SPORTS BODYCARE

Our panels for this category were selected from testers who have active lifestyles and take different forms of exercise – power walking, running, yoga, Pilates, gym workouts and so on. Of course, dog walking and gardening count too, also riding and mucking out stables, as Sarah can testify with a groan. Whatever the cause, if you’re feeling stiff, achey and sore, these products may help, as our testers found, plus giving your skin a dose of nourishing and moisturising TLC.

GOLD (JOINT) AWARD and BEAUTY STEAL FreshWipes Antibacterial Body Wipes

First thing to say is that these wipes are 100% biodegradable and plastic-free, made from plant based cellulose and each wipe begins to decompose with 30-45 days if buried in soil or placed in composter. The packet is made from recycled materials and the mailing bags too. Okay, now to the wipes: our tester tried the coconut version (there’s unscented too) of these antibac wipes, with chlorhexidine as the active ingredient plus skin caring compounds like vitamin E and glycerin.  Founder Liz Barnes, a former medical rep selling antiseptic solutions to hospitals, set up the brand as a ‘grown up alternative to baby wipes’. Sports people love these soft thick wipes, as well as those who can’t easily get to a shower or bath - campers, carers, HGV drivers, post op and bed bound people and so on. So did our testers who gave FreshWipes a very high average score. With 12 body wipes in a pouch for £5.99, this is also a Beauty Steal.

£5.99 for a pack of 12 - click to buy 

OUR TESTERS’ COMMENTS:

‘10/10. These wipes are a really great size, and they're thick and they don't tear. They're big enough to wipe your whole body with, without them drying out before you've done, and it takes no time at all to use. They're antibacterial and kill body odour. They say don't apply them to your face, but it doesn't say whether or not you can use them on intimate parts of your body, so I would assume you can. These wipes are great for freshening up after exercise, or if you're feeling sweaty after doing housework, or if you oversleep and don't have time for a shower. They would be perfect for disabled people who can't wash themselves or for people who've had surgery and aren't allowed to shower. Also perfect for people going on a camping holiday to keep themselves fresh. And they’re biodegradable, so good for the planet too’ • ‘These wipes came in a sleeve, where you pull one out as needed. The wipes came out easily enough without pulling any more from the pack. They had a sticky cover to reseal and keep them fresh and stop them from drying out. These wipes felt refreshing and moisturising. My skin dried quickly after use and did not feel sticky or greasy. They had a lovely coconut fragrance, which I really liked. Coconut always reminds me of being on holiday, so these felt like a treat to use. I felt nicely refreshed after each use. I would definitely buy this product. I wish I'd discovered them sooner, they are so convenient’ • ‘I felt clean and fresh which left me feeling invigorated and ready to go. My daughter commented on the lovely fresh fragrance I had on me. I had no idea these products existed.  They must be a godsend for people who struggle with personal care or who don't always have time or easy access to washing facilities.  They are so much better than a wet wipe and are so strong, of an amazing size, lovely and thick and really do clean, moisturise and fragrance your skin.  I love them and shall be recommending them to my family and friends’ • ‘These were the product I didn’t think I needed. Great to keep in your handbag for those times you may be visiting a public restroom and just may need a bit of extra freshen up and have these to hand would be amazing! Festivals, camping, the list is endless. Tried them out and felt fresh after it. Didn’t feel sticky, or that I needed to shower afterwards. Will be buying my daughter a pack for when she goes to download in June’ • ‘Waaay better to use than other types of wipes. Very strong, more like cloths and very large so you can wipe them all over your body and there's no tearing or disintegration. A pleasure to use.’

£5.99 for a pack of 12 - click to buy 

GOLD (JOINT) AWARD Temple Spa AAAHHH! Muscle Reliever Cream

Well, our testers were definitely just going ‘Aaahhh!’ when they trialled this cooling and moisturising cream balm post exercise of different sorts, and also for restless legs at night, swollen feet and ankles post air travel, too much standing, sore shoulders, oh and one found it helped with a headache. From a hugely popular British brand – now sold the world over, founded by beauty industry leaders Liz and Mark Warom, this is a bit of a departure from their usual products. But wow! it was a success with our testers, gaining a very high average score and some rapturous comments, as you can see below. The minty-smelling formula is packed with five fermented minerals, including magnesium, zinc and iron, plus Mediterranean botanicals to care for tired feet and legs and tensed shoulders, say the brand; helping to reduce puffiness, refresh and revive. Can be used in pregnancy. The packaging is recyclable.

