Some beauty products come and go, but others have a way of sticking around—passed down like family recipes or favorite sweaters. For me, that product is Vermont’s Original Bag Balm, the iconic green tin filled with thick, golden salve that somehow manages to solve nearly every dry-skin woe life throws my way.
My first memories of it are wrapped up in my mom’s nighttime ritual. She always kept a tin tucked inside the medicine cabinet, its metal edges slightly dented from years of use. Before bed, she’d scoop out a bit of the gooey balm, slather it generously on her hands, and then—this was the part that fascinated me most—pull socks over them. At the time, I thought it looked ridiculous. Later, I learned it was genius: the socks sealed in the moisture and kept the balm from coating her sheets.
That smell—medicinal, slightly old-fashioned, and oddly comforting—still takes me right back to those childhood nights.
Learning the Magic for Myself
Of course, as a kid, I didn’t give much thought to moisturizers. But the moment I started coming home from gymnastics with blistered hands or tearing around the neighborhood barefoot until my heels cracked, my mom would reach for that familiar green tin. “Rub this in and let it do its work,” she’d say, handing me the balm like it was a cure-all.
And she wasn’t wrong. Bag Balm always delivered, softening the roughest patches until they felt like new skin again. By the time I moved into my first apartment, it was one of the very first things I bought for my own cabinet—not because I needed it immediately, but because I couldn’t imagine not having it there.
My Modern-Day Uses
These days, Bag Balm is my go-to for just about every season and skin dilemma.
- Summer sandals season: After months of flip-flops and slides, my heels end up feeling like sandpaper. A generous layer of balm before bed, plus socks overnight, works better than most fancy foot creams I’ve tried.
- Winter windchill: Dry, chapped hands are inevitable once the temperatures drop. A pea-sized scoop of balm rubbed into knuckles and cuticles does the trick—no expensive “rescue” creams required.
- Unexpected hobbies: Believe it or not, crocheting has left my hands parched. Yarn has a sneaky way of stealing moisture from the skin, and Bag Balm is the only thing that seems to restore them after hours of stitching.
- Post-sunburn relief: On more than one occasion, I’ve used it to calm peeling skin after a day in the sun. It helps lock in hydration so the damage doesn’t get worse.
I’ve even dabbed it on random problem spots—an itchy patch here, a stubborn dry elbow there—and it never fails to soothe.
Why It Works
Bag Balm was originally created in 1899 for dairy farmers to use on cow udders (hence the quirky name). Over a century later, the formula is still simple but effective: it’s a blend of petrolatum (a heavy-duty skin protectant), lanolin (a deeply nourishing emollient), and a touch of antiseptic to keep skin in check.
It’s not glamorous. It’s not perfumed or packaged in sleek, minimalist tubes. But that’s part of the charm—it’s utilitarian, timeless, and effective. While beauty trends have shifted from one miracle ingredient to the next, Bag Balm has quietly stayed the same, doing what it does best: healing and softening skin that needs serious TLC.
A Family Heirloom in a Tin
What I love most about this product is not just its effectiveness but its legacy. It’s one of those things that bridges generations—my mom used it because her mom did, and now I find myself instinctively doing the same.
It’s comforting to know that while my skincare routine has evolved to include serums, exfoliators, and SPF sprays, there’s still room for something as simple and steadfast as Bag Balm. It reminds me that sometimes the old-school solutions really are the best ones.
Final Thoughts
There’s a reason Bag Balm has been around for over a century: it works. Whether your hands are cracked from crocheting, your heels are wrecked from summer sandals, or your skin just needs an extra boost of moisture, this little green tin has you covered.
It might not be the flashiest product in your lineup, but it’s the one you’ll keep reaching for again and again. And if you’re anything like me, it’ll become more than just a skincare staple—it’ll be a small, golden-scented thread that ties your routines to the ones you grew up watching.
Sometimes, the most unassuming products turn out to be the ones that stick with us for life. For me, Bag Balm is exactly that: a humble miracle in a dented green tin.
