A New England Cure for Cracked, Chapped, Dry Hands

I always have cracked, chapped, dry hands, especially in the winter time. So, when I discovered Super Duty Hand Care, a product made by Sweet Grass Farm in Greenland, New Hampshire, while visiting the Spa at the Wentworth by the Sea, I was anxious to give it a try on my peeling, sore fingers.

The short anecdote on the back of the tin of Super Duty Hand Care intrigued me immediately:

"Super Duty Hand Care was designed for an old, cranky Yankee who had band-aids covering his raw, chapped fingertips. After two weeks, the band-aids were no longer necessary! If you suffer from hands that are chapped, chafed, white with dryness--this unique salve is worth a try. If it made an old, cranky Yankee happy, 'nuff said!"

Now, I don't like to think of myself as old. I'll admit to being cranky on occasion, though not as many occasions as my husband might tell you. But I am a Yankee who has sometimes had as many as six Band-Aid bandages on my hands at once, protecting my sore, cracked and sometimes bleeding finger joints. Winter is always the worst, but the frequent hand washings, bottle washings and "tubby times" that go along with having a baby have also wreaked havoc on my poor paws.

I opened the Super Duty Hand Care tin to discover a waxy cake with a fresh and pleasant scent. The ingredients listed on the label include oils of sunflower, olive, lavender, lemon, Beeswax and lanolin. I rubbed the formulation over the dry spots on my hands and was pleased that it wasn't greasy like other ointments, lotions and potions I've tried.

I have to tell you--the results weren't exactly as described in that cute story on the back of the tin. They were better. It took only two days, not two weeks, of applying the Super Duty Hand Care a few times a day for me to see a noticeable difference. My hands felt much more supple and smooth than they have in ages, and applying this wonderful salve is now a part of my bedtime routine. Best of all, the solid, waxy composition of the product seems to make it last forever. I could have easily gone through a bottle of lotion in the time I've used Super Duty Hand Care, and yet I've hardly made a dent in the waxy cake of hand balm.

In addition to body care products, Sweet Grass Farm also makes all-natural soaps featuring herbs and essential oils, bath products and fragrant home products such as Lavender Furniture Wax at its Seacoast New Hampshire location. All products are available for online ordering. For more product information or ordering assistance, you can also call Sweet Grass Farm at 603-766-1651.

At $6.95 per tin (as of December 2007), Super Duty Hand Care makes this frugal Yankee happy, too.