£23 for 150ml - click to buy 

OUR TESTERS’ COMMENTS:

‘10/10. I loved this product, it really feels wonderful to massage in to achy legs/ feet after my zumba and dance exercise classes, them tingling and cooled. My sister visited me from NZ and after 24 hours in a plane had swollen and sore feet and ankles. I used this balm to give her feet and legs a massage and she absolutely raved about how amazing it felt. Her feet were visibly less swollen afterwards and she said the cooling effect really helped to reduce how uncomfortable she felt’ • ‘lovely fresh minty scent. It's great for refreshing tired and achy legs. It squirts out easily from the tube and is a perfect thickness for smoothing on the skin’ • ‘a luxury muscle reviver with a tingling effect. I would buy it - good to have a treat tired and sore muscles. I really enjoyed this product and how it made me feel when I used it and how it gave tired muscles a boost. Easy to blend in and not sticky to use. I did like this for my sore shoulder and putting on twice a day’ • ‘I use this product in a post sport regime,  also through the very hot summer at night on my legs.   It was wonderfully cooling and I found I sleep better after use.  It is also lovely to massage into shoulders for an uplifting boost’ • ‘Worth keeping close by after exercise.  I have applied to stiff ankles and knees after Pilates and feels great.  Also applied to the back of the neck during the hot summer months.  Really cooling’ • ‘It is a lovely rich gel that smoothes in and is absorbed easily.   It is slightly greasy but that does not last long. This has a slightly medicinal scent but I love it! I love this product for 2 reasons - it is a really invigorating product.  It gives a feeling of energy and really boosts the area on which is applied.  It also is a great product to use at night on a very hot evening (of which we have had a many).  It has a lovely cooling effect. This is a great product to apply if you need to boost an area after a hard workout.  It is also wonderful as a product to apply for a mini magnesium boost. Yes - most definitely.  I will be buying a replacement as soon as this tube is finished’ • ‘It’s a great all rounder! For tired limbs - I do a lot of events when I'm on my feet for a long number of hours. This really helped cool my limbs and revive them after use. It's great if you get too warm too as cools you down on application. Great for hot flushes as very cooling and reviving lotion…’ • ‘Soothing, cooling gel. Great for aches and pains. Pleasant cooling gel, great for tired limbs and back, lovely smell.  Feels more of a cosmetic product than my usual one.  Loved the cool fresh looking tube’ • ‘Good for fidgety legs at night; also used on temples when I had headache.’

£23 for 150ml - click to buy 

SILVER (JOINT) AWARD and BEST NATURAL (JOINT) Elemental Herbology Muscle Melt Balm

Reflecting its origins in traditional Chinese medicine, this warming balm to oil formula is packed with naturally anti-inflammatory ingredients including healing turmeric, plus warming ginger and Ho Wood to help ease and relax tightness. All on a base olive and other seeds oils and beeswax (so not for vegans).  Use it pre and post exercise and, they suggest, keep by your desk and apply to shoulders (and neck, we’d say) as needed. Do wash hands after applying and don’t get near your eyes. This is not suitable for use in pregnancy. We were interested that hospital physios are using it, as one tester told us.

£29 for 50ml - click to buy 

OUR TESTERS’ COMMENTS:

