When Little Miss woke us with an outbreak of spots, which increased in number as the day progressed, we decided that it was indeed chicken pox. A quick visit to the doctor confirmed this, and we braced ourselves for the itching which would follow.
The doctor advised a combination of calamine cream, antihistemine medicine and calpol, so once we had procured all of these goodies, we were ready to tackle this ailment.
The cream did in fact prove to be worth its weight in gold!!
**The Packaging**
The cream comes in a small white 100ml tub, and once the seal is broken, the lid can be lifted off easily. All of the instructions and ingredients are clearly stated on the tub.
**The Cream**
Open the lid to reveal the cream which has a slightly pinkish tinge with a slightly chalky smell although this is obvious only if you really have a good sniff of the cream.
To use the cream, all that is necessary is a finger in the tub, to scoop out the required amount of cream, and then apply it liberally to the affected area.
The product is quite thick but is also very easy to absorb, and quite creamy, and although it does contain zinc, it is not at all chalky, and doesn't leave any white residue.
It is recommended that the cream is used to provide relief from sunburn and other minor skin irritations, chicken pox being one of these skin irritations, although from where I was standing, there was nothing mild about it!
**Price and Availability**
We bought this from Asda, costing £1.39 for 100ml, which is good value, considering the effectiveness of the product.
It is available from all major supermarkets and from chemists.
**What I thought**
We used this product, on the doctor's advice, to alleviate the itching caused by chicken pox. After bathing and thoroughly drying the infected small lady, we applied it liberally as stated and it did appear to have an almost immediate cooling effect. The cream was easily absorbed and unlike the calamine lotion, which I had previously used, there was no dry chalky residue. I did like this about the product, the fact that there were no dry pink patches left after use, and it really did seem to help with the itching, without stinging her at all.
The cream is reasonably priced and the 100ml tub was actually enough to treat her for the duration of the spots and the itchiness, so money very well spent.
I have since been using it as a hand cream, and because it contains glycerin, it seems to have a very softening effect without being drying or difficult to rub into my skin, although it does have a very very slight astringent feeling when first applied
I would imagine that it is an excellent product to take on holiday for any type of sunburn, because of its obvious cooling effect, and because it doesn't require much rubbing into the skin for full absorbtion, there would be no discomfort.
Another great thing about the cream is that there are not lots and lots of scary warnings. The only thing it suggests is that it should be kept away from children, and not used if you are sensitive to phenoxyethanol or any of the ingredients.
It does actually state that there are no known side effects associated with the product, so it can be used with complete peace of mind.
So, the chicken pox ran its course, and I have bought another tub of this cream, mainly just to have in case of dry skin or any other itchy bits!
A great product and one which I would recommend anyone to have in their medicine box/cabinet, because even if you don't use it immediately, it has a long shelf life…this cream expires in 2008!
Thanks for reading.
Daniela
Xx
**Producer**
Thornton and Ross Huddersfield UK
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
I used to use aqueous cream to soothe my sore eczema skin xx
missy0303 14.05.2006 15:44
I didn't know there was such a thing as calamine cream.....I'm going to look out for this as soon as I can! My kids both hated wearing that calamine lotion when they had chicken pox! x
Relief of symptoms of dry or chapped skin.Cream containing:Emulsifying wax 0 -Liquid ... more
paraffin 0 -Petroleum jelly,white 0 -Phenoxyethanol 0 -Water purified 0 -Dosage:Adults, the elderly and children: apply to the affected area of skin as required.
Postage & Packaging: £2.95 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...