Tuesday, March 1, 2016

Stupid Little Things: Bag Balm


Stupid Little Things is all about the random cheapies, odd tricks, and miscellaneous things that make my day.

Bag Balm is a cult classic beauty product that...isn't technically meant for humans. If you don't believe me, take a look at the picture on the side--yes, those are cow udders. This really is a balm that was designed over a hundred years ago to prevent irritation on milking cows' udders. I totally understand if that turns you off of this neon goodness from the start. That being said, several human beings in my life have been using Bag Balm for years, and when I started testing it out on my own skin a few years ago, I was totally hooked.

Bag Balm has a pretty simple formulation, consisting of lanolin, petroleum, and 8-hydroxyquinoline sulfate. The first two ingredients are popular in balms: lanolin is a wax that comes from wool-bearing animals like sheep, and petroleum jelly is an occlusive that holds moisture in by creating a barrier on your skin. The unusual ingredient is the 8-hydroxyquinoline, which has antiseptic properties...and it's also probably the source of Bag Balm's bright yellow color and medicinal smell. (I kind of like the smell because I'm weird, but if you dislike it, no fears: it fades quickly on the skin.)

Everybody uses Bag Balm for different things. Several of my friends use it as lip balm, for example, and I have one friend who will actually rub it all over windburned skin or on top of his zits. I personally like to use this on the driest parts of my body: my cuticles and my elbows. I also use it around my nose when the skin is chapped from a cold or sinus infection. Nothing soothes or softens those patches like Bag Balm! As an added bonus, a teeny tiny bit goes a VERY long way.

I got my giant 8 ounce tub for less than $10 on Amazon.com, but if that huge container doesn't appeal to you or you want something more travel-friendly, there's a 1 ounce tin you can get instead. Personally, I prefer to just depot small amounts of Bag Balm in to small jars when I'm on-the-go.

As a final warning, be careful if you have pets! For whatever reason, cats and dogs seem to love this stuff--my cat will actually lick it right off of my elbows. (She also licks the lotion on my legs and any cleaner remaining on the bathroom floor...so maybe my cat is dumber than I think.)

7 comments:

  1. This definitely looks like a stupid little thing I'd be interested in! My lips are constantly dry as well as my lips so into my Amazon bag it goes!

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    1. As long as you aren't allergic to any of the ingredients, you'll probably enjoy it! I hope it works well for you.

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  2. I used to use bag balm religiously...on the bare patches of skin my horse would get on his shoulders in the winter (blanket rubs). It worked wonders to protect the skin and grow back the hair. I haven't thought of it in ages! And it's very disorienting to now be reminded of it in the context of a beauty blog, haha :) But it does seem like a good bet for dry patches! On humans and livestock alike.

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    1. LOL, yes, a friend of mine was a horseback rider and mentioned always using this on her horses. XD

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  3. It's probably the best cuticle balm out there.

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  4. When my oldest brother was in the Army he always asked Mom to send him tins of bag balm for his feet- all the walking in those boots really did a number on his feet. Ever since then, I've used it on my feet (tons, with socks on overnight, every few months). My cat FREAKS when I do it, the smell, I suppose. She'll rub her face all over my socked feet and then fall over and start biting and bunny-kicking until I make her stop (it's so funny to see but it hurts!) I read somewhere that cats like something about the petroleum in it (which is apparently also why some cats love plastic bags.) Such good stuff!

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    1. Sweet God, the plastic bags. My cat will lick the damn things for hours if you don't scoot her away.

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