Last Thursday afternoon I stopped by the Walgreens to see if they had any Mentholatum. A few of y’all had commented and emailed to tell me that sometimes Walgreens keeps the Mentholatum behind the counter (I have no idea why? maybe because of its supernatural mentholated goodness?), so I couldn’t WAIT to get to the drugstore and ask the pharmacist.
I ended up having to stand in line behind a sweet older couple who were apparently moving every single prescription they have ever been prescribed to the Walgreens pharmacy. About the time that they were digging out their IDs and preparing to sign a blood oath that they were who they professed to be, one of the Walgreens employees asked if she could help me. Maybe she could sense my determination since I’d been standing in that line for upwards of ten minutes. Or maybe she could sense my frustration because I WAS READY TO KNOW ABOUT THE MENTHOLATUM, ALREADY.
I’m sort of guessing it was the latter.
Anyway, I told her what I was looking for and she said, “Um, I don’t know what that is. But I do know that we have Vicks right over there!”
“No. Not Vicks,” I replied. “MENTHOLATUM. It has menthol like Vicks, but it’s a completely different product.”
“Well,” she said, “I know that there are several different kinds of Vicks. Let’s take a look! Maybe you’ll see something that will work down on this shelf!”
Apparently I wasn’t doing a very good job communicating the degree of my Mentholatum need. So I took a deep breath and dove right back into the mentholated confusion.
“No ma’am – it’s not a Vicks product. It’s made by The Mentholatum Company. It looks like this,” I answered – and then I dug around for my (rapidly dwindling) Mentholatum in my purse and pulled it out so that she could see it. Because crazy people like myself ENJOY A VISUAL AID.
The Walgreens lady took a quick look at the shelves and said, “Nope. We don’t carry anything like that – sorry!” and started walking back to her station at the pharmacy counter. I closed my purse and was about to head for the exit when I heard a voice behind me saying, “Honey? I KNOW. IT’S AWFUL. I CAN’T FIND IT ANYWHERE.”
I turned around and found myself face-to-face with the woman who’d been moving her prescriptions earlier. She told me that she too had been looking for Mentholatum everywhere, and as I nodded in agreement with every single word she said, she leaned in a little closer, looked around to make sure no one else could hear her, and whispered, “You know, you can’t even find it at the Walmarts anymore.”
“I KNOW!” I exclaimed.
I think my enthusiasm may have been a little more than she bargained for. But then she said one more thing:
“Honey? Have you looked at the Rite Aid?”
And do y’all know what I realized?
I HADN’T LOOKED AT THE RITE AID.
I’d looked on their website with no success. And I’d looked at Walmart, Walgreens, Publix and CVS. BUT I’D FORGOTTEN ALL ABOUT THE RITE AID!
I told the sweet lady in Walgreens that I would definitely look at Rite Aid, and when I cranked my car in the Walgreens parking lot, there was just a glimmer of mentholated hope in my heart. A vapor, if you will.
Friday was cuckoo busy between family stuff and work stuff and football game stuff, but Saturday morning I was rested and rarin’ to go to the Rite Aid. Our little family was planning to go to lunch, so I asked D if we could PLEASE PLEASE PRETTY PLEASE stop by the Rite Aid on the way to Chuy’s (we are creatures of habit and also, I might add, slightly addicted to the deluxe tomatillo sauce).
So we pulled in the Rite Aid parking lot, and I was out of the car like a shot. Couldn’t get in the drugstore fast enough. And I don’t know if you’ve ever been in a Rite Aid, but they arrange the aisles at all sorts of angles so that once you get inside the store, you feel a little bit like you’re trapped in a maze. My guess is that they’re just hoping that at some point you’ll give up trying to escape and start filling your cart to pass the time while you try to figure your way out of there.
Anyway, I finally made my way to the cold care aisle, and WOULD YOU LOOK WHAT I FOUND, WOULD YOU JUST LOOK, IT’S AN ALMOST-BUT-NOT-REALLY-AT-ALL MIRACLE!
Oh, you’d better believe that I shook those boxes like maracas all the way to the cash register.
And I promise that I’ll never ever mention Mentholatum again.
Unless Rite Aid quits carrying it.
Because clearly in that case all bets are off.