‘If you have aches or pain or even feel tense, use this balm. Having to use a laptop 8hrs a day, I used some on the back of my neck, not only did I love the smell but it felt like it was absorbing into my muscles and making me less tense. I did notice a significant reduction in pain, more so with my hands.  My cousin is a physiotherapist in a local hospital; she said lots of her colleagues have used this product with great results, especially with regards to arthritis, which is what I have in my hands.  I will continue using. A little goes a long way.  I have used this balm 5 days out of 7 and still have loads left. I aim to replace it when it runs out. I will most definitely keep one in my desk.  With all the positive results turmeric has shown to give humans, this coupled with ginger can only be a good thing’ • ‘I tried using this on my arthritic knees even though it is meant for muscles. I found it very soothing and eased the pain quite a bit. I also tried it on my feet after a very long walk and it was really good, it eased my aching feet so much. I use it every day now, whether I have exercised or not! I like it better than deep heat because it smells better, even though I don't love the smell. It warms my muscles and makes me feel relaxed’ • ‘Such a good product for relaxing tired or sore muscles. Love the smell. Does make a noticeable difference in level of pain’ • ‘a must after a hard gym workout. The melting rub will leave those aching muscles feeling pampered and the smell will leave you feeling relaxed ’ • ‘I was on a hiking holiday and I used it at the end of the day - just the act of applying it was calming and massaging it in invigorated my legs by bringing blood to my tired muscles. Nice product to treat aching muscles with and the smell was gorgeous.  It felt indulgent after a lot of exercise and is a good way to aid recovery. It left a slightly oily sheen on my skin but I liked that and it did sink in quite quickly’ • ‘one of the best in this range but be prepared for the HEAT and wash your hands after. I had a very tingly face after using this and then applying my skincare. My partner thought he was going blind when he rubbed his eyes after using it, even though he’d washed his hands. This stuff is good’ • ‘I really like this product all the other products I have used are usually too oily so I hesitate to use under clothes or have too strong a smell. This product has a great balance of both. I expected a heat or cooling effect but didn’t really notice any; however, I did feel like the actual muscles had warmed to enable better movement once applied. It sunk in to my skin beautifully and remained soft enough to allow me to massage the area for a short time while rubbing it in. Left a slightly oiled texture but far less than another brands I have used and didn’t stain my clothes so I like it’ • ‘A great balm to help sooth tired or sore muscles especially the day or two after intense exercise. I found it super useful in easing the pain for tennis elbow and stiff shoulder in helping me to continue to play sport’ • ‘The fragrance is lovely, almost autumnal with the heady ginger, really pleasant aroma whilst massaging, it doesn’t dissipate whilst using it. A holistic approach to pain relief – a portable pot of loveliness!’

£29 for 50ml - click to buy 

SILVER (JOINT) AWARD Elemis Warm-up Massage Balm

The self-heating action of this aromatic balm was very popular with testers, who said it had a double action in that it both relaxed body and mind and revived them.  Infused with a softening blend of oils – linseed, blackcurrant seed and black seed – it’s fragranced with natural oils of juniper, rosemary, lavender, eucalyptus and thyme for a truly sensorial experience, they say. They suggest massaging tired legs with upward movements and one tester said it helped her restless legs. For tense arms, neck and shoulders use circular motions – best of all, get someone else to do it as the first tester below did...

£44 for 150ml - click to buy 

OUR TESTERS’ COMMENTS:

’10/10. I walk a lot and am on my feet all day at work. I loved this spa in a tube that helps revive tired muscles and relaxes them all at the same time. my daughter loves giving a massage so She applied it and gave me numerous massages. She has massaged my neck, shoulders and upper back which I wouldn't be able to do and my legs on numerous occasions.  She loved it too. As it comes in a tube it’s easy to squeeze out the amount needed. Warming it in the hands and applying to skin. It gives the perfect amount of slip with a bit of grip. It sinks in beautifully to my skin without leaving it greasy or sticky. It leaves a satin finish. The most distinct smell was eucalyptus, which I love, mixed with relaxing lavender, juniper and rosemary. This is a spa in a tube. The muscles felt very relaxed and renewed. Refreshed like I could start the day all over again’ • ‘I loved the fact that this is a warming muscle balm and didn't warm too much. I didn't want to feel my body heat up too much. This also left my skin lovely and smooth and soft the next day. Sometimes oils can leave my skin feeling dry the next day. A little goes along way and the tube will last for ages’ • ‘This is a delicious-smelling massage balm that feels cool when immediately applied but which warms up on the skin when worked into tired muscles, making them feel relaxed and eased and tingly, whilst making the skin smell divine. It works wonders to soothe a post-yoga tiredness and helps you to target areas that have been overstretched or feel tense, taut or torn easily, leaving a warm glow to the skin that's even better if you get someone else to massage the balm in! The herby mentholated aroma smells wholesome, nourishing and natural. Great size product - easy to throw into the gym bag or holiday bag, and a really lovely new addition to my fave products too, thank you for introducing me :)’ • ‘Such a lovely product, I have never come across anything like it before, it heats up and wraps me in a warmth that no other product does.  It is very easy to apply, albeit it is a bit sticky, but it does soon dry, I'd say it is best applied on a night, for the relaxing properties, it really does make you feel relaxed and soothed.  I feel that I am applying a luxury product to my body.    It’s something that would be amazing after say running a marathon as it delivers what it says on the tin.  Also something else to note, I love the bright blue packaging’ • ‘It is meant to be relaxing according to the box, and it is.  I am finding it very soothing.  I can't say that it makes me feel sleepy but I am finding it calming. I adore the fact that it self-heating. Especially on a cold evening as it is lovely and comforting. I would buy in a heartbeat, especially for the cold winter months.’

£44 for 150ml - click to buy