Twice now, during lockdown, I have squeezed some Lano Golden Dry Skin Salve into a mini pot and run it over to a friend whose cuticles were in dire need. Apparently our desire to treat friends during these tough times is called caremongering — a play on ‘scare-mongering’ that I just love.
Lanolin, the heavy, natural coating on sheep’s wool makes the best occlusive protectant for cuticles that, because of repeated washing or nervous picking, are raggedy and cracked. Lanolin on its own is rather sticky, which is fine for lips, but rather unpleasant on fingers. This salve blends lanolin with honey, beeswax and vitamin e, making it more lightweight but no less effective at reversing what anxiety, dry air and relentless hand-washing have done to our fingertips.
The salve is also an excellent lip balm and while the new tube isn’t as massive as the former 50 gram one, it costs less (always a nice surprise) and still contains enough to last a long time (it should be applied sparingly anyway.)