#pine tar

home hardware employees hunt me down every time i step foot in the facility due to the fact that I keep smashing all the lightbulbs.

A teeny tiny TV, a stereo receiver that's identical to my mom's, a nice typewriter that actually works, pine tar so old it actually recommends veterinary uses, and a very old battery drill.

😄💖 Thank you! For sharing your excellent boat knowledge! Wow, I did figure it smelled better than petrochemical tars but amazing I did not expect somehow. 🌲 Mmm, smoky resin, lingering on a sweater, that’s very evocative. 👌 And tactile data! Nice.

It’s black, right? From the. Fire-based distillation process. I have this much correct? I found some pictures of rigging getting tarred. Brownish sort of black? Researching something that has been replaced in function by something that goes by the same name is stupidly challenging. Tarred canvas and tarpaper as they existed in the preindustrial era are like internet cryptids stg.

How light could you get an old-fashioned tarpaulin??? Nobody knows, they just want to try to buy Confederate Civil War knapsacks from one another.

From Pine Tree to Pine Tar (and a bit about baseball)

Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) is a Eurasian native, distributed across Europe into Eastern Siberia. It is the national tree of Scotland, and the only native pine in northern Europe. Human activity has pushed native populations to extinction; while, at the same time, appreciation for this tree has led to widespread introduction in other parts of the world. Like other pines, humans and Scots pine…

Excellent for bathing, showering, shaving and shampooing. Many loyal users have been telling us for generations how “wonderful it cleans, moisturizes and deodorizes. Our customers have described pine tar as being helpful with various skin irritations. 

It has no Phthalates, Sulfates, Parabens, EDTA, Glutens, Animal By-Products, Artificial Fragrances or Colorants.

A while ago, my dad and I went with to an local Remedies Shop that specializes in tea and alternative medicine. It was pretty interesting as they had a lot of natural products too, such as raw herbs and plants (like aloe leaves), vitamins and supplements, aromatherapy, and natural beauty/skin products (like toothpaste, soaps, lotions, moisturizers, serums, etc.). 

My dad was looking for something to help with his feet and the shop lady suggested that he get The Grandpa Soap Company’s Pine Tar Bar Soap. I’ve never heard of pine tar soap before, so I looked it up and it sounds pretty interesting.

Apparently, pine tar soap is made from the sticky substance (resin) of pine tree. The way it’s done is that the wood is rapidly decomposed by applying heat and pressure in a closed container; this results in the product of pine tar. There are many different uses for pine tar soap due to its anti-inflammatory and antiseptic properties. It is commonly used to help treat certain skin conditions, including psoriasis, eczema, dandruff, acne, contact dermatitis and many others.

Pine tar soap is an effective treatment method for inflammatory conditions like hives, insect bites or inflammation resulting from contact with poison ivy, oak, sumac or other similar plants. Pine tar's antiseptic properties also make it one of the more commonly used methods for treating minor wounds. While it is mostly used by vets, especially for horses, cows and other large animals, it can help to treat wounds in humans as well.

In addition, pine tar soap has antifungal and antimicrobial properties. This makes it an effective method for treating certain bacterial and fungal infections, such as athlete's foot or jock itch. It is also commonly used by people to treat unpleasant odors of the feet or armpits due to these same conditions.

Before my dad started using it I wanted to gave it a try. As soon as I removed the soap from the packaging I was immediately hit with the overwhelming scent of it. It’s aggressively strong which is kind of hard to nail down to just one thing. The best I can describe it as is a very piney, campfire with a hint of bacon (or beef jerk) in it. I know that sounds delicious, but it’s more like a smokey woodsy fire scent. 

Though I’ve heard some people describe that it’s more like a tire fire or a cross between pine and fresh burning asphalt. I don’t think it smells quite that bad, but it does take some getting use to when you’re first using it. But thankfully, it doesn’t linger and fades almost immediately upon rinsing. 

Anyway, I had lathered my hands with the soap and it has got a silky feel to it. When I washed it off my skin it felt squeaky clean and smooth. It reminded me of the slippery smooth feeling my legs get after a nice shave. That kind of moisturized smoothness. After a while I’ve noticed that my hands still felt nice and not dry-out. I don’t think you’ll have to worry about this soap leaving your skin super dry or rough after each use.

But the more important question is, does it really work? For a month my dad had been using it for his feet and he says that he has noticed a difference. It has helped to reduce his foot odor and soothe his dry, flaky heels. So, the more often he used it the better he saw results from it. 

Something that my dad and I are curious about is if this is capable of repelling mosquitoes. We saw that some reviewers mention that it is also a great insect repellent and that they use it when they go camping. Apparently, even before World War II, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers used pine tar soap as an insect repellent. Though I don’t think it was this particular brand of soap, but anything made with natural pine tar should still work.