One of my friends swears that Bag Balm® is great for cuts, abrasions and dry skin on humans, not just in animals. Does it actually contain an antibiotic?
Five years ago, my parents were forced to downsize, and I was assigned the job of cleaning out their medicine cabinet. Picking up a faded green square can of Bag Balm, these words caught my eye: “ACTIVE INGREDIENTS: 0.005% MERCURY FROM ETHYLATED MERCURY STEROLS, PETROLATUM, AND LANOLIN.”
Mercury? REALLY? I checked my own can as soon as I got back home, and on the side of my can was: “ACTIVE INGREDIENTS: 8-HYDROXYQUINOLINE SULFATE 0.3% in a PETROLATUM, LANOLIN BASE.”
Could Bag Balm have had mercury in it? Yes, at one time it did. When John L. Norris purchased the formula in 1899 that became the recipe for Bag Balm, topical mercury compounds were commonly used as anti-infectives. If you, like me, remember your mother putting red Mercurochrome® on your cuts, or its colorless cousin Merthiolate®, she was applying a mercury-based antiseptic to your “owie”.
Mercury compounds do not work very well as anti-infectives, but can be absorbed into your body and eventually cause toxicity, especially if applied to broken skin and used over a long period of time. In 1992 the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a statement that declared that topical mercury compounds for topical use were neither safe nor effective as anti-infectives, and in 1998 the use of mercury compounds in topical products was banned outright by the FDA, removing the original formulas of Merthiolate® and Mercurochrome® from the shelves of pharmacies and grocery stores.
When did Bag Balm® change its formula from ethylated mercury to its current anti-infective, 8-hydroxyquinoline? I looked up the formula for Bag Balm® in the database Poisindex®, the same one used by poison centers throughout the United States, but the only formulation I found was the one with 8-hydroxyquinoline. To make sure, I called my local poison center, the Washington State Poison Center in north Seattle, who confirmed that as the only formulation listed for Bag Balm®.
So I went to the source. I called the Dairy Association Company, Inc, manufacturers of Bag Balm® in Lyndonville, Vermont, and asked them straight out, “When did you swap out the mercury for the 8-hydroxyquinoline? Did the FDA make you do it when they outlawed its use in 1998?”
According to Charles Allen, Vice President of the Dairy Association Company, the mercury was taken out of Bag Balm long before that – in 1972, to be exact. But what he said next really surprised me. “Dr. Achey, the anti-infective 8-hydroxyquinoline has been in our formulation all along. We just changed the labeling on the can.” Now, isn’t THAT interesting…
Bag Balm® was originally sold to dairy farmers to treat cow udders, keeping them from getting chapped and helping heal minor cuts and scrapes. Most of us recognize Bag Balm’s distinctive green square metal can in both the 10-ounce and 1-ounce sizes. The Dairy Association Company, Inc. continues to be family owned and manufactures and ships the ointment from their facility in Lyndonville, Vermont all over the world. Although it clearly states on the can Veterinary Use Only, many folks use it on their own cuts and chapped body parts with good results.
I used Bag Balm® on myself last year for a jagged cut on my ring finger. Despite soaking the gash in Epsom salts and non-prescription antibiotic ointments, it continued to swell, gradually getting more and more painful, and turning red. I called and made an appointment at my doctor for the following afternoon, but that night I decided to change my strategy. After all, what could I lose?
As a last resort, after soaking my very sore finger in Epsom salts one more time, I applied a liberal coating of Bag Balm® over it instead of the antibiotic ointment I had been using, then covered it with a bandage and went to bed. I wasn’t expecting much improvement, but when I got up the next morning I was totally astounded to find the cut nearly normal in color with no pain and barely any swelling left. It was all but completely healed. Whatever is in that stuff, it worked. So, I checked out 8-hydroxyquinoline.
What is 8-hydroxyquinoline, anyway? It ‘s not quite an antibiotic, but something that may work even better. 8-hydroxyquinoline has had an excellent reputation as a topical anti-infective for many years and is listed as the active ingredient in liquid bandages such as New Skin®. The 19th edition of the United States Dispensatory published in 1907 described it as a “very powerful and well-regarded antiseptic”.
