. What's also true is that I can't be bothered lugging around a bag full of different products. I'm lazy like that. So the job fell to my husband, who carried a well-stocked first aid kit everywhere we went, mostly for me. Eventually, he started complaining that it was so heavy it was giving him a sore back.

That's when I knew I had to create something better. Not just for me, but for anyone who isn't keen on carrying multiple products when they're out and about. And, of course, to save my poor husband's back.

 Designing the "Swiss army knife" of balms

I set out to craft one balm that could handle nearly everything: sun protection, pesky biting insects, cuts, itches, scrapes, even a stand-in deodorant. One balm to rule them all.

I pictured every nature lover carrying it in their pocket on outdoor adventures, so it needed to actually earn its place there.

It took several years of formulating and refining before I was happy with the recipe. Once we had something we believed in, we sent prototypes out to around 100 friends and family members across New Zealand and around the world for honest feedback. We tested the balm in New Zealand, Nepal, India, Germany, Australia, Italy, Niue, Croatia, Israel and Hungary, to name a few.  And the feedback that came back was fantastic.

That's how Survival Balm was born.

 What actually goes into Survival Balm

Survival Balm is built from a small list of skin-loving, mostly organic ingredients, with nothing synthetic added:

• Shea Butter (organic)
• Coconut Oil (organic)
• Hemp Seed Oil (organic)
• Tamanu Oil (organic)
• Karanja Oil (organic)
• Calendula Oil (organic)
• Non-Nano Zinc Oxide
• Beeswax (organic)
• Propolis (ethically sourced)
• Essential Oils of Vanilla and Eucalyptus Citrodora (organic)
• Vitamin E (organic)

There are no added synthetic ingredients, artificial fragrances, or preservatives in this formula. It does contain ethically sourced bee products, so it isn't suitable if you have a bee product allergy.

 Everywhere we go, it comes too

Since we settled on the recipe, we've carried Survival Balm everywhere and used it for almost every skin mishap that's come our way.

The only real "problem" is that it's so concentrated that a tin lasts forever. We recently replaced our original tin after about six years of use, and even then it wasn't because it ran out. The lid just got a bit wonky after I accidentally stood on it during, unsurprisingly, one of my usual klutz moments.

It comes packed in a recyclable, reusable 50g metal tin with a two-year shelf life, so it earns its spot in a bag, a glovebox, or a jacket pocket without taking up much room or going off before you've used it up.

 A balm for every adventurer

If you're after a gift for yourself, or for the adventure seekers and outdoorsy people in your life, Survival Balm is the ultimate companion for time outdoors.

To sum it up, Survival Balm is a multi-purpose balm that helps with minor burns, grazes, cuts, chafing, itching, swelling, psoriasis, eczema, and dry skin. It soothes insect bites, works as an insect repellent, offers mild sun protection, and can even be used as a deodorant. Apply as needed, for external use only.

By the way, if you were wondering, I'm the little girl on the left in the photo, holding hands with my sister. The year is probably 1967, and remarkably, my knees are not bandaged.