Edited to add a little clarity: Mentholatum is what God makes to cure a world of hurts: chapped lips, dry skin, stuffy noses, bad coughs. I’m particularly fond of it as a lip balm, but I’ve also been known to rub it on the bottoms of my feet before I put on socks. :-)
Oh, this made me laugh! I will forever and ever think of my mom every time I smell Mentholatum. When I was a kid she would slather (that’s a good Southern word, isn’t it?) it all over her mouth and half of her face right at bedtime. Looking back, I kind of feel sorry for my dad…LOL But I think that’s what started my love of the smell of menthol which I could smell all day long! Do you think they make menthol candles? Hmmm…
OK so I was wondering why Mentholatum came in boxes b/c I remembered my mom and dad have all my life had that little jar next to their bed. I come from a long line of Menthol. :)
So I quick looked on google images to find what that little jar looked like and clearly I need to just go to bed and stop surfing but here is a line I loved from the wikepedia article I found myself looking at:
“After years of research and experimentation, the company introduced the original “Mentholatum Ointment” in December 1894, which consisted of a combination of menthol and petrolatum. Sales went wild.”
Apparently, you just live in the wrong era! :)
SO GLAD YOU FOUND IT..IS IT CHAPSTICK?
Am glad you found some! After reading about your predicament last week – and having sick kiddos and making several walgreens/walmart runs – just for grins I looked for Mentholatum! FYI – Texas walgreens and walmart BOTH still carry it. Am willing to mail if you find yourself in dire straights. :0)
Singing the Hallelujah Chorus with you. We ask so little in life to keep us happy, you know? (And PS: My grandfather used to swallow Vicks by the spoonful. THE SPOONFUL. And he lived to a ripe old age. Connection? Maybe so.)
Good heavens! You are SOOOOO lucky! If they have that Max Factor 2000 Calorie mascara I was incessantly complaining about in my comments the last Mentholatum post, would you let me know? Because I would possibly drive myself from Houston to Alabama to get me some of that mascara. I mean, if they have the Mentholatum, maybe they’d have the mascara, right?
2 things. So glad you found the mentholatum (should it be capitalized?)! And feeling bad for the little old lady at Walgreen’s who may not be able to find any now that you bought 4. The end.
Well I don’t think I’ve ever been more excited for someone that I don’t know in person, finding a product that I’ve never heard of before :) Makes me want to go to Rite Aid and track some down!
My husband has a little bottle of Merthiolate in his bathroom cabinet. Of course they don’t sell that stuff anymore cause it’s supposed to kill you…you know with the mercury and all. Anyway this reminded me of that for some reason.
I can breathe a little easier now that I know you’ve found some. Did you clean them out? Also, we have a small grocery store near us that keeps a legal pad out at the registers for shoppers to write down anything the store doesn’t carry that we’d like for them to keep in stock. Do you have any stores like that near you?
K&C’s Mom – Vicks by the spoonful? Jaw literally dropped! THIS is why I read the comments!
So glad that you found a new supplier so you can keep up your stash. I’m assuming you cleaned them out, right? I would have… just in case!
Could someone please tell me, what exactly do you use Mentholatum for? What do you put it on? What is its purpose? What does it cure?
Inquiring minds want to know.
“A vapor if you will.” That made my whole morning!!!
Now I’m thinking of the verse that says ‘life is but a vapor’. Much like your Mentholatum. But don’t let that bring you down because you are stocked up!!
Also, I’m compelled to try the Mentholatum. Where should I begin? Chest? Lips?
awesome! i can’t figure out what mentholatum is. is it like chapstick or carmex?
whatever it is, this sorta makes me want to drive down to rite aid and get some.
have a great week!
Mentholatum is what God makes to cure a world of hurts: chapped lips, dry skin, stuffy noses, bad coughs. I’m particularly fond of it as a lip balm, but I’ve also been known to rub it on the bottoms of my feet before I put on socks. :-)
I was wondering what it was for also :) I wonder if they have it at the mom/pop drug store in our little town.
Mentholatum is wonderful stuff. Love it, glad you found some :)
Congratulations!!!
By the way, you’ve got me wanting to try some for myself. The only problem is I wouldn’t know what in the world to do with it!
Mentholatum is to Southerners as Windex was to the dad in the movie “My Big Fat Greek Wedding”–it cures whatever ails you. I put it on my lips to prevent (or heal) chapping. The tingle feels better than just plain lip balm. When I was younger, I had a terrible time with dry hands in the winter…I would slather on Mentholatum at night and it would soften and heal them. When I have a cold, I apply a little bit underneath the nostrils (again at night), and it helps keep the nose breathing free and easy. Plus, since I grew up using it, and so did my mom, the smell of Mentholatum is like a soothing balm to my soul. :) I still have half of my current jar, but I’m feeling a bit panicky reading about how difficult it can be to find.