8-hydroxyquinoline works to stop the growth of bacteria and fungi by binding to certain trace minerals on the surface of the those organisms, creating a toxic compound that poisons it. Other compounds closely related to 8-hydroxyquinoline are currently being studied as weapons against “super-bug” bacteria that have developed resistance to multiple antibiotics.
Dr. Louise’s new book, Why Dogs Can’t Eat Chocolate: How Medicines Work and How YOU Can Take Them Safely is now available here.
can i use bag balm on my chafing and itching between the legs from sweating because i sweat at night, im 59 and antifungal creams work sometimes, yeast infection pilss do not work, plus ive been in menopause now for a log long time, can u help me
Bag Balm is an ointment, which helps if your skin is dry but traps moisture underneath where you apply it. Yeasts and fungus LOVE warm, dark and moist areas, such as feet and the area between your legs. Using an ointment helps moisturize dry skin, but can make moist, sweaty skin worse. Instead of ointment, using an antifungal powder daily can be VERY helpful because it keeps the area dry as it heals, which speeds healing and helps prevent it from coming back. Changing to a lightweight, loose fabric that wicks moisture away from your skin can also be helpful. Plain cotton panties keep you cooler than nylon, so you don’t sweat quite as much. If you haven’t tried an antifungal powder before, either Zeasorb Super Absorbant powder or Lotrimin powder used every day are good choices. Good luck!
take a probiotic to boost the creation of good bacteria that fight infection and the overgrowth of yeast
Bag Balm works better than anything else I’ve tried
for chafing between legs……..It is amazing on cuts, dry skin and solves cracked feet
Will 8-HYDROXYQUINOLINE SULFATE aggravate my sulfa allergy?
An allergy to sulfa usually means that you’ve reacted badly to a type of antibiotic called a sulfonamide, also called a “sulfa drug”. Lucky for you, 8-Hydroxyquinoline sulfate has the element sulfur in it but it is NOT a sulfa drug. You should be able to use it without worry.
There is a typo for the year in this section: “According to Charles Allen, Vice President of the Dairy Association Company, the mercury was taken out of Bag Balm long before that – in 197, to be exact. But what he said next really surprised me.” Is is supposed to be 1907? 1970?
Thanks for the eagle eye on this, Lara. The Dairy Association Company removed the mercury from Bag Balm® in 1972.
Is it safe to use every day on arms and legs? Having a terrible time with dry skin and this is the only product that seems to help. I don’t mind the smell and it fades anyway.
Thanks for any info. You can give.
If you find yourself using it nearly every day because your skin is so dry I would be careful not to use it on broken skin. Have you tried Aquaphor® or Eucerin® cream? They are very moisturizing, mostly because they are greasy and they can be used as often as you need to. Using a greasy product helps trap moisture in your skin. Another option (please don’t laugh) is plain Crisco®. I’m talking about the plain stuff though, not the butter flavored… Crisco® is hydrogenated vegetable oil, and it’s greasy but it actually soaks into your skin a little better than Bag Balm® does. And you can use it every day as often as you need to.
If you have terribly dry skin, you can also help ease the dryness by treating your skin gently. Don’t scrub it with hot soap and water. Instead use cool water and mild soap, or no soap at all. After you shower or bathe, pat your skin only partly dry, then apply your moisturizing cream or ointment to trap moisture in your skin. This can really help with the dryness.
Good luck!
Bag balm is really good for all kind of little minor injuries, scratches and I even remember those with mercury…well, science still comes up with new discoveries….
Can you use bag balm on your face as a moisturizer?
Thanks!
I guess you could use it, in a pinch. But I wouldn’t recommend using it every day on the thin skin of your face. And it is so occlusive that you might actually break out with pimples. What about Eucerin® Cream, or Aquaphor®? One favorite trick of mine for easing dry skin it using Cetaphil® cleanser instead of soap to wash your face and body. Don’t confuse Cetaphil® cleanser with the moisturizing lotion, the bottles look a lot alike. You can use it with water or just wipe it off without rinsing. I find that it doesn’t dry out your face and removes foundation and eye makeup without making your eyes sting.
I have extremely dry hands. I’m not too educated on it but I’m pretty sure it’s from being out in the cold. Will bag balm help?
