Vermont's Original Bag Balm

It's Not Just for Cows Anymore...

Cindy Leggett
Bag Balm has been around since 1899, and in today's world of often discontinued products, that's really saying a lot. Its original use was to keep cow's udders from becoming chapped during the cold Vermont winters, and for minor abrasions on farm animals. The farmers who applied Bag Balm to their cows noticed that their own hands became remarkably soft after using this lanolin-based ointment, and the product soon became popular for human use.

Over the years, Bag Balm has evolved into a multi-purpose wonder treatment for the entire family. The familiar green container can now be found at locations other than feed stores, as the product's efficiency has become well known among its loyal users who do not hesitate to spread the word about this versatile product.

What can you use Bag Balm for? Mothers have found that there is nothing better than Bag Balm for treating baby's diaper rash. There have been instances where every other product tried, including prescription creams, could not heal a baby's bottom, yet one application of Bag Balm showed noticeable improvement in the rash. Believe it or not, it has become a popular baby shower gift!

Psoriasis and eczema sufferers report that Bag Balm works better than expensive steroid creams, giving them overnight relief and keeping their skin in normal condition. Bag Balm is also much less harsh on the skin than any steroid preparation.

The product is also a staple in the kits of Hollywood make-up artists. They know that Bag Balm is fantastic for fading acne scars and for relieving chapped lips as well. A surprising use these professionals have found for this ointment is that of hair conditioner. It rinses clean, leaving the hair soft and tangle free with an improvement in its elasticity and strength.

For relief of dry or chapped skin anywhere on the body, Bag Balm is wonderful. Applied to cuts, scrapes, or abrasions, it heals the skin quickly. One of the three ingredients, (the other two are lanolin and petrolatum) 8 hydroxyquinoline sulfate, is known to be a very good antibiotic. This makes Bag Balm suitable for anything you would normally use a product like Neosporin for, and at a much cheaper price. A tin of this ointment will last you a long time, as it is so concentrated, very little is needed to be effective.

The product is yellow in color and has a thick texture, reminiscent of Vaseline. Bag Balm does have a slight medicinal scent, but you will scarcely notice as the odor dissipates quickly, leaving behind skin relief at its finest.

Sometimes, the old original remedies are indeed the best, and Bag Balm is certainly a product that you will want to keep handy for yourself, your family and your pets. You will be amazed at the variety of uses you will find for this vintage original!

Published by Cindy Leggett

Cindy Leggett is a professional freelance writer with many and varied interests. A voracious reader and deep thinker, she very much enjoys playing with words. Cindy is available for work-for-hire writing ser...  View profile

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  • Steve Hanken7/19/2008

    I found a can of Bag Balm at an antique store that appeared fresh and completely full, paid a reasonable price for it knowing it probably wasn't old, It worked and smelled like the bag Balm of my youth.when the can neared being empty I purchased a new can locally. I have discovered the newer Bag Balm to have been "improved" for use by those less interested in its healing properties than the lanoline. The new can looks like a creamy white glob of lanoline with very little of the familar scent of what made it really work as a healing salve. The old stuff had a stiff yellow brown look to it and smelled like something made for healing and not cosmetics. When I used the old Bag Balm on heat galling on the inside of my legs it cleared up over night. The new stuff did absolutely nothing to heal the abrasions and allowed it to only get worse. Years of using this on the teats of cows I know what it used to smell like, this isn't the same stuff and my antique can proved it to me.

  • Pikie3/17/2008

    I put Bag Balm on my feet and then socks over -- makes your feet baby soft!

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