My Current Favorite Moisturizer is Bear Fat

That is not a brand name. 

I'm using actual bear fat. 

I guess I should back up a bit, huh?

So, I guess this new special interest in unusual moisturizing agents began when we were in the desert for a wedding. 

Here's a pic of the 'fits, cause I know y'all have been dying to see them. I forgot completely to make it a point to take pics of us. We were both trying to stay warm in the chill of the desert and completely enrapt with the most magical wedding event we have ever attended. 

But they had a wonderful photographer so you get this:

Big fan of how these lewks came together. I wish my pink jewelry were chunkier, but we look like stars, regardless. Plus - we ended up with blankets that matched out wedding outfits perfectly. 

I'm getting off track. 

So while we were in Cali for the wedding we did a lot of cool stuff. Like, a LOT. Not Alot, though. 

One of the things we did that I haven't talked about really was breakfast at the Joshua Tree Retreat Center, AKA the Institute of Mentalphysics. 

The grounds were gorgeous, as one would expect. 

The food was a twist on "cafeteria style" and it was incredibly simple and delicious. Each table seemed to be thrifted from a different fast food restaurant. None of the coffee cups or plates or cutlery matched at all.

I mean obviously I dug the vibe. 

After we ate our breakfast wraps, we wandered around the grounds some more. At one point, I found myself sitting crossed legged in a humongous installation art piece that, if I remember correctly, was used at Coachella or similar one year. 

Obviously this was a part of the trip where I didn't take a lot of pics. 

Well, as we rambled around the grounds, we came across a gift shop filled with magical things. 

One of those magical things was a jar of something called "creosote salve". I'm always on the lookout for a moisturizer that lasts and is not sticky and doesn't smell all flowery and bleh. 

The creosote salve ticked all the boxes so I bought it and used it immediately when we got back to the hotel.

It was aces! My skin looked hydrated but not greasy and there was no left over residue on my hands. I hate having wetness or dampness on my hands, like, very much a lot. 

There was one small issue, though, and that is the fact that there was too much poroduct to take in my carry on. So before we left we went to get some smaller containers to put it in. 

This is all that remains:

And I've really been savoring it, cause it's not like I can just pop back to Joshua Tree to get some more, you know?

Normally, I prefer spray type lotions because I don't have to involve my hands as much. What I don't like about them is that they normally smell like a cheap flower store shit all over themselves. 

I do not like smelling like flowers and perfumes. I do, however, enjoy smelling like food. So I tend to gravitate towards scents that smell like baked goods or select fruits. 

The creosote salve smelled like fresh rain somehow, but like it really smells - not the manufactured in a lab rain smell. 

Then KPerks and I went up to Forest, Canada for the New Year.

And it was another life-changing trip. 

One of those life-changing days was New Year's Day. We were out in the middle of literal nowhere in the wilds of Canada, so not a lot was open. 

On the reservation that was nearby, the dispensaries were open, but so was the Trading Post. So of course, we went to check it out. 

It was a delight of a store. While we were shopping, two women were working on some very intricate beadwork that I complimented them on. I was too shy to take a pic though. Maybe when we go back I'll get brave!!

While we were browsing, we noticed the store radio was tuned into the reservation radio station, which KPerks and I had been trying to find since we arrived. 

So before my brain could talk me out of it, I asked, "What's station is this?"

The replied with the numbers to tune it into our dial, which I have obviously already forgotten. But then she asked me a question that I have thought about at least once a week since. 

"Do you want to play radio bingo tomorrow?"

I mean, without even knowing what it was our immediate reaction was YES.

But we had to leave for home the next morning, so we had to say NO.

We asked for an explanation, though, so we can play when we come back. 

Basically, you buy a Bingo card at the Trading post and listen to the radio throughout the day. They call numbers and if you get Bingo before a set time, you win the jackpot - which can range anywhere from $1500 on up!

Radio Bingo only happens on Mondays and Thursdays, so I'll definitely include one or both on my next trip up to Forest. 

So, while at the Trading Post, I did some shopping. And, like, all of it was bath related. 

My first find was some Choke Cherry bath salts. I've used these a couple times and they smell INCREDIBLE and make my skin so soft. However, there are are bits of bark in it and I am against foreign objects floating around in my bath. So what I do is I pour it into a fine mesh bag and plop that in the bath. It's a good solution and makes clean up a breeze. 

Right near those bath salts was an unassuming jar. Just like a normal small Ball jar with a handwritten label stuck to the top. 

The label read "bear fat" and I was instantly curious. 

Luckily, this store was incredibly thoughtful in its organization and had a little flyer nearby extolling the virtues of bear fat. 

Soft skin!

Healing!

Use sparingly!

Good for aches!

Waterproofing!

Cooking!

And a whole bunch of other stuff. It was $30 which seemed pricey to me, but I just had to try it. 

It remains my best purchase of the year. 

I've only used it so far as a moisturizer. (I do plan to make bear fat tots eventually, though)

However, I only need to "wet" my fingertips with the bear fat to do two legs. TWO LEGS, y'all. 

And!

It lasts, like an entire week. I only have to get my hands all gross once a week nowadays. 

It's also helped immensely with my pickin' sites. If I get carried away, sometimes I get lil sores - don't worry it happens WAY WAY WAY less than it used to. The bear fat has helped them heal faster than ever.

It's pretty incredible. However, there is a voice in my head that tells me I am doing something wrong by using it, loving it and now talking about it. Like, because it's not from my culture, I should not talk about it. 

But I have to remind myself, I'm not, like, claiming it as my own. I'm saying I found it at a place where Native Americans seem to be treated with respect and reverence. I shouldn't feel weird about buying it and loving it, right? And if so, please let me know! I don't want to make any missteps in anyway that hurt people. I'm still learning about so many things. 

We all are!

Now, one of the things I was kind of concerned with was bringing it across the border. I mean, animal fat seems wrong to bring home, right?

But we also had some cheese curds and what are they if not animal fat? 

I removed the label anyways and just stuck the jar in with my toiletries. 

We ran into no issues and my bear fat safely made it home. 

I can't tell you how nice it is not to have to worry about the dry spot on my back more than once a week - and sometimes even less than that!

And I also love that I barely have to get it on my hands to use it - and it absorbs incredibly well, so I'm not left with stickiness anywhere. 

Ugh I love it so much. 

And in conclusion, whenever I put it on I smell good enough to eat. 

If you enjoy umami, that is.