Yes, you can use Bag Balm® for dry skin and dry hands because it contains 2 moisturizing ointments: petrolatum (also called petroleum jelly) and lanolin (sheep fat). The best way to help dry hands is to apply an ointment to your hands right after you have washed them but before you’ve dried them all the way. This helps to trap the moisture in your skin better than just ointment on just your dry skin. An additional strategy is to wear cotton gloves or even old cotton socks on your hands after applying an ointment. Covering your hands after putting on the ointment helps to seal in the moisture even better, especially if you do it at night before you go to sleep and wear the gloves or socks all night.
I have been fighting mr a on my legs for four years taking antibiotics and using steriod creams with temporary relief only for it to return only worse I have tried everything and getting tierd of the battle and cost I have seen all kinds of drs and they can’t heal this and then I remembered my grandmother using this on the farm and on us when we had cuts and rashes so I was in walgreens drug store to get some vasoline and I saw this green can of bag balm so I bought it .so wish me luck I’m going to try I will let u know what happens
All my life I have lived only 2 blocks from the bag balm company so I grew up using it, it is the best healing agent that money can buy. I use it from rashes to cuts to sunburns. And yes, it does work on moist sweaty skin. One 10 oz can lasts for a very long time. Been using bag balm for nearly 50 years and would never use anything else. Best ointment in the world in my opinion.
I heard about this product after watching The Ex (2006), and I’m curious — since Bag Balm is intended for veterinary use, how safe is it to use on women’s nipples chapped from breast feeding?
I would avoid using it for that, because it contains petrolatum (also known as petroleum jelly) and 8-hydroxyquinoline sulfate which your infant could be swallowing. For cracked nipples we used to recommend lanolin (that dreadfully stinky, sticky stuff!) but these days I suggest plain (not the butter-flavored) Crisco®. It is just as moisturizing as Bag Balm® but because its’ just vegetable oil it is safe to use.
I would avoid avoid hydrogenated vegetable oils to soften nipples while breast feeding, as they are a source of trans-fats, which are distinctly unhealthy. Coconut oil or palm oil, which are solid at room temperature, would be healthier alternatives.
The amount of Crisco you use is minimal but you are correct; coconut oil is easy to find these days and works great. Palm oil is fine as well.
Try using a used tea bag for dry, cracked nipples.
I’ve tried that; it stained my bras permanently. It probably works, though.
I’ve had hemorrhoids removed a couple of years ago. Whatever tool was used to open me up still hasn’t healed to this day, so I decided to buy some Bag Balm and use it on my skin for healing of the hemorrhoidal scars & psoriasis as well. This Bag Balm will work for me.
My hands crack split quite often. I use bag balm at night on my hands then put on disposable gloves and sleep in them. In the mornings the cracks on my fingers don’t hurt and they are healed in about 3 days. But my question is, my cat loves the stuff!! Can it hurt her?? I catch her licking the can. In the mornings before I put on my socks, I put bag balm on my heels and the back of my ankles so they don’t get “rusty” looking and she tries to lick the bag balm right out of the !! What is in this that makes her want it so badly?
She must be attracted by the smell. My Scottie dog Olive says, “Who knows what lurks in the mind of a cat?”, but she has no room to talk because she tries to lick off the lavendar scented calendula cream I use. Go figure.
Can bag balm be used on psoriasis or excema?
Thank-you in advance.
Roni, any moisturizing cream or ointment can help with the dry and itchy skin that comes with eczema, but I suggest instead that you use an ointment that DOESN’T have anything else in it so you don’t have to be concerned about absorbing a chemical into your body through your skin. My main concern about encouraging people to use Bag Balm® for any long-term condition is that it contains more than just petrolatum/petroleum jelly and lanolin; it also contains an 8-hydroxyquinoline, an anti-infective compound. There’s a possiblity that the 8-hydroxyquinoline could be absorbed into your body if you used it frequently on large areas of skin, applied it frequently on very thin skin like in the genital area, or used it on large areas of broken skin. Using Phisohex® which contains hexachlorophene to wash little babies taught the medical community a bitter lesson: just because you use it on skin doesn’t mean it can’t get into the bloodstream and cause serious problems. Even though Bag Balm® is a popular product that we humans use on themselves, when all is said and done it has not been studied for long term use in humans.
