Ingram's Camphor Cream

. When I was living in Africa I suffered from the most awful dry skin in the winter months. Winter in Zimbabwe is not what most would think of as winter. We used to call it the dry season because there was no rain, true we had drought in summer but this was different. During this season we suffered with black frost and the nights were cold. Temperatures were cold during the day (cold to us that is). This combination of cold and dry resulted in severe cracking of my hands.

I recall playing hockey one day at school and the teacher thought I'd been injured as my hands were bleeding so much! It was only the cracked skin...

What a relief when I was introduced to Ingram's Camphor Cream. Yes, it does have the camphor smell but this soon wears off if you don't like it. The point is it works and I can't bear to be without it anymore.

When I came to New Zealand my Mom would bring me a couple of jars whenever she visited. After Mom came to live with us my supply dried up. And I went on to try many other solutions - nothing worked and I started to search out supplies to save my skin and sanity. Fortunately I was lucky to find a supply in the South African butcher's shop in Christchurch so recently I've reverted to using Ingram's Camphor Cream again. Lovely - soothing and smoothing.

Ingram's Camphor Cream has been produced in South Africa for over 70 years. It all started when a young German immigrant, Hans Rose, formulated the product for a pharmacist at Adcock Ingram. Len Tannenbaum had dry chapped hands and challenged the young man to find a remedy. He was so impressed with the result that he provided complimentary samples to the hospital. Soon all the nurses were buying the cream and telling their friends about it. And the rest is, as they say history...

There's the original that I have always known. The cream is white and can be used all over the body. It is especially good for hands, heels, elbows and any dry areas. And it can be used as a neck cream! No more expensive brands:)

It is now produced in Herbal and is pale green in color. While I have not tried the newer version I'm sure it's just as good as the original. Apparently it has a refreshing fragrance.

Now that I've been able to get my old faithful Camphor Cream again I find I've got jars and tubes of cream that never really worked as a hand cream. I don't believe in wasting so now I'm using the creams on my legs after my shower. It's starting to give me room in my bathroom cabinet too!