Bag Balm Top Warnings

20 Reasons Why I Store Bag Balm® and why you should store it in your emergency preparedness supplies. The product was first introduced in 1899 in Vermont. The formula was purchased by John L. Norris.

I have used it for years. I bet I have 10 containers of it. Yes, I am a little OCD when I purchase products I LOVE. My daughters always tease me…”Mom, why do you always buy ten”?

Here’s the deal with me, I always worry I will run out. LOL! I just want to be prepared for the unexpected. If I see a fantastic deal on something I will pick up extra to save money in the long run.

The Bag Balm® product was originally used in the cold Vermont winters to protect the cow’s udders from getting chapped. It seems the farmers that applied this to their cows soon realized their hands became remarkably soft after using this lanolin-based ointment.

This is when the product soon became popular for human use. Over the years this wonder antibiotic ointment has become useful for so many things.

I use it on my Shih Tzu, Bailey when his little paws get sore from abrasions. I do it right before bedtime, then he is less likely to lick it off.

Here are the ingredients in these little cans: 8 Hydroxyquinoline Sulfate (0.3% in a Petrolatum, Lanolin Base) listed on the can.

Bag Balm® has been around for a long time and continues to help so many people and animals in many ways. The Bag Balm® salve is a thick yellow product and stays put where you rub it on. It has a light medicinal fragrance but is not too strong.

This is where I buy Bag Balm®: My favorite size container of Large Cans. I also like the small containers of Bag Balm: Small Cans.

There are many in wound care who use and love Bag Balm because it protects the skin and keeps it moist and smooth. Those that use it only use it for dry skin, never on a wound. Bag Balm is mainly lanolin with some petrolatum and a trace of 8-hydroxyquinoline sulfate, which is a coal tar derivative. Because of the trace coal tar, Bag Balm does wonders for eczema and psoriasis.

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After a hundred years of mostly farm use, Bag Balm has come to the city. It even went to the North Pole with Admiral Byrd, and graces the lips of Shania Twain. It was used by Allied troops in WWII (to protect weapons from rust), it was used at Ground Zero in New York after 9/11 for the paws of cadaver-sniffing dogs, and it has been used by American troops in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. You can now find Bag Balm on the shelf in any pharmacy next to the hand lotions.

What is Bag Balm® and why is it the subject of a wound care blog? Bag Balm is over 100 years old, invented in 1899 to treat chapped and irritated cows udders and teats. Of course, the Bag Balm was applied by hand to the cows udder and teats and farmers noticed that not only were there cows doing better with healthy udders and teats, their hands were better—not chapped or reddened, not as sore, and much softer. Their calluses were reduced, too. Because of this, Bag Balm became indispensable to the farmers and virtually every farm kitchen had a green can of Bag Balm.

In our office we mix viscous lidocaine with Bag Balm to make an ointment that is particularly helpful for painful neuropathy. My patients call it the “magic potion.” I am quite a fan of Bag Balm, but it is not the only ointment that can be used. I would ask people not to reject it out of hand, but be open to trying it.

Bag Balm Hand & Body Skin Moisturizer

While this product is marketed separately from the Original Bag Balm Skin Moisturizer, it actually has the exact same ingredients. Perhaps the ingredients are used in different concentrations, but we can’t say for sure because the company does not disclose this information. This product is recommended to be used to heal dry cuticles, calluses, chafed skin, cracked skin, and split heels.

Is Bag Balm® a Drawing Salve?

It’s designed to soften and moisturize your skin. It will not draw out a sliver.

No, it is not an antibiotic. It will, however, provide relief to sore heels, hands, and any rough area on your body that needs some moisture.

FAQ

Is Bag Balm toxic?

Is Bag Balm Safe? Since Bag Balm contains petroleum-derived and animal-derived ingredients, you may be wondering: is Bag Balm safe? Petroleum-derived ingredients like petrolatum (the key ingredient in Bag Balm) are generally considered to be safe. In fact, petrolatum is an FDA-approved skin protectant.

Is Bag Balm just Vaseline?

Makeup. The active ingredients of Bag Balm are 8-hydroxyquinoline sulfate 0.3% (antiseptic) in a petroleum jelly USP and lanolin base.

Does Bag Balm contain mercury?

Bag Balm® contains 8-hydroxyquinoline sulfate and works great for antiseptic purposes inside a petroleum jelly and a lanolin base, which works best for soothing and aiding in the healing process of chapped and very dry skin. Remember, it no longer contains mercury.

Can Bag Balm go on open wounds?

Those that use it only use it for dry skin, never on a wound. Bag Balm is mainly lanolin with some petrolatum and a trace of 8-hydroxyquinoline sulfate, which is a coal tar derivative. Because of the trace coal tar, Bag Balm does wonders for eczema and psoriasis.