Product Review: Merino Lanolin Skin Creme

In my never-ending quest to meet Frodo, Gandalf and the rest of the gang from The Lord of the Rings trilogy (yes, they are real!), I spent two weeks in New Zealand last fall with my husband. One of our stops was this quite touristy, but actually really fun place called the Agrodome. As soon as you take one look at that site you will see why the Agrodome experience deserves its own post at some point in the future - it was the most bizarre mix of farming and extreme sports ever - perhaps the only mix of farming and extreme sports anywhere, now that I think about it.

Anyway, when we were there, I picked up a ton of souvenirs to bring back for family members, including many small jars of Merino Lanolin Skin Creme. In New Zealand, they sell everything related to lanolin that you can imagine, because it comes from wool and there are a hell of a lot of sheep down there!

I gave the lotion out for Christmas to several relatives, but I actually didn't keep any of it for myself.

A few months ago, my mother-in-law asked us if we knew if there was a store where we could buy the Merino lotion in the United States. Shortly after, my grandma commented on how much she loved the lotion I gave her, but that she was trying to use it sparingly now because it was almost out and she didn't think it would be available anywhere around her. When I mentioned both of these comments to my mom, she said that my dad had been "stealing" the lotion I had given to her, and that they both really loved it. Hmmmm.... something was going on. There are tons of lotions on the market and so many are interchangeable, to have four people raving about one specific brand seemed curious to me. When I mentioned all of this to my aunt, she, too, said that she was crazy for the lotion, and to let her know if I found a place to buy it.

So... I looked up the company's web site to see if there were any U.S. distributors. I'm not sure if I was just totally unobservant at that point, or if they later added a "USA Orders" button on their purchasing page, but I made an order through the New Zealand-based site. The next day, someone from the company wrote me and directed me to the Merino USA site, which is apparently the only U.S.-based distributor (they are located in Arizona). They had a special touting six huge jars for a discounted price, so I figured I'd do that and be able to give it to all of my family members who were eager for a new supply, and try it out for myself as well.

Before the shipment arrived, I had pretty high expectations, because I had read all of the raving customer testimonials on the site, as well as a special section describing the benefits of the lanolin lotion on diabetics. I'm not diabetic, but figured that the lotion had to be damn good if they were using it on patients and whatnot. Also, for those interested, they also have a line of baby care products.

The shipment arrived, and, to be honest, I haven't used the lotion very much - simply because I try to use the Jergen's Natural Glow as much as I can in the summer so as to not blind people with my otherwise glaring white skin. However, every once in a while I had been slathering the lanolin cream on my feet and then immediately putting on cotton socks when I went to bed, and my feet were invariably extremely soft the next morning. I was impressed by that, and also liked how it didn't have any scent. Recently, I decided to take a rest from the Jergen's and go all out with using the Merino cream for one night. My main complaint was that while I can't exactly say the cream is sticky, it's much thicker than normal lotion and therefore you need to be prepared that your pajamas, sheets, etc. are going to cling to your body even after the lotion has soaked in for a while.

But it is worth it! I can honestly say that I was amazed at how soft my skin was when I woke up. The hobbits and elves in New Zealand are pumping some magic into this lotion, I tell ya!

Therefore, I strongly recommend Merino Lanolin Skin Creme to anyone who suffers from dry skin and has never been able to find anything that soothes the problem. Keep the sheep-shearers of New Zealand employed!

- e