Favorites, Part 4: Curel

I don't know what magic ingredients they put in the stuff, but Curel works for me where other stuff doesn't. It's in no way a "green," orgainc, or sustainable product as far as I know. They do sell a fragrance-free version, which is what I like best. The ingredient list sounds pretty dicey for a non-chemist like me. But I can't argue with the results.

If I get a bad sunburn, I get insanely itchy skin. Like I can't sleep it's so bad. Like bugs crawling around in my flesh. For this reason, I try to be careful about getting too much sun - especially since I'm not a big fan of sunscreen.*

* Why? Well, there's been huge growth in the use of sunscreen over the past couple decades, with ever-increasing SPF numbers. And at the same time there's been ever-increasing incidence of skin cancer. I have no science here. I'm just sayin' it seems odd.

But sometimes you just get too much sun. I've tried Solarcaine cream and spray. I've tried aloe-based gels and creams, and aloe plants themselves. I've tried all kinds of stuff. Curel makes it go away. Heck, I don't even peel sometimes. I don't know what it does, but it works. It's worked for me on other types of first-degree skin burns too. (It's also great for dry skin problems in winter, windburned faces, etc.)

And it's the best thing I've found for our cow's chapped udder. The Amish guy I bought her from used Vaseline. Our feed store sells a couple different kinds of udder creams and lotions. Curel beats them all, hands down. I don't apply it unless I need to, and then only after milking is done. But cow teats certainly get chapped and chafed and rubbed wrong from all that milking.

So there you have it: A rare brand-name endorsement from me.

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