I love this series of posts on Mentholatum. I grew up using it, my Dad used it religiously, and my husband’s grandfather was a fan as well. In fact, my husband says whenever I use Mentholatum, it rather kills any kind of romantic mood for him because it reminds him of his grandfather, who always smelled of cigarettes and mentholatum.
I’ve always been a Vicks person myself, but if the Rite Aid does quit carrying the Metholatum, you can get it Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/s?ie=UTF8&tag=mozilla-20&index=blended&link_code=qs&field-keywords=mentholatum&sourceid=Mozilla-search
Of course, considering the fact that Central AL is about elebenty hundred degrees a good portion of the year, I would recommend only ordering it online in cool weather.
Glad you found the Mentholatum! You really crack me up. However, I may just have to go out and find a jar. Maybe you should write the company, and let them know what a great salesmen you are for their product. Tell them there is no need for monetary gain, just send you a lifetime supply of their wonderful healing balm!!! LOL!
Oh, how I love this.
Love the visual aid – I would have done the same thing!
Don’t you just hate when they quit making stuff that you love?? I was hooked on Dove facial mosturizer with SPF 15. Then got my sister on it. It’s cheap and worked so darn well. Well of course as soon as she got done with her first bottle, neither of us could find it anymore. We both looked in different cities. And yup, looked online too.
Sure glad you found your mentholatum!!! I use Vicks for colds so I’ve never had a mentholatum nightmare! lol Be prepared for them to finally stop making it. Sorry Boo.
Hugs
Marie
I’m feeling like I should drive downtown and take a picture of the original Mentholatum building for you — one of the little-known historical landmarks of Wichita, KS. :)
You can tell a story like nobody else can!
I totally got a visual of you shaking those things like maracas. :)
This post was so funny I had to read it aloud to my coworkers. And now I’m strangely fixated on finding some mentholatum for myself.
I love how you can take a quick story and make it so entertaining! Glad you found your mentholated goodness! I can’t believe people don’t know the diff between Vicks and Mentholatum!
“A vapor, if you will.”
Ha!
My precious Granny used to say that my Paw Paw would have thought he was in bed with the wrong woman if she didn’t smell like Mentholatum. It is now the single most soothing smell to me….CRAZY!!!
you know that mentholatum on your feet will stop a cough…i use rawleighs ointment…my grandmother used to use it, she dies when i was 4, but that smell is so her…it is the best on chapped lips, i put it on every night before bed…cannot live without it…only one drugstore in my home town carries it so when i go see mama i pick it up…totally get ya
I am SO HAPPY for you! ! ! In honor of you finding it I am craving putting some of MY Mentholatum (you got me hooked!)on my dry lips and guess what? It is in my other purse! ! Yay or Yea for you finding it and for The Rite Aids! ! ! !
“Because crazy people like myself ENJOY A VISUAL AID.” This made me laugh out loud!
I was equally desperate when I had trouble finding my all time favorite chapstick, Neutrogena’s Lip Therapy. I had always bought it at Walmart and they stopped carrying it. After much searching, I discovered it at, where else, Rite Aid! Except it was still Eckerd at the time…
bahahahahahahaha!
once again, boomama, you never fail at making me LAUGH UNCONTROLLABLY, particularly the part about rite-aid becoming a maze and they just want you to fill your carts.
i’ve smartened up, though. i’ve started reading your blog at home after work, or in the morning before i go -instead of while i’m there- so that no one calls the funny farm to book me a stall.
boomama. i LOVE you!
xo
Don’t you just love that little tingly feeling you get when you finally find something you’ve been searching high and low for….I love that we are thrilled with the little things in life…happy for ya boomama!
BTW…coming to B’ham to visit Mom and Dad Thurs., hoping I can talk them into going to Chuy’s but I think we’ll have to try it in the middle of the afternoon so it won’t be so crowded and loud….otherwise it might be a bit much for my dear,sweet,genteel Mother.
So glad you found it! I haven’t been back to Kroger since I tweeted you about finding it, but I had planned to pick some up for you this Friday. Let me know if the Rite Aid stops carrying it. I’ll be glad to get you some here! :)
I am going to have to go to rite aid tomorrow LOL you got my curiosity up! Glad you finally found it!