Hi !
I would like to know your opinion about petroleum jelly inside bag balm. Is this petroleum jelly refined ? I know that a lot of people use pj for their baby but is it really safe ?
I would like to try bag balm to help my baby with his eczema but I don’t know if it’s a good idea.
Thanks for your advice.
Petroleum jelly or petrolatum is extracted from coal and then separated out from other coal products at high temperatures. Most prescription ointments have petroleum as a main ingredient.
can you use this if you are breast feeding
I advise avoiding using Bag Balm® on nipples while breast-feeding because there are chemicals in it and babies are VERY sensitive to chemicals. Instead, for cracked and sore nipples while breast-feeding I recommend using A & D Ointment, plain petrolatum (petroleum jelly) or Crisco® shortening instead. Good luck!
can i use bag balm on my toe that had mild fungus?
Toenail fungus is very, very hard to get rid of. Even using powerful prescription antifungal medicines for months at a time to nuke the fungus, in many cases the darn stuff will show up again within 2 years. I doubt that the anti-infective in Bag Balm® will be strong enough to make your toenail fungus go away, and I would be careful not to use too much ointment because fungus loves moisture and using the ointment will trap moisture next to your skin. Great if you have dry skin, but also just what fungus LOVES.
does bag balm help with shingles?
This is an interesting question. Shingles happens when the chicken pox virus reactivates in your body, causing tingling, burning and pain along your nerves. A common spot to have it is around your waist, and it may cause blisters that can be very, very painful. I don’t know of anything in Bag Balm® that can really help much with the pain or the reactivation of the shingles virus. The best way to treat shingles is to get it diagnosed quickly and start on antiviral medicine (like antibiotics but it works on the shingles virus) to reduce the pain. There are medicines that can help with nerve pain, too, like gabapentin.
Can it be used on face for blackheads and pimples?
Unfortunately the antibacterial action of Bag Balm® comes with petrolatum, which is greasy. Using ointments on pimples usually makes them worse by trapping oil inside your pores. You get blackheads and pimples are from they way the bacteria living on your skin interact with the oil on your face. Putting more grease or oil on your face can make things worse.
Ms. Louise,
My 6 week old has some kind of infection and the doctors can’t figure out if it’s bacterial or viral. They think it’s Staph and I think it’s yeast caused by an allergic reaction to Milk Protein. My other daughter is allergic to dairy, so it’s no surprise to me. My cousin Karen advised me to use Bag Balm for the worst of diaper rashes and it works wonderfully. My daughter may also have a ZINC allergy. Whenever we’ve used cornstarch with ZINC in it, her butt gets more red. Maybe I’ll try just straight Cornstarch instead.
How often would you use Bag Balm in a 24 hour period? Every diaper change? Obviously I would use very little.
I want to start weening her off the hydrocortisone.
Thanks,
Bethany
Most diaper rashes are one of two types: yeast infection or contact with an irritation, also known as contact dermatitis. Here’s how to tell the difference: take your baby’s diaper off and look inside the creases of her little legs. If the redness is mostly IN THE CREASES then you probably have yeast. Yeast loves moist, dark and warm areas, so if the diaper rash concentrates in your baby’s creases, it’s probably yeast. Cornstarch can feed a yeast infection, so I would not recommend using it. If the creases are spared (not red), you probably are not dealing with a yeast infection but with contact dermatitis, such as irritation from urine, feces, or a reaction to the perfume in a baby wipes.
Sorry, but I would AVOID using Bag Balm® in a baby. The reason is their skin is so thin it can absorb chemicals and medicines that aren’t absorbed by skin that is fully developed. If the Bag Balm® helped, then petrolatum, petroleum jelly (Vaseline®) or Eucerin® cream can also work as well, and with less risk.
Make sure you gently cleanse the skin completely and let it dry completely before putting on any cream or ointment. When doctors prescribe cream instead of ointment for yeast infections we would get faster results if I had mom put ointment on over top of the cream. This way when baby’s urinates it won’t “wash off” the yeast medicine in the cream. If you suspect a zinc allergy, be careful to read the ingredients before using an ointment because many diaper rash products contain zinc oxide. By the way, many “non-chemical” sunscreens also contain zinc oxide. Good luck.
i use bag balm on my feet and it’s the only thing that works on my super dry skin. awesome stuff – nothing else works as well.
