A Mysterious Balm

by Valerie Gladstone — December 21, 2007

Have you heard of Egyptian Magic? It outsells all other personal care products at Whole Foods by more than 10%. Juliette Lewis and Virginia Madsen use it--and possibly, Madonna. A pale yellow urgent, it supposedly soothes everything from minor burns to itchy scalp. Concocted first in the early '90s by now-62-year old Westley Howard, who renamed himself Mr. ImHotepAmonRa--to sound more Egyptian--the sweet-smelling balm contains olive oil, beeswax, bee pollen, royal jelly, and bee propolis, a substance that seals hives.

He claims to have gotten the formula from a Dr. Imas who told him it was the exact same formula for a cream found in ancient Egyptian tombs. Okay...Users claim it prevents diaper rash; soothes sunburns, chemical, and oven burns; improves surgical scars; relieves dandruff and athlete's foot; and can be used as a feminine lubricant. None of which has been scientifically proven. Still, I can't resist. I'm ordering a 4-ounce jar for $32 from Egyptianmagic.com. I'll report back. Let me know if you try it.

Not that there aren't other unusual products out there:

• Mother's Special Blend is a homemade blend of oils to prevent stretch marks from pregnancy ($14.99 at Whole Foods)
• Bag Balm is a moisturizer that is advertised as a cow udder emollient ($7.99 at CVS.com)
• Chicken Poop was concocted by a Pilates instructor. This lip balm is a top seller for $4 at Drugstore.com and ilovechickenpoop.com.
• Morgan's Pomade was created by Robert Martin in 1873. This hair treatment is made by his descendants to style and darken gray hair ($8.29 at New London Pharmacy, 212.243.4987).