I'm an avid gardener and my sensitive dry skin is prone to cracks during the gardening season. No gardener's hand cream or lotion has ever beaten it for my hardworking hands - it's a deeply hydrating hand moisturizer.
Bag Balm is a well-known American farm and folk remedy that's been around since 1899, and for good reason. It's a lanolin rich, slightly antibacterial ointment that was originally used to keep cows' udders from chapping during cold Vermont winters. The farmers who applied Bag Balm to their cows found it healed their own chapped hands and the rest is history!
Over the years, bag balm has become known as a multi-purpose treatment wonder for the entire family. Bag Balm is used to relieve chapped, scratched, wind-burned or sunburned skin anywhere on the body.
It contains a mild antiseptic, which inhibits bacteria growth, so when it is applied to cuts, scrapes, or abrasions, it helps heal the skin quickly. This is partly why it's so great for healing the fissures of severely chapped hands. Applied to fingernails - it heals brittle and splitting nails.
More fun facts about Bag Balm: It was taken to the North Pole by Admiral Byrd in 1937 and it's been featured in modern day media ranging from Glamour Magazine, the New York Times, and Oprah Winfrey. Unless you're lanolin allergic (wool allergic), you should keep a tin of this around; you'll find tons of uses for it.