I thank god for bag balm everyday. After trying numerous scripts from the dr. For my psoriasis I finally broke down and listened to my best friend and bought a can and said what have I got to lose?! This has been the only thing to help it!!!! Bag balm and tea tree oil. I have tried to keep up with it and some spots are almost totally gone!!! I will probably be able to wear shorts this summer!!!!!!! The first time in years!!! Bag balm is a life savor!!!!
I believe in bag balm I have been using it on my self for quite a few years.
I am 53 years old I have 4 children 9 grand children .
Everyone knows that a baby every once in a while will get gaulded from diapers in the summer time .I was baby sitting my 10 month old grand daughter for my son and they had put the baby in the pool she was allergic to chlorine chemicles in the pool.
He brought her to me she was so irrated and scalded red she was cranky and crying
I took her put her in a Luke warm bath . Dried her got the can of Bag Balm and I rubbed it on her bottom 3 times that day .
By the time he came and picked the baby up she was happy again.
So was Grandmaw lol.
So yes I do trust in Bag Balm.
That’s great. You rinsed off the irritant (chlorine) and then applied an ointment that protected her skin while it healed. If you didn’t happen to have any Bag Balm® available, there are other petrolatum based diaper rash remedies, even plain old Vaseline® which should work just as well since you are mainly protecting the inflamed skin from irritants in the diaper area, letting it heal.
Can this be used on dogs with itching problems during hot months
I can’t see how it could hurt, and it would be both soothing and reduce infection, especially if they scratched the area. Hopefully your dogs won’t immediately try to lick it off. Give it a try and let me know how it works.
Can I put Bag Balm on my cracked, bleeding & very dry lip?
Most FDA-approved products for cracked and chapped lips have petrolatum as their main ingredient. Because Bag Balm® has a petrolatum base, it should work as well as petrolatum/petroleum jelly (Vaseline®) to protect your lips from cracking and drying. However, it’s not approved for that use in humans so I cannot recommend it; also I would avoid using it where you could swallow it.
Hi, a man on a health forum mentioned he uses Bag Balm on his haemmaroids and anal fissures. Does it really help? Thanks
I don’t see why not. However, ANY other protectants useful for diaper rash should work just as well, as they all work at protecting the tender tissue from abrasion and irritants. Some examples of other options: zinc oxide ointment, zinc oxide paste, A and D ointment, petroleum jelly or petrolatum (Vaseline®).
Just started using bag balm after having a fire incident 2 weeks ago. 2nd degree burns over my entire right leg & right arm. Ran out of the silvadine cream from the doctors, someone gave me a nearly empty can of bag balm, thats about 20 years old. Day 3 using it, So far so good!
Let us know how you do. Best of luck.
also i do wish it still had the mercury in it: growing up my mom used Mecurochrome on everything until you couldn’t buy it anymore. It healed bad cuts in a day or two. Poison or not, it worked great, i’d still use it
Don’t use dangerous drugs for nail fungus! Bag Balm will kill it in two weeks. Daily application after bathing and it’s gone!
Boy, I sure would love to have this be true (sigh), but it’s not. I really hate to burst your bubble, but it just ain’t so! I’ll explain why in an upcoming post.
Growing up this is all we used. Originally for cow utters in the winter when their teets became dry and cracked awsome for diaper rash and any injury
I am going to try BBalm on Psoriasis on skin and scalp
Vicks VapoRub will control/cure toenail fungus. My podiatrist encouraged me to control my single toe outbreak and it does seem to work but is a very slow process and I never miss a day of treatment. Still it is very safe solution. Several medical groups have published studies indicating positive clinical results but not 100%. This Pilot study done by the 375 Medical Group seems typical of what I have read. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21209346
Tom, you have a very good point there. If you have a small outbreak and apply it to the toenail, there is evidence of benefit, although it took months to show up (which ANY effective treatment on toenails will take). Thank you for sharing this very intriguing option.
Bag Balm is wonderful! I used it after my last c-section (number 4) and my doctor was AMAZED at how great my incision was after just one week! He thought HE did a great job but I credit bag balm;). It works awesome for keeping that area dry. Love this stuff!
