With warming spring weather and everyone taking to the outdoors for ever more riding, the activity we all love and the resulting increased sun exposure can take its toll on our skin. Skin care and cycling are common bedfellows, with everything from chamois creams and embrocations to sunscreens and special detergents to clean technical wear.
But what about repairing damaged skin either from exposure to the elements or the inevitable tumble riders tend to take?
Caroline's Dream has a line of products designed to restore damaged skin. The company is run by Susan Shashok, but takes its name and ethos from Shashok's grandmother, whose use of medicinal plants and home remedies inspired Shashok. Combined with her own background and search for products effective on sensitive skin, Shashok created Caroline's Dream to offer products that are both effective and ecologically sound.
The sample pack of Caroline's Dream main creams. © Daniel Curtin / Cyclocross Magazine
Caroline's Dream is based in Vermont and takes some of its community-based cues from Shashok's time at Ben & Jerry's, the ice cream maker. Caroline's Dream products feature thoughtfully sourced ingredients and materials. And Shashok, an avid cyclist, even uses a cargo bike as the company vehicle.
We have a few of the Caroline's Dream products in for testing, including their Lavender + Sandalwood Cream for dry, damaged skin, which also touts anti-inflamatory properties and is said to be ideal for sensitive skin, the Super Skin Salve designed for severely cracked skin but also good for sunburn and scrapes, the company's Relief Salve, which they tout as a chamois treatment given its anti-fungal ingredients, and the Caroline's Dream lip balms.
We've already taken a liking to the lip balms, which are not as soft as many others on the market, and the Super Skin Salve which has greatly helped with dry hands, albeit leaving a sheen on the skin. And we used the Lavender and Sandalwood cream after a long weekend in the saddle at a training camp and the cream cleared an irritated spot in just two applications.
It goes without saying that riders in particularly sunny climates would serve themselves well to protect their skin while out. But each of us also knows that sometimes we need some after-the-fact care. We'll be testing the Caroline's Dream products and will be bringing you a full review in the future.
More info: carolinesdream.com
We’ve already been using the lip balms as spring breezes pick up and chap lips. © Daniel Curtin / Cyclocross Magazine
