I keep a bottle of Calamine Lotion in the back of the cupboard. The one I have at the moment is made by Care and cost me around a pound for 200ml. Boots sell it for £1.09 for the same amount.

Calamine is a mild astringent lotion that is used for minor skin irritation and rashes which is suitable for adults and children. My bottle says it's for sun burn and other skin conditions. It comes with the usual precautions such as if allergic to any of the ingredients don't use and don't swallow it. It doesn't tell you not to apply to broken skin. It claims side effects to be rare but some people may get a rash or irritation. It comes in a bottle not a tube.

Slightly pink, the lotion is quite thick. You're instructed to apply a layer to the affected area, I use cotton wool for this as tissue breaks up- sometimes I just use a finger, when necessary. Once dried on the skin it leaves chalky white residue that does wash off and doesn't stain clothes.

Does it work?

Yes, I find instant relief with this stuff. In the past I've used it for Chicken Pox blisters which stopped them from itching. I also used it on a break out of hives I had when I had a reaction to something- it really helped with the itching.

More recently my son had terrible sun burn from when he went away with his friends family on holiday. When he got back he was still in agony with it and infact he's still itching, Calamine lotion didn't heal it but certainly cooled it down and helped with the itching instantly. The effect lasted a couple of hours when which he needed more on.

We've been itching lately I think it's the washing liquid I've been using, it's been driving me mad so last night I got the Calamine out. The relief I felt was immediate, I couldn't believe I hadn't thought of it sooner- normally I'd just put up with it but remembered the lotion and thought I'd try it and I'm still itch free this morning. While I was at it I applied a bit to a sore and itchy spot I've got on my cheek (at my age!) it cooled it down and stopped the itch.

Calamine doesn't heal things but does calm down hot sore skin irritations and stops the itching- long enough to give things chance to heal while I'm not ripping my skin to shreds by scratching.

5 Stars from me