Battle Balm: The Story Behind Bloom's First Tallow Product for Men
Hi everyone, Dane here, the other half of Bloom. Katie's the one making everything by hand and driving the ideas, but I run the website as well as handling the branding and labels.
I'm also always the first in the loop on new products, testing them out and giving my take. Sometimes when I'm on break, or just walking in from my outdoor office, Katie will say, "smell me, Jerry!" It's a running joke between us, borrowed from the old Seinfeld bit where Kramer keeps busting into Jerry's apartment demanding to be smelled. Whenever Katie makes something new, that's usually how I find out about it. I've been her de facto tester for as long as she's been making perfume oils, tallow balms, and everything else.
Beyond just smelling things on demand, I've also used every tallow balm she's made, and my favorite for a long time was Beauty Balm. It's a genuinely great product. However, it's also got a crown stamped on the label and comes in pink packaging. Nothing is wrong with that, of course, (after all, I designed it). But there also hasn't been a single thing in the lineup I could hand a buddy without him raising an eyebrow at me suspiciously. With most of the packaging for Bloom being more feminine (and knowing that many men use their wives balms discretely) we kept thinking Bloom needed something in the line-up that was more man-friendly. That's where Battle Balm started.
Where the Idea Came From
Katie and I run Bloom together, but that's far from the only thing on either of our plates. I've got a full-time corporate job on top of it, and Katie juggles a handful of other side jobs along with homeschooling our two kids and running the house. How she manages all of that still amazes me.
In this season of life, uninterrupted moments to talk and plan are limited. Surprisingly, one place we actually get them is the drive down to the Space Coast of Florida to see family. The kids and the dog go quiet in the back (for the most part), it's just the two of us up front, and that's when some of the real brainstorming happens. This idea took shape on one of those drives, somewhere along the Gulf Coast between Mobile and the Florida line.
The names of Katie's tallow balm products lean on alliteration: Beauty Balm, Bee Balm, Baby Balm, Blue Balm. We wanted something with the same rhythm that also sounded like it belonged to a guy. Battle Balm hit immediately. Once we had the name, the theme wrote itself: knights, battle, something rugged with a little history behind it. Medieval skincare for the modern knight.
The History Behind the Name
The thyme connection isn't just a marketing flourish. Katie did some research and found that, historically, European court ladies embroidered thyme onto their chosen knight's tunic before he rode into battle. The plant was believed to carry courage with it. Greek soldiers reportedly did something similar, adding thyme to their bathwater before battle for the same reason. Another reason thyme was a perfect fit for the ingredient list is that it also has antibacterial and anti-inflammatory benefits, making it potentially beneficial for skin conditions like acne. Tea tree, while not a medieval ingredient, is also antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory. Katie and I really liked that, in addition to creating a fresh, herbal scent and being on theme, these oils literally work together help fight daily skin "battles."
Tallow fits the same theme in a quieter way. Rendered animal fat has been used to protect and heal skin for a very long time, well before anybody had a skincare aisle to shop from. The idea behind tough, simple, animal-fat-based skincare is old, and Battle Balm leans into that instead of pretending to be some brand new invention. Medieval knights would have been familiar with using tallow as the base for medicinal salves.
What's in the Battle Balm Jar
No mystery ingredient list here:
100% organic grass-fed whipped tallow
Jojoba oil
Tea tree oil
Thyme oil
Four ingredients, each doing something. The tallow is the base, thick enough to actually moisturize without disappearing in five minutes. The jojoba keeps it from feeling heavy or greasy, which matters when you're putting it on your face and not just your hands. The tea tree is what I notice first every time, sharp and refreshing. And now you know what the thyme's doing there besides smelling good.
What sold me on it, and I use it daily, is that it's a product that covers a lot of ground: face, neck, beard, hands, anywhere skin gets dry or rough. It's also become my go-to aftershave. It's cooling, moisturizing, refreshing, and it gets rid of that raw, tight feeling you're left with right after you shave.
Personally, I deal with some rough patches of psoriasis on my knuckles and under my arms, and Battle Balm is what I reach for. That's just what's worked for me, not a promise about what it'll do for you. But as a straightforward moisturizer that doesn't require five different products for five different body parts, it's hard to beat.
Not Just for Men
Battle Balm was built to finally give Bloom something that would look appealing for the guys, but Katie's told me more than once that it's become one of her favorites too. Coming from the person who makes everything else in this lineup, that's about as good an endorsement as it's going to get. Our daughter, who has struggled with some blemishes at times, also has enjoyed using it to help clear and moisturize her skin.
If you want to see where this whole thing started, take a look at Beauty Balm, the one that got me thinking Bloom needed a Battle Balm in the first place. And if you want to try the one I'm actually talking about, here it is: Battle Balm.
-Dane
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