[lukeyboy]

I generally use superchalk (metolius?) as i've found it to be about the best in terms of drying hands effectively. However, I've recently become suspicious that the drying agent used in it is fucking my skin a little more than it manages to do by itself (my hand skin is basically just a bit shit). Firstly, has anyone else found this? And secondly, what chalk have people found to be the most hand friendly (whilst still being good)?

Cheers

[205Chris]

I suffer from eczema and I find superchalk is just about the worst thing you can use. I switched to the standard block chalk (Wild Country / Metolius etc.) a while ago and my skin condition improved massively. I can't say I've really noticed any difference in my climbing performance either.

I also find that using either Palmers cocoa butter or Lush dream cream after climbing helps a lot too.

[Twiglett]

had a similar problem with superchalk. switched to moon dust & now much better

[dave]

superchalk is shit if you've got any tendancy towards dry skin (search for old threads on this very subject). Also there's sime very shit chalk around at the moment. Kanye had some wildcountry shit last summer that was way too fine, it was slippy like engineering chalk, dogshit for climbing.

I don't think you can go wrong with the cheapest Camp or Decathlon stuff. That is until Accapi bring out homeopathic infrared chalk.

[Paul B]

I don't think you can go wrong with the cheapest Camp or Decathlon stuff. That is until Accapi bring out homeopathic infrared chalk.

what? are you on crack? maybe you've breathed in too much of the asbestos camp dust, its terrible.

[lukeyboy]

Thanks a lot for the replies so far. I'm going to abandon superchalk to see how much of a difference it makes. A pretty significant one on a week long trip I reckon. So what actually is the best out there? Moon dust?

And thanks Chris for the skin healing beta. I've generally just used climb on before, I'd be interested whether you've found much difference between this and your suggestions? I heard Elizabeth Arden 8hr cream is good (but both expensive and bent) and have been meaning to find some and try it out.

[youngy]

ye i find moon dust pretty good or bleaustone stuff as well
the moon dust lately has been pretty wet, dunno if its just the batch but it seems to be ok if you either put it in the airing  cupboard or microwave,
hopefully it will just be the batch.

[Johnny Brown]

I've got very dry skin on one hand. Despite that I pretty much used Superchalk exclusively for the last eight years or so, reckoning it was better. Then the last two bags I've had have been shit - one damp, then one just wrong, felt like sand. Went back to Camp block chalk - its fine, dunno why I wasted my money all these years. I honestly don't think there's any performance benefit to Superchalk, whilst shit batches = wasted money. I've never heard of a bad batch of block chalk.

[205Chris]

I'd be interested whether you've found much difference between this and your suggestions? I heard Elizabeth Arden 8hr cream is good (but both expensive and bent) and have been meaning to find some and try it out.

I can't comment on the Elizabeth Arden cream having never used it I'm afraid. I find Climb On very good if you've got any cuts or broken skin as you can pack some into the cut and it seems to help the healing process in my opinion (although it is quite greasy).

Cocoa butter / dream cream doesn't leave your hands as greasy as climb on and I find it a lot better for general use on dry skin. I think dream cream is quite expensive for a pot (about 10 quid if I recall correctly) but it does last for absolutely ages.

[Paul B]

Slightly  however I'm amazed that chalk manufacturers still can't make decent resealable bags. They always burst on me or just won't every shut. Does anybody use a Metolius powderhorn or something similar?

I must admit I have very greasy tips hence my leaning towards superchalk. I've been quite good recently at using dream cream when I get home and it seems to have kept any nasty splits or general dryness at bay. It also lasts forever. (Johnny still won't have any of this after being recommended it years ago as he doesn't do town)

Block chalk seems to dis-integrate far too quickly for my liking, maybe the camp stuff is better but I bought some from Decathlon in Majorca as there was an island wide shortage of decent chalk and it was utter rubbish. It was like applying talc to my fingers and a block lasted no time at all.

[Richie Crouch]

Another vote here for the bleaustone stuff Greg was selling on Rock and Run. Moon Dust was good till the last batch as Youngy said.

I'm probably up there in the shit sweaty skin stakes but can't handle superchalk without getting multiple splits in joints that take forever to heal.

Dream cream every night before sleep (on climbing days) seems to be working well and the £10 pot has lasted since August last year.

[Paul B]

I haven't had a split for ages, maybe they're more to do with climbing on plastic than chalk?

