According To Gem

So you may remember me mentioning these Natural Hero products a few weeks ago as part of my Ski-centuals series. It sounds cheesy but these two products were my absolute saviours last week when I was on the slopes. In fact I don’t think I went a day without using them.

I followed Louise’s advice and used the Cool Peppermint Muscle Spritz pre-ski to help warm up my quads and lower back and then doused myself in the Hot Ginger Muscle Rub once I was off the slopes to helps ease my daily aches.

When it comes to ski trips I can’t get enough of being out on the mountain, but the one thing that slows me up is achy muscles. It seems that no matter how much time I spend in the gym pre-trip, nothing can prepare my muscles for hours upon hours on the slopes. Usually I’d have a hot shower and take a couple of ibuprofen, but the idea of taking painkillers for a whole week just for aching muscles makes me a little nervous.

Using the Cool Peppermint Muscle Spritz and the Hot Ginger Muscle Rub eliminated the need to take painkillers and with them being 99% and 98% natural, respectively, I felt great that I wasn’t putting crap into my body.

The active ingredients in the Cool Peppermint Muscle Spritz are Peppermint, White Willow, Arnica and Blue Chamomile, which leaves your skin feeling cool and revived.

The packaging is fairly sturdy and coped easily with being thrown on a coach and rattling around in our rucksack all week without so much as a drop of spillage. The only questionable part of the packaging is the double lid, which I still haven’t worked out the point of, but other than that it’s a fab little bottle that’s ideal for travel.

In terms of application, the spray delivers just the right amount of product and even let me spray upside down which was handy when I was feeling all achy after a long day on the slopes. I can’t stand being damp or sticky so rubbed the product in to help it dry quicker, but for those without OCD tendencies it dries fairly quickly of it’s own accord.

As for the Hot Ginger Muscle Rub the active ingredients are Ginger (of course!), Borage, Fennel and Rosemary which has a wonderfully warming feel to ease muscle aches and pains. A word of warning though, a little goes a long way and takes a few moments to heat up. Do not be tempted to slather on any more than a light layer unless you want to really feel the burn. I made this mistake on day 3 after a rather brutal day of poling and rope lifts that left my arms in agony. I thought I was ever so clever lathering up before I hit the slopes but after the 10 minute walk to the bubble lift up to Meribel my arms were on fire. Lesson most definitely learnt!

Again the packaging is pretty sturdy and handled travel well. The product does seem to come out quite quickly though, so don’t be tempted to give the tube anything but a light squeeze or you’ll be left with a handful of leftover product.

In terms of application, it smooths on to skin easily and is quickly absorbed, even by my standards! My only gripe is the initial scent of the product upon application, which to me smelt like a blend of ginger and oxo cubes, though this quickly dissipates, leaving a light gingery scent.

All in all, both the Cool Peppermint Muscle Spritz and the Hot Ginger Muscle Rub have become firm favourites in my ski kit and I will definitely be keeping an eye out for any future products from the Natural Hero team.