Today, I'm reviewing the all- natural leather balm produced by Galen Leather.
Galen Leather are a leather goods company based in Turkey, producing hand- made pen cases, bags, notebook covers and more, since 2012. If you go to their About section on their website, you'll find lots of information about their thriving family-run business and their beginnings.
The leather balm, once unpacked, comes in one of the little cotton drawstring bags that they send their smaller products in. Those cute, handy bags are very sturdy and useful! Galen Leather also like to throw in goodies such as little glass Nazar charms, a sachet of coffee, Earl Grey teabags, and other small gifts.
It is a widely known fact that showering your customers in freebies is going to get you into their good books.
(Sips delicious tea).
But what is the leather balm like?
First of all, for those of you who looked at the product listing and thought 'ooh, it comes in a tin!', it doesn't. It looks like one, but it is actually a thick plastic container that does the job just as well. It holds a generous 1oz/30ml of balm. If you turn the container upside down you'll find instructions on how to use the balm, and a QR code that you can scan with your phone. It takes you to a video on their website further explaining the process of conditioning your product.
For a minute I was mightily confused as to how to open the container. Then I found the blue plastic... thingymajig? You rotate it, and the arms pop the lid off.
The leather balm inside is a creamy, yellowish colour. It also smells dangerously edible.
It is made of cocoa, almond oil and shea butter, and smells like a dessert! I decided firmly against consuming it as my pen case needed conditioning. I do approve of the chemical-free approach that Galen Leather has taken.
I rubbed my finger on the solid balm inside and a thin layer melted on to it. Then I applied it to a corner of the case.
It was immediately absorbed, leaving just a small darkened patch. I then set about massaging the balm into the whole case, buffing it afterwards with a microfibre cloth. The case didn't feel greasy at all. In fact, the colour deepened, developed a nice shine, and the whole thing felt fabulously soft to the touch. As it dried overnight, the colour lightened again.
My case had a few very light scuffs, which the balm completely took care of. It also took some wrinkles out of a leather haandbag (not a Galen Leather product). Now I want to put this stuff on everything!
Galen Leather has produced a great product to care for their leather goods, and I am happy that I have a chemical-free way of keeping my case in top shape. Another big bonus is that the balm doesn't leave a scent behind- the leather still smells new!
This is definitely worth the money. Conditioning one 5-pen case and a hand bag didn't even indent the surface of the balm. It should last for years!
If you try it, be sure to comment below and let me know what you think!