Long-time
farmers have a skin care secret. Plenty of equestrians are clued in on this one
too. Bag Balm is a boon for cold weather skin woes.
All
winter, we pack our feet into cowboy boots, riding boots, muck boots, snow
boots, or other seasonal footwear. We tromp through mud and muck and mire.
Before long, our heels and soles and toes begin to callous and crack. So our
feet hurt.
At
the same time, our hands grow chapped and chafed and scaly and sore. We catch
hangnails on the insides of our work gloves. We scrub and rub our hands raw,
washing water buckets and grooming our horses. And our hands hurt.
Enter Bag Balm.
Bag
Balm ointment has been around awhile. It’s an old-school product. But it works. It’s
alcohol-free and packed with lanolin. It soothes weather-worn cow udders, but
it’s super for dry, cracked, winter-weary heels and even those painful
fingernail-corner cuticle cracks.
Dairy
farmers have used this ointment for eons, slathering it on their cows’ udders to
prevent irritation. Doing so, they discovered their hands were soothed and
softened. Eventually, the product was marketed for mankind as well.
Personally,
I use the stuff each winter. I have even grown to like the smell of it. (OK,
that may be stretching things a bit. Let’s say I don’t mind it anymore, because
I have come to think of it as somewhat medicinal.)
I
smear the stuff all over my feet in the cold-weather months. Then I slip on
some sturdy cotton socks and let the stuff stew on my soles overnight. By
morning, my feet are softer. (The socks seem to help with absorption overnight,
and they prevent any smearing of Bag Balm on the carpet or bedding.)
As
a bonus, my hands are softened in the process of applying the stuff to my feet.
Apparently,
Bag Balm also works for chapped lips, but the taste is somewhat off-putting, so
I don’t use it for that. And it’s not a good idea to get it in one’s eyes.
(Trust me on that. It wasn’t pleasant or pretty.)
Priced
at about $8 for a sturdy eight-ounce tin, Bag Balm is considerably more
affordable than many of the scantier designer brand winter skin care products sold
in beauty supply and department stores.
Similar bag balm products
include:
- Original Udder Balm Moisturizing Cream
- Udderly Smooth Udder Cream
- The Happy Cow Moisturizing Udder Balm
- Udder Stick Pomegranate Lip Balm
Several bag balm/ udder balm products are sold specifically
for animal (or pet) use, so they may not be suitable for humans. (Extra points here for folks who actually
read product labels before buying.)
Bag Balm or Udder Balm might make a suitable holiday
stocking stuffer for a special equestrian. Just a thought, if Santa is hunting
for horse lover gift ideas.
NOTE:
This blogger has no affiliation with any product/s or companies mentioned in
this post and received no remuneration from the manufacturer/s or product
promoter/s for this post.
Image:
Product publicity photos
Fair use
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