LYONSLEAF ZINC AND CALENDULA CREAM REVIEW

A review of Lyonsleaf Zinc and Calendula Cream - what ingredients it contains, and what conditions and symptoms it works well for.

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a jar of lyonsleaf zinc and calendula cream

In this article I'm doing a Lyonsleaf Zinc and Calendula Cream review.

Get a special 20% off your Lyonsleaf Zinc and Calendula Cream and other products by using the code HappySage20 at the checkout!

I have had this product quite a long time and used it to treat a variety of conditions, in particular a nasty case of perioral dermatitis.

I'll be having a look at the ingredients it contains and what benefits they have as well as seeing how effective it is as a treatment for a wide range of problems, including it's use as a beauty product in treating enlarged facial skin pores.

Lyonsleaf

Lyonsleaf are an award winning natural skincare and beauty company based on a small farm in the Mendip Hills in Somerset, not far away from me! This family company started life in 2011 as a food and herb company but evolved into producing 100% natural skin care and beauty products for even the most sensitive of skins.

One thing that sets this company apart from other natural beauty companies is that their products are all water free. This means that they do not have to use any preservatives in their products which can often be a source of irritation for people with sensitive skin.

The other unique feature with Lyonsleaf is their home grown herbs. They grow their own herbs on the farm to ensure high quality ingredients which means their products will be as potent as possible.

Their mission is to provide natural, safe and effective products at affordable prices and with a low environmental impact. Product packaging is 100% recyclable and they use biodegradable postal packaging. All their products are cruelty free.

Lyonsleaf Zinc & Calendula Cream

One of the great things about this the Lyonsleaf Zinc and Calendula Cream is that you are able to buy a 3ml sample size if you just wish to try it out first. It also comes in 30ml and 120ml jars. I went for the 30ml which comes in a brown glass jar with an aluminium twist cap lid, both of which are recyclable.

The cream itself is a very pale yellow in colour although when applied to the skin gives a pale white sheen. It's a soft cream and easy to use and there is no obvious smell to the product at all.

Lyonsleaf Zinc & Calendula Cream - ingredients

95% organic/wild harvest

Helianthus Annuus (sunflower) oil**, Orbignya Oleifera (babassu) oil**, C177947 (non nano zinc oxide) 18%**, Cera Alba (beeswax)**, Borago Officinalis (borage) oil, Tocopherol (natural vitamin e oil), Calendula Officinalis (calendula flower extract)

** organic/wild harvest

Organic usually means that the ingredient is certified as organic and wild harvest is usually applied to describe ingredients that have been grown in organic conditions but as yet have no official organic certification.

What oils are in Lyonsleaf Zinc & Calendula cream?

There are 4 oils in this cream:

Sunflower Oil - this oil is high in omega 6 essential fatty acid and it is ideal for all kinds of skin care products. It penetrates the skin well so enabling other ingredients to absorb and is soothing and hydrating. It is also a good oil for all skin types, from oily to dry.
Babassu Oil - from a palm tree native to South America, this oil is highly anti-inflammatory and also has antibacterial qualities as well as being super moisturising. Often used for the treatment of cuts and rashes it is absorbed well into the skin.
Borage Oil - also known as starflower, this oil is wonderful for skin rejuvenation and regeneration. It penetrates well and is often used on skin prone to eczema and is great for helping heal wounds.
Vitamin E Oil - this is usually used to help stabilise the main oils in a formulation as it is a powerful antioxidant but it is also protective and soothing for skin as well as being anti-inflammatory and healing. It is a great oil for sensitive skin.

None of the four oils above appear to cause acne.

What are the active ingredients in Lyonsleaf Zinc & Calendula cream?

There are 3 additional ingredients in the cream:

18% Zinc Oxide (non nano) - zinc oxide is great as a sun protector and is used in natural sunscreens and the cream has a SPF10 but I would not recommend using it as a sunscreen product. Zinc oxide also helps treat rashes, infections and helps healing and can be used to treat acne. The 'non nano' part just means that the size of the particles are not small enough to penetrate the skin. Although there is still argument about whether nano zinc oxide can penetrate the skin I personally still feel better using non nano products. Zinc oxide can help skin with excess sebum but can also be very drying for certain skins.
Beeswax - Normally I would never put any product with beeswax on my face (apart from my lips). However when I used this cream to treat my perioral dermatitis I knew that the cream would not be going all over my face and I would not be rubbing it in hard. Beeswax is wonderful at protecting the skin and keeping it soft and as an ingredient it helps firm the oils up in to a cream.
Calendula Flower Extract - I love calendula as an ingredient, it is soothing, healing and nourishing as well as being great for scars and acne prone skin.

This is an un-fragranced product as there are no essential oils in it and as it does not contain any water there is no need for any preservatives or antimicrobials either.

a graphic and information on Lyonsleaf zinc and calendula cream

What conditions does Lyonsleaf Zinc & Calendula Cream work for?

