Your Cart is Empty
Climbing Skin Care Routine Tips & Tricks
Flappers, dry skin, chipped nail polish, rough calluses, bloody tips...sound familiar?
For us rock climbers, the state of our "oh so precious" skin usually decides whether we'll be sending that climb today or crying silently the whole way home.
We recently asked our Dynamite Starfish community members for their best climbing skin care routine tips and tricks.
Scroll on to see what they had to say!
The 4 climbing skincare essentials
We completely understand how overwhelming climbing skin care can be if you're new to climbing or never put much thought into it before. No worries!
To get started, every climber should have these 4 skincare essentials in their gym bag or crag pack:
Athletic tape: to cover small splits or flappers.
Nail scissors: to cut nails or pieces of dead skin.
Skin file: to sand calluses or snaggy skin.
Hand balm or moisturizer: to keep skin pliable and help wounds heal faster.
Ok...now let's dive into those tips for skin care for climbers!
Wait?! You mean there's still skin there?!
"ALRIGHT! That means I can give one last go before I call it a day!" says every climber 2 seconds before they get the biggest flapper of their life.
But guess what?
The best skin care for climbers is...drumroll please...not thrashing your skin into a state of death and bloody destruction in the first place.
If you notice your skin getting achy, don't be afraid to slap on a preventative layer of tape. Split tips take days to heal, but Taped Hands Keep Climbing!
(Photo courtesy of @charleslandis5910)
I file my calluses a little bit every night
If you want to get serious about your skin care routine for climbers, then a skin file or skin sander is your new best friend.
Climbers are known for having some gnarly calluses, and they're pretty much avoidable if you're consistently hitting the gym or crag.
The idea here isn't to remove the entire callus. Instead, make sure your skin stays smooth and doesn't get too thick.
Thick, hard calluses are more likely to get caught or "stuck" when grabbing a hold. This can lead to giant flappers, especially on the skin between the finger joints or upper palms.
Similarly, dangly bits of torn skin (i.e. after grabbing small or sharp holds) can quickly turn into a session-ending ordeal if not addressed quickly.
Remove the large pieces of dead skin with scissors then smooth out any rough bits with your skin file or sander...and viola you're ready to Climb On!
"I love filing my skin while watching TV in bed with my husband. It’s weirdly satisfying for me, but annoying to said husband." @maryallisoncates
Pro Tip: We love the ergonomic feel of the Taco skin sander from Crux Climbing.
Its rounded edges are perfect for sanding cracks in your skin that can form in the finger joints!
Lotion in the morning and at night
Skin that's too dry leads to cracks and tears. Skin that's too moist causes slipping and tears too. Finding the perfect balance...well that's an art!
Every climber is different, and this may take some experimenting to figure out what works best for you. As a rule of thumb, we usually tell folks to err on the side of caution by being proactive and avoiding letting your skin enter a state of extreme dryness.
There are many skin care products for climbers on the market that can be used multiple times per day. The top three picks by Dynamite Starfish community climbers are:
If you're the kind of person who has the opposite problem — excessive sweating or clammy skin — Rhino Skin Solutions has a Dry Spray that many climbers swear by.
Antihydral 'may' be an option in some cases, but we recommend consulting a dermatologist for advice first as this can damage your skin.
(Photo courtesy of @climberbakergamer)
Pro Tip: Wearing gloves at the outdoor crag during winter months can cause your hands to start sweating and have less friction while climbing.
For boulderers, try leaving your gloves off until you're ready to take a longer rest like at lunchtime or when hiking to a different problem...within reason of course!
Nails clipped for maximum crimping!
Sorry long nail lovers...long nails and rock climbing just don't mix!
Handholds will inevitably get smaller as your climbing progresses. Before long you'll find crimps that are less than your first finger joint in width.
Keeping short nails not only allows for maximum skin contact with those tiny crimps but also helps avoid an extremely painful bend or break in your nails.
Be High Maintenance and embrace the Climber Manicure!
(Artwork by @send.friendss)
Pro Tip: A pair of rounded cuticle scissors like these from Walmart are excellent for cutting nails and trimming pieces of skin. One accessory for two jobs? Yes, please!
Stare at your fingers constantly as if they're going to magically be better
He does it. She does it. They do it. We all do it.
That bloody flapper you just got 5 minutes ago? Yup, it's still there.
There's no shame in the stare, but grabbing a roll of climbing tape so you can Try, Try, Try, & Send is a whole lot more productive.
"I like gazing at my skin intensely after every single boulder problem." @climb.boulder.mountain
Eat cheese to have greasy fingers
Are you sitting there shaking your head? Normal. Let me share some cringy anecdotes.
While I've never seen someone actually eat cheese before jumping on the climbing wall, I've seen a two situations that should never be included in a list of tips skin care for climbers.
The first involved a hungry climber at a crag in Spain. Said individual whipped out a pack of dried ham (which is extremely greasy) and made themselves a delicious sandwich.
After finishing, they hopped right back on the rock without making any attempt to clean their hands. I'm sure you can imagine the trail of fat covering those poor handholds...
The second involved a climber who was just doing their best to climb with a split tip. In this case, the person lathered on some oily hand balm, covered it in chalk chalk, and proceeded to climb. While their intentions were good, the results were similar to Mr. Ham Sandwich.
The lesson here is this:
Some climber hand balms or lotions aren't meant to be used within several hours of climbing because they can cause the skin to become too moist or leave behind oily residues.
When in doubt, a quick rinse with water goes a long way :)
(Quote courtesy of @lucie_allard)
How about you? Do you have any tips or advice on skin care for rock climbers?
Share your thoughts in the comments below. We'd love to hear from you!
Psst…Our tees are a great conversation starter!
With so many styles, we know you’ll be the climber having the most fun at the crag.
SHOP OUR UNISEX CLIMBING APPAREL:
Leave a comment
Comments will be approved before showing up.