Had a stage 4 bedsores over my coccyx after surgery and a wound vac. And almost a year later I still have a stubborn top area of skin (2″ in diameter) that keeps breaking and needs a lot of attention by just keeping it clean and it’s stubborn for healing . Considering the location could I use Bag Balm?
I don’t see why not. The petrolatum and lanolin in Bag Balm® will keep the skin moist so it’ll be less likely to break open, and the anti-infective agent in it should discourage infection. When trying something new, especially something out of the ordinary, I recommend using a “symptom diary” or “symptom log”. First, think of the most troublesome symptoms you’ve had with that skin, the ones you’d like to see eliminated. Write them down in your diary or log, and rate the level of severity of each symptom. This will track what your skin is like BEFORE you actually start using any Bag Balm® on it. This way you’ll have something to compare it to afterward. Finally, go ahead and start using the Bag Balm® to that area. Be sure to check on it from time to time and mark any changes in your symptom diary. I explain in more detail just how to use a symptom diary here: .
Good luck, and let me know how it works for you!
It seems like a good protective ointment plus some way to increase the circulation to that area would help. Bag Balm® would help to protect the skin against infection. Raw honey is another option; applying it to the problem area may also help healing. Please note: the safest kind of honey to use on wounds is a medical grade honey like Wound Honey. Warm water applied to the area, either as a sitz bath (sitting in the bathtub in warm water) or applying warm moist washcloths over the area may help improve your circulation there. Good luck, and let me know how you are doing.
I have a cut at the very top of the vaginal area that is very painful, diagnosed by a physician last week.
She prescribed Nystatin cream, which has not helped at all.
Do you think Bag Balm will help?
Thank you
I can’t see why not. The ointment acts as a protectant, even better than a cream, and its anti-infective ingredient is the same ingredient as Liquid Skin® which is approved for humans for cuts on your skin, but NOT in the vaginal area. (NOTE: Please DO NOT use LIQUID SKIN® ON your cut!) Good luck!
Is bag balm safe for a baby’s bottom that gets raw at times?
All you really need is a protectant that provides a barrier while the skin heals. If Bag Balm® only contained petrolatum (petroleum jelly) and lanolin I would have no concerns about using it for diaper rash in babies. It also contains an anti-infective compound called 8-hydroxyquinoline. The skin of a baby’s diaper area is very, very thin and unlike adult skin, it can actually absorb chemicals through it into the body. I would play it safe and NOT USE IT. If you are looking for something around the house to use, you can use Crisco®, which is hydrogenated vegetable oil.
I had two wounds on my leg and ankel was going to wound
Dr.for the entire summer during that time I had the wounds scraped and cleaned twice used one tube of Santyl many compression dressings and oral medicine . The next step was a skin graft so I started to use bag balm in the matter of two weeks the two wounds got smaller and they are now both healed. GREAT JOB BAG BALM I do not care what is in bag BALM but it works great.!!!!
I have also seen it work when other approaches have failed. Wound honey is another alternative treatment that has helped others. Glad you avoided the skin graft!
Will it work on chapped lips? Not using a lot but just a little. Will there be damage?
I’ve used it myself for chapped lips in a pinch when I couldn’t find any lip balm. It shouldn’t hurt you, because the exact same anti-infective is also in Liquid Skin®, approved for use in minor cuts, but you don’t really need the anti-infective that it contains, just something to protect your lips from dryness.
I’m really surprised to hear you promoting any type of petroleum jelly or hydrogenated vegetable oils. I would suggest reading “Coconut Cures” by Bruce Fife, the world’s foremost authority on coconut oil. After reading it I doubt you’ll ever recommend such harmful products again.
Please do those who trust you a favor and read this book immediately.
I do not agree that applying hydrogenated vegetable oil or petroleum jelly to your skin is harmful in the same way as ingesting them can be. Applying a product to unbroken skin does not mean that it will automatically move into your bloodstream and into your body. If this were the case we would be in BIG TROUBLE whenever we cleaned anything, soaked in hot tubs or swam in swimming pools!