I have used this cream for many conditions and it's great for:

Shrinking Enlarged Pores - even on mature skin. At night just tap it around the sides of the nose and on the chin (or wherever you have enlarged pores) - it helps absorb the excess sebum and shrinks the pores really well. This is definitely a 'tap' application and a case of less is more - you should barely be able to see anything after you have applied the cream
Soothing Nettle Rash. I fell off my bike into a patch of nettles and had one leg that was covered in stings - really painful! The cream made a real difference but because I was applying the cream to my legs where the skin is a bit thicker and not as delicate I used more cream and rubbed it in a bit harder than I do on my face.
Everyday Cuts, Grazes and Gardening Injuries. I put the cream on all scratches and thorn injuries and it's very good at stopping dirt from getting in to existing scratches as well as repelling water and moisture if required. Great to use for protecting skin or wounds when gardening or doing DIY.
Blisters on Toes and Heels. I have used this cream very successfully on blisters from rubbing shoes. You only need a small dab of the cream and tap it on a few times to work it in and the soreness went quickly and the blisters healed really fast.
Shaving Burn. One of my more recent discoveries has been to use it on shaving burn under my arms. It works really well but you need to apply a tiny amount but rub it in well to treat underarm shaving burn.
Insect Bites. I use the cream on a variety of insect bites and it works well at healing and soothing any itchiness. I have also used on tick bites (after the tick has been removed).
Perioral Dermatitis - Lyonsleaf Zinc and Calendula cream can also be used to treat early stage perioral dermatitis - see below for details.

Lyonsleaf Zinc & Calendula cream for perioral dermatitis

Perioral dermatitis is a bumpy, red facial rash that can be mistaken for acne. It can also itch a lot. It usually appears around the mouth but can spread up towards the nose and the eye area.

There are lots of causes of perioral dermatitis such as the prolonged use of steroid cream or prescription steroid inhalers as well as reactions to cosmetic and skincare products and the over application of heavy cream or foundation on the face.

You can also get it after applying petroleum jelly (Vaseline) to the skin on your face as it seals it completely leaving it unable to breathe. As an aside, I once saw a television programme where the Hospital for Tropical Diseases in London used petroleum jelly to put over a small hole in a patients head where a parasitic worm had buried itself. The treatment was basically suffocating it to death with petroleum jelly!

I have had perioral dermatitis twice, and on both occasions it was my own fault! I reacted badly to some skincare and make-up products which weren't made with natural ingredients (I really should have known better). The first time I had a really bad case which literally came from nowhere and exploded all over my face. It took two months of antibiotics to clear it and the rash itched like crazy. One of the most effective antibiotics for perioral dermatitis is Lymecycline (which is a form of tetracycline) and it started to work really quickly in stopping the spread of the rash, and then gradually reducing the inflammation and clearing it up. My rash was spreading really quickly, I could literally wake up in the morning and could see how much further it had spread across my face. The Lymecycline worked quickly in that after about 5 - 7 days I noticed that the rash had stopped spreading and some of the itching had gone. Over the rest of the course, the rash gradually shrank smaller and smaller and the itching disappeared. It still took a good few weeks to get rid of it though.

You are much more likely to get perioral dermatitis if your skin barrier is disturbed, such as by using strong washing products or face scrubs which strip the natural oils from your skin.

The second time I got perioral dermatitis I knew the signs immediately from the itching and started using Lyonsleaf zinc and calendula cream on it (as described below). Luckily, by treating it early I had great results and avoided having to take antibiotics. The trick with perioral dermatitis is to start using the Lyonsleaf zinc and calendula cream as soon as possible before the infection gets a hold.

If you have problems with cold sores then take a look at the article on Home Remedies for treating Cold Sores.

How do you use Lyonsleaf Zinc & Calendula Cream for perioral dermatitis?

For applying to the face you hardly need any at all. Wash you hands and put a finger tip gently onto the cream. Then simply tap the cream gently onto the face a few times over the area to be treated. The cream is thick and gives a slight white colour on the skin but I found this is actually quite helpful at disguising any redness and inflammation.

You definitely do not want to be putting a lot of this cream on the face - less is definitely more and I have found that it works best when applied a little and often. I always dab the treated area with a clean tissue to gently remove the old cream and any dirt before I re-apply. I have used this cream under make-up for breakouts with great success. I just let the cream dry for a few minutes and then put some mineral powder foundation over the top if I absolutely have to.

If you have perioral dermatitis then you should not really be using any makeup at all whilst it heals, but if you really must, try and keep to natural products and make sure all your make-up brushes are thoroughly washed and cleaned frequently too.

Using Lyonsleaf Zinc and Calendula as a natural nappy rash cream

You can also use Lyonsleaf Zinc and Calendula Cream as a natural nappy rash cream for babies over 4 weeks old, although I have not personally tried to use it for this purpose myself. It can be used in a similar way to the popular nappy cream Sudocrem. In my opinion the ingredients in Lyonsleaf are far superior from a healing point of view and a lot more gentle. A note of caution though, it should not be applied to any broken skin on infants under the age of 3.

NOTE: The only other issue to be aware of is that Lyonsleaf Zinc and Calendula Cream it should not be used by anyone who has an allergy to the daisy or aster family (sesquiterpene lactone allergy) or those with a compromised immune system as there is no preservative in the product to kill any bacteria which may get in to the jar (always wash your hands before you use the cream).

People with extremely sensitive skin should try a patch test and wait 24 hours to check for a reaction. I have super sensitive skin and had no reaction at all to this product, even on my face, my skin loves it!

If you have sensitive skin you might be interested in my article on the ingredients to avoid in your skincare.

Read on for my Lyonsleaf zinc and calendula cream review!