How To Use Chalk For Rock Climbing  

• Climbers (and other athletes) use chalk to dry sweat and other moisture on their hands, increasing friction and improving grip.
  

• Climbing chalk is the same compound (Magnesium Carbonate) that gymnasts, weightlifters, and other athletes use for confident grip.
  

• Generic chalk will feel somewhat grainy, disappear quickly with use, and may even become a little slimy when you sweat. Since you tend to go through low quality chalk faster, many people also notice that their skin becomes overly dry after a few sessions. This is either because they are re-applying too often or because the chalk they’re using has drying agents that can be harmful to skin over time.
  

• Quality chalk feels great when you put it on, lasts a long time, and keeps your skin healthy even after months of repeated use.
  

• Loose chalk - A mixture of chalk chunks and fine powder chalk, typically stored in a chalk bag or bucket. At FrictionLabs, our loose chalk is available in three textures: Fine (Unicorn Dust), Chunky (Gorilla Grip), and Super Chunky (Bam Bam) - just like peanut butter, it just depends on your personal texture preference.
  

• Chalk ball - A soft, porous fabric sock designed to hold fine powdered chalk and release it slowly when squeezed, typically stored in a chalk bag/bucket surrounded by loose chalk. At FrictionLabs, our chalk ball is called Magic.
  

• Block chalk - A compressed, solid chunk of chalk that will break apart naturally over time as you use it. In order to hold its shape, block chalk requires a binding agent, which reduces the purity and moisture absorption.
  

How to apply chalk:

1. If you are using loose chalk or a chalk ball out of a chalk bag/bucket, put one or both hands in the bag, grab some chalk, spread it from your palm to your fingertips, then let the excess pour back into the bag and pull your hands out.
2. Try not to make a mess by pulling out too much chalk that isn’t already rubbed into your hands.
3. You should now have a smooth, uniform layer of chalk covering your fingers.
4. Now get climbing!
   

• Liquid chalk - The next evolution in chalk...a spreadable cream that dries quickly on your hands, leaving behind a fine layer of chalk. It looks like a magic trick when you see it in action! Typically stored in a squeeze tube. At FrictionLabs, we have two types of liquid chalk: Original Secret Stuff and NEW Alcohol Free Secret Stuff.
  

Best practices:

• For best results, we recommend you apply liquid chalk to clean, dry hands as a base layer. Once it’s dry, add a bit of loose chalk or squeeze a chalk ball as required to keep your hands and fingertips dry. A good liquid chalk base layer will make the loose chalk and/or chalk ball last longer.

• Everyone’s body produces moisture differently, so some people need to re-apply more than others. Before you re-apply, we recommend rubbing your hands together to see if you can get some of the chalk from other areas of your hands (like your palms) onto your fingertips.

• It is possible to have too much chalk on your hands—what you’re looking for is a fine layer of chalk covering your fingers, but not a bunch of loose or caked chalk sitting on there.

That’s it! Now that you know how to put it on, get some chalk for yourself. Or, if you really want to get smart on chalk, check out the follow up to this piece: How NOT to Use Rock Climbing Chalk.

Alex Puccio is a FrictionLabs user!

"Since I started using Friction Labs I've realized how much of a difference great chalk makes! When I'm trying to send a hard boulder outdoors or competing for a world title, the last thing I need to worry about is chalk. I use it because it's the best!"

- Alex Puccio, 2x World Cup winner, 11x USA National Champion and the fourth woman ever to climb V14. 

Alex's go to FrictionLabs blend?

Secret Stuff (base layer) + Gorilla Grip (medium chunky loose chalk)

FrictionLabs co-founder, Kevin Brown, set out to make a chalk that would help (not hinder) climbers perform at their best. "We set out to create a chalk that acted like a high performance climbing shoe for your hands.”

“Besides our feet, our hands are always touching the wall. So why not create superior friction for both your hands and your feet?” Kevin asked himself while staring at DYI garage climbing wall. Fast forward 5 years, 500+ 5 star reviews, and 100+ professional athletes later, and FrictionLabs is now THE high performance chalk trusted by climbers across the globe.  As it turns out, climbing is so friction dependent that, chalk really does matter!

What climbers are saying about us...

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“Magic! Way better than what i was using before! so much more grip and it washes off cleanly. no residue!.” — RT (Verified) 5 Star Review

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“I found a Unicorn! I've become a fan of Unicorn Dust and will be a regular buyer. I like the finer particle size and have never had an issue with my hands sweating or losing grip using this product!.” — Scott B (Verified) 5 Star Review

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“Literally the only chalk I use. I mean I call it dry lotion for goodness sake. I feel it really makes me grip better than all other chalks and will never use another chalk!!!! Thank you FrictionLabs for doing what needed to be done.” — Kenneth R. (Verified) 5 Star Review

All FrictionLabs Products are tailor-made for environmentally conscious climbers.

We care about making our products safe and healthy for you—and our planet. That’s why our chalk is responsibly sourced from the purest magnesium carbonate on the planet. All of our chalk products are gluten and allergen free.  We also never test our products on animals.

Sourcing the purest magnesium carbonate equals the best possible friction, the healthiest product for your skin, and less chalk dust emission.