This misunderstanding has led to marketing natural products like aloe vera gel as something you drink to cure “everything that ails you” even though it was traditionally used only as cut aloe vera leaves applied to the skin to help healing, not swallowed or used as a cure-all. Our skin is a wonderful organ that is very good at protecting us from absorbing many dangerous chemicals, bacteria and viruses. Although I myself use coconut oil and coconut butter for cooking instead of vegetable or canola oils, I do not agree that applying hydrogenated vegetable oil or petroleum jelly to your skin is harmful.
Thank you for the clarification. However, “we would be in BIG TROUBLE whenever we cleaned anything, soaked in hot tubs or swam in swimming pools!” The cumulative effects of chemicals in our environment are a known cause of cancer and your examples are all methods of increasing our exposure to harmful chemicals. Why not be certain and stick with something like coconut oil that has no harmful effects under any circumstances whether taken orally or topically?
Thanks for your thoughts.
Thanks for calling attention to another option for treating dry skin: putting coconut oil on it, which is solid at room temperature. I’ve noticed that the more purified the coconut oil is, the less you smell like a coconut when using it on your skin.
I have a question. Does BB ever get to old? I’ve been working on this 10oz (I think)can for some time. It is darker than when new. Still smells the same… I hate to give it up! I was raised on the stuff, so were my kids, so are their kids and now a great grand daughter. Thanks for your help and thoughts!
No, it doesn’t go “bad” but you may want to make sure your can of Bag Balm isn’t so old that it has the old formulation which contained mercury compounds. It should state that it contains 8-hydroxyquinolone.
I suffered for years with chronically chapped and peeling lips. I tried all kinds of lip balms, aquaphor, Vaseline, everything on my lips and without fail they remained chapped and peeling so much so that just rubbing my lips would take off layers. Which meant wearing lipstick daily, which is notorious for drying out your lips, was completely out of the question. I finally asking my dentist what he thought about it and he suggested using a little bit of bag balm since I had tried everything else. A few applications later and years of chapped lips were finally healed !! I’m even in the midst of a dry east coast winter and they remain moisturized and smooth. I apply a tiny bit about twice a day and now swear by it. I’m hoping that bag balm provided a cure and now I can maintain moisturized lips with regular lip balm but quite honestly it’s been my go to ever since. I know, I know the hydroxyquinoline and the great unknown (sigh). Well, its on my radar and I’m working on remembering to try and use regular lip balm when sufficient but point being bag balm is my saving grace.
To avoid long term exposure to the 8-hydroxyquinolone you could also try a mixture of petroleum and lanolin, which is what Bag Balm is without the other ingredient. Have you tried plain petroleum jelly?
I have read all the input on Bag Balm ingredients but never found out what 8 Hydroquineline does to us that is harmful? We do absorb approximately 60% of anything we put on our skin, so I am curious to really follow up with your article on what this chemical does that is harmful to humans? Bag Balm and Dr Naylors Utter Balm both work wonders but to many people rave about so many products that they don’t realize or ask what it can do in the long run to our health.So please share that infomation with me. Thank you.
Because Bag Balm is not approved for human use there is very little information available about what it could do/does do to us that could be harmful. I believe it is prudent to limit your exposure to ALL the chemicals that you can; unfortunately we only find out what something does to us only after years of using it and other people’s misfortune. Occasional use to minimize risk of infection is reasonable but daily use in babies or on your lips puts more of the chemical into your body. I wish I could reassure you but I can’t.
I was told using Bag Balm on an aging droopy neck will tighten it up. Is that a fact?
Sorry, no. Bag Balm will help moisturize dry skin but has no other anti-aging effects that I am aware of.
Largely overlooked in the above discussion, is the very healing salve lanolin. As sheep farmers know, sheep injuries heal fast and so do the injuries on the hands of those who handle sheep wool (the source of lanolin). My father would keep a bottle of lanolin in the medicine cabinet but bag balm in the milk parlor. We used them both.
Bag Balm contains both lanolin and petroleum jelly (Vaseline®); in fact that’s part of what makes up its distinctive smell. I agree that it (lanolin) has healing effects, however, some folks find the odor unpleasant and others are allergic to both wool and lanolin. Pure lanolin is pungent, very sticky and doesn’t spread well. If you used a lotion with lanolin it would be much easier to apply.