[dobbin]

Used to view superchalk as amazing, but it seems to have been wet for a few bags for a while now. Bought a bag of moon chalk and that seems much better. Always used to prefer this anyway tbh.

Regards hand creme - that big frank's climbers hand balm seems good. Smells nice too.

[JamesPullan]

I generally use superchalk (metolius?) as i've found it to be about the best in terms of drying hands effectively. However, I've recently become suspicious that the drying agent used in it is fucking my skin a little more than it manages to do by itself (my hand skin is basically just a bit shit). Firstly, has anyone else found this? And secondly, what chalk have people found to be the most hand friendly (whilst still being good)?

Cheers

I use the same chalk and the same thing happens to me, for about 2-3 days after using it my hands look like a dried river bed. I've tried not using as much chalk (ie. if the rock is bone dry then I won't use it), I'll take a rag up to dry my hands if needs be. I suppose it's what you ought to expect though. There is a brand of chalk which uses no added drying agent, can't remember which one though, I think it's in this month's climb mag.

[erm, sam]

loads of chalk use no drying agent, it is more a case of which do these days...

[Wipey Why]

I have had a bag of the Camp stuff from Decathlon (it cost about £7 and the bag is massive). Seems to be ok but have had to pop it into the microwave.

[Omar15]

Yeah, ive found that superchalk rapes my hands but I mixed it with some block chalk in thailand last year and it was pretty good, I guess because the extra humidity stopped it from stripping water out of my skin.

I've found the bleaustone stuff is pretty good for me personally, I don't think its got any drying agents in and its only between £3.50 and £5 for a big bag.

[moose]

I used to find that the bags of Super Chalk worked best for me (no real problems with chalk induced badness).  I liked the mixture of lumps and finer material and the way it clung to the hands (some chalks, like the Camp stuff, are just too light and powdery for my taste). 

I won some WC Pure Chalk and that appears to behave in the same good way, but supposedly doesn't include harsh drying agents.  I gave some to a friend with dry skin and he said that it didn't fuck up his hands as much as the metollius.

Re skin care.  Palmer's coco is good and a lot cheaper than Climb On (which is good, but not great value).  My current favourite though is Lotil - you can get in in Boot for £4 for a big pot.  Their staff recommended it for properly chapped and broken skin (rather than just a bit dry).  It's often not kept in the hand cream section - rather the shelves with creams for various medical complaints like thrush and haemorroids!  Good stuff though - rubs in nicely but seems to do the job on thin and cracked hands.

[boulderingbacon]

i like the super chalk but also suffer from dry hands working with wood all day. to solve your dry hands by some o keefes working hands cream you put it on before bed and i guarantee you, as they do. it will heal your hands after only a few days use.  i got it from a tool store so not sure who stocks it but sure its on net somewhere.

[Fiend]

Superchalk does nothing interesting for me. Still sweaty as ever. If someone finds chalk that's significantly MORE DRYING than Superchalk I'd be interested...

[Paul B]

Liquid chalk baselayer? Thats what I was opting for one long sport climbs in hotter climates. All over the hand to to stop the sweat running off the backs of my hand (yes really).

[Mike Tyson]

I have always used Metolius stuff and generally had no issues. Was at the cobble tonight and was suffering from extreme greasyness. Gonna try the liquid chalk base application and see how I get on.

[Paul B]

I have always used Metolius stuff and generally had no issues. Was at the cobble tonight and was suffering from extreme greasyness. Gonna try the liquid chalk base application and see how I get on.

This stuff varies massively. I've found Beal to be the best.

[tomtom]

Big bags of camp chalk from Decathlon are fine for me (maybe I've not got uber sweaty hands) and unlike all other chalks I've used they leave my skin relatively normal afterwards....

[rodma]

Big bags of camp chalk from Decathlon are fine for me (maybe I've not got uber sweaty hands) and unlike all other chalks I've used they leave my skin relatively normal afterwards....

[Jim]

Superchalk is better than other chalk when its not a bad batch, quite a few around at the moment for some reason?
I can tell instantly when chalking up if its not good superchalk. Block chalk is just awefull.
Base layer of liquid jizz is defiantley the way forward and on warm/humid days climbing, use it all the time.

