Miracle in a Jar

I have some crazy sensitive skin. Ever since I was a little kid I've had problems with it. I get rashes, hives, eczema, skin so dry it cracks. It's quite sexy. Winter is the worst time of year for it. My hands suffer the worst. No matter how much lotion I put on them, they're still dry and chapped.

Growing up we always had this stuff called "bag balm" that worked wonders. If you're not familiar with it, bag balm is exactly what it sounds like. It's a balm that was originally made for cow utters. My dad grew up on a farm so everyone in our family knows about the miraculous properties of bag balm. It works on dry skin and small cuts and scrapes on both people and animals. It's sort of like hardcore Neosporin that you can use on the dog. Well, it works extremely well on dry hands. I put some on last night and within ten minutes my skin was soft and smooth.



I would recommend everyone who lives in a dry, blistery climate pick some up. The only places I've found it at are Target and Walgreens. But I'm sure places like CVS and your local feed and grain store sell it too.

I think it's worth mentioning that the bag balm my sister and I grew up with is nothing like the bag balm pictured above. The kind we're used to comes mysteriously out of a Vaseline jar. It's also an uneven shade of brown and smells like an old folks home. I think it was left over from when my dad's family sold the farm in the 1960s. I guess it's also worth mentioning that the stuff keeps for 40 plus years.