I was first introduced to the use of lanolin when I became a mother almost 9 years ago.  I read various books and information on breastfeeding my child and of course lanolin was referenced because it has long been known as very effective for treating chapped or sore nipples of mothers who breastfeed.  

Well, over the past year or so I've discovered several other uses for lanolin. The waxy properties it has make it excellent for using on your skin in ways you may not have thought of.  Here are a few of my favorite ways I like to use lanolin to tackle my biggest beauty blunders:

• Use on dry elbows, heels, and knees for extreme hydration.  Since I live in the midwest, where we typically experience all four seasons, I can't tell you how dry and cracked the backs of my hands and knuckles seem to get in the winter.  Typical hand lotions don't usually help much either.  And even though I try and wear gloves as much as possible, when I'm toting three kids and their gear around, it sometimes just isn't feasible.  What has been effective though is using a dab of lanolin on the really dry and rough parts of my hands at night before I go to bed.  By morning, my hands are usually softer and smoother than the day before!  You can also do this on your knees and heel area.  Rub it onto your heels and cover with socks before bed and you'll wake up to skin that appears softer and smoother.
• Use to treat areas that are affected by razorburn.  Yes, this is true! Try a dab of lanolin on underarm areas and bikini lines when other lotions or treatments just don't live up to the job.  Because lanolin is wax-based and not oil-based, it will treat the skin so much better!
• Use on chapped lips.  This is a great alternative to lip balm, especially for kids!  When my boys have chapped lips {which they tend to get a lot during the summer}, I will dab a bit of lanolin around their lip area and they always wake up with healed lips!
• Use on cuts that have healed but are still tender and itchy.  With 3 boys in the house, it seems like someone always has an "owie" in the house.  My kids get random scratches and cuts as their running around the house or outside.  Sometimes, even as those minor wounds heal, they complain that their skin is still itchy around the wound site.  I use lanolin to smooth over the area and not only does it help with hydrating that part of the skin, but it takes away the itch!

I hope these uses for lanolin have given you some insight on how helpful it can be to have in your mommy medicine cabinet!  You can typcially find 100% pure lanolin in containers or tubes at just about any pharmacy or health foods store.  It is also sold in tubes found in the baby care aisle of retail stores.  What's even better about it is that a little goes a very long way!  I have had the same tube of lanolin for a little over a year now and we seem to use it pretty regularly year-round.

Have you discovered any other uses for lanolin for health and beauty?  I'd love to know! 

 

 

{Disclosure: I was compensated for this post as a member of Clever Girls Collective. All the opinions expressed here are my own.  No one is the boss of me.}