With regards to hand creams, I have been testing out quite a few and here are my recomendations:
climb on - shit, too greasy. good for cuts tho
e-45, great for general quick soak in use, better than cocoa butter (but doesn't smell as nice)
dream cream - probably the best out there I have tried, smells not to good tho (piney?)
EA 8 hour cream - get the hand stuff, its thinner and soaks in better. It's good, but not worth the money, dream cream is better
not tried franks cream yet, will get some soon to test.
hoof moisturising cream - seems greasy but soaks in quite well. not used it enough to really tell if its any good yet

any others worth trying?

[lukeyboy]

Superchalk is better than other chalk when its not a bad batch, quite a few around at the moment for some reason?
I can tell instantly when chalking up if its not good superchalk. Block chalk is just awefull.

This is really the issue I have - superchalk fucks my skin but having used a few different brands it does seem to be the best (I've also not encountered a bad batch yet). I don't want to start buying different bags of loose and them all be shit and powdery. It sounds like bleaustone is pretty decent and mixed reviews about the camp stuff. I bought one a few months ago in the works which was was in a black bag maybe with  a b&w close up of someone crimping or the like - this was pretty decent but can't remember what the brand was, does anyone know off hand?

And I'll be popping out to invest in some dream cream in my lunch break. Thanks for sharing. I had a chuckle when I imagined the sort of answers I'd have got if I'd posted this on the other site.

[Johnny Brown]

any others worth trying?

I pretty much stick to Neutrogena. I find the cocoa/ shea butter and climb-on-beeswax based stuff never soaks in properly. If you've got to take contact lenses out anytime its a right pain.

[Fiend]

Thanks to you buggers I had an ace dream about having a huge vat of extra dry crumbly chalk in my car last night. And then I woke up and it's back to mere superchalk and blah :S

[moose]

I pretty much stick to Neutrogena. I find the cocoa/ shea butter and climb-on-beeswax based stuff never soaks in properly. If you've got to take contact lenses out anytime its a right pain.

If the neutrogena ever proves insufficient, I recommend Lotil.   It's non greasy but seems to have the same effect on cracked and broken skin as the waxy stuff - more of a heavy duty cream for eczema than a handcream but still rubs in nicely.  Oddly, googling for it seems to turn up lots of suppliers for stablehands... so maybe it'll gives a glossy mane too!   Details and press comments:
http://www.fentonpharmaceuticals.com/lotil.htm

[cofe]

I'll second the Lotil recommendation. I think it's what Magpie recommended for my mank finger. Palmers Cocoa butter is the only other one I use. Climb on and the other climbing specific ones aren't up to the job.

[Iesu]

I've had really bad skin for a long time, even to the extent of giving up chalk altogether on a Dr's recommendation a few years ago(!)

Superchalk rapes my skin, as does the liquid chalk (assume it's the alcohol carrier having extra drying/chem reaction?)

Block chalk seems fine for my uses, although i do suffer from uber greasy tips (as anyone who has climbed a problem after me would attest - i've leaked quarts of spooge onto the sloper on Si's Arete over the past winter) - i just put up with the lack of drying agent in favour of not having my skin peel off down several layers  mm's thick in cm wide strips (no shit).

On the hand creme front:

the climb-on creme i find too thin and greasy (bro and his gf like it for eczema issues so i donated my last tube).
the climb on bar is fantastic but only really useful for actual splits, cuts etc - not really a general skin conditioner (unless tips are severely raw)

I use any of the variations of Cocoa butter at home after a session and the Lush dream creme at work. I find the lush too greasy to be honest but it does the job after using stress inducing hand wash they have at work.

back to work 

[Mike Tyson]

e-45

Didn't know you did trad Jim, didn't know you were pioneering the next level either

[tomtom]

i've leaked quarts of spooge onto the sloper on Si's Arete over the past winter

At last some SCIENCE to explain my repeated failure on this until February  Next time you're up at the 'Cliff if you could kindly spooge on Underhand I can then have a ready made excuse for my next catalogue of failure 

[Wipey Why]

Big bags of camp chalk from Decathlon are fine for me (maybe I've not got uber sweaty hands) and unlike all other chalks I've used they leave my skin relatively normal afterwards....

Has Decathlon stopped stocking these as I didn't see any last time I was in the Stockport branch.

[Jim]

I've had a bag of this in the past and its been the shitest chalk I have ever used

[Iesu]

i've leaked quarts of spooge onto the sloper on Si's Arete over the past winter

At last some SCIENCE to explain my repeated failure on this until February  Next time you're up at the 'Cliff if you could kindly spooge on Underhand I can then have a ready made excuse for my next catalogue of failure 

no problem, been spooging on that one too although i struggle to fit my sausage fingers in the slot so i'm going on a finger diet for next winter

[craic-head]

When it comes to dryness issues I always reach for the Vaseline.

