My weakness isn’t seeing the blood and gore of injuries; it’s watching people in pain, particularly my young children. Boo-Boo Balm is ouchless as it is, but putting pressure on a throbbing wound can be agony. With my mom (VMV’s founding dermatologist-dermatopathologist), we’ve perfected a pretty awesome ouchless first-aid technique. Follow those steps first (ice the wound and clean it with virgin coconut oil), then follow with this, my technique for painlessly applying The Big, Brave Boo-Boo Balm itself.

STEP 1: Goop It Up.

The trick to painless application is: touch balm, not wound. Get more balm than you need. It’s important to get a big, generous mound.

STEP 2: Press Beside (Not On) The Wound.

Position the sub so that most of the balm is on top of the wound directly but do not press down with the swab. Move the swab slightly to the side of the tender area, rotating slightly if needed to make sure Boo-Boo Balm stays on top of the wound, and gently press down (so you’re pressing down next to the owie, not on it). The mound of balm should be on the wound, but the swab should be on the skin beside the wound.

STEP 3: Roll Swab Away, Leaving Behind The Mound Boo-Boo Balm.

Still pressing gently beside the wound, slowly start turning the swab away from the wound so that swab comes off clean, leaving behind a big goop of Boo-Boo Balm on top of the wound.

STEP 4: Push Balm, Not Wound.

If you need to adjust some of the balm or to cover more areas: there will be enough of a mound so that you only need to touch the balm. The wound should feel no pressure as you push the balm around.

Cover with a bandage, and done!

Laura is the CEO of VMV Hypoallergenics and eldest daughter of our founding dermatologist-dermatopathologist. She has two children, Madison and Gavin, and works at VMV with her sister and husband (Madison and Gavin frequently volunteer their “usage testing” services). In addition to saving the world’s skin, Laura is passionate about learning, literature, art, health, science, inclusion, cultural theory, human rights, happiness and goodness.