<Gets coat>

If you don't lather it on too heavily it soaks in pretty quick and (from my experience) has sorted out my painful digits. It's cheap too. I do a lot of DWS and the combination of Superchalk and salt water seems to be a vicious one.

[JamesD]

I've laid off the superchalk because it seems to royally shag my skin, so I have been trying the metolius block chalk lately.
It seems to be just as good if not quite as finely powdered (obviously), but once rubbed in it seems to do the trick, no change in grip/lack of, and no more fucked skin 

[lukeyboy]

In update, I've switched to the bleaustone stuff which has been really good so far. Haven't noticed any performance difference between that and superchalk. I've also switched from climb on to lush dream cream, though with actual cuts and grazes I've still been stuffing climb on in.

Both seem to have had a beneficial effect; my skin is much less fucked than usual. It's just about gotten to that nice pliable leathery state. I'd definitely recommend both these to anyone else struggling with bad skin

[Byronic]

I've got to vouch for the bleaustone as well, I find myself using much less than I do with other brands (and it's more grippy/less slippy than some others), and it's cheap as chips from R&R

[Pitcairn]

Tried some WC pure chalk tonight and it was totally wank.  Got gradually more damp as the evening progressed and it didnt really help at all.  Never experienced this before and generally like the decathlon stuff or super chalk.  Bastards.

[Paul B]

Tried some WC pure chalk tonight and it was totally wank.  Got gradually more damp as the evening progressed and it didnt really help at all.  Never experienced this before and generally like the decathlon stuff or super chalk.  Bastards.

I found it ok, its from the same company that makes the moon stuff, its just ground differently.

[psychomansam]

I've got to vouch for the bleaustone as well, I find myself using much less than I do with other brands (and it's more grippy/less slippy than some others), and it's cheap as chips from R&R

they've got the absolutely ridiculous deal back on again now -- just over a kilo of chalk for 7 squids. got this as a christmas present and despite being a chalk monster, not half way through, though i have had a ball or so as well. Nowt wrong with this stuff, compares fine with any other pure chalk, get the stuff with chrushed block btw, doesn't all fly away quite as quick.

My next font trip is going to be involving liquid chalk base layers though. Dries the skin like anything, which obv has a bad side to it, but by far the best stuff for hot weather, really does makes a big difference, as opposed to the generally minor differences between solid/loose chalks.

[Drew]

Harking back to the days of damp Superchalk, it seems the Moon chalk has a damp batch. Felt some last night, and it didn't feel quite right.

[neil h]

i been getting loads of wet chalk at the mo

here is my tip to overcome it,  stick on open gag on the window ledge to dry, make sure that you have another bag of chalk and just rotate the open bag, when its dry a start using it, and open another bag ready for when you run out, keep doing this, never have damp chalk again

[dave]

I think a lot of the chalk sold under different brands actually comes from the same manufacturer (in china?) hence why everyone is coincidentally selling wet chalk at the same time. Also means to an extent it makes no odds which brand you buy.

[neil h]

true, i swithched barnds a few times just to see and yes all the wet chalk comes in at the same time

[superfurrymonkey]

Yes moon chalk has been damp for some time now.

[webbo]

slightly off subject but my daughter bought one of those kilo bars of cadburys dairy milk.being the doting father that i am,i kept knicking a bit when she wasn't looking.in order to protest my innocence when accused i would lick the evidence off my fingers.when they dried my skin had extremely high friction and i couldn't get thumb/finger to slip against each other.
i've yet to experiment with this climbing(theres none left)but it could be the way forward.

[tomtom]

slightly off subject but my daughter bought one of those kilo bars of cadburys dairy milk.being the doting father that i am,i kept knicking a bit when she wasn't looking.in order to protest my innocence when accused i would lick the evidence off my fingers.when they dried my skin had extremely high friction and i couldn't get thumb/finger to slip against each other.
i've yet to experiment with this climbing(theres none left)but it could be the way forward.

  excellent - next time I see someone stealing chocolate from a child at the crag, then licking their fingers afterwards, I'll know its not some act of crime/depravity but a cunning chalk substitute! Dairy milk has such a small cocoa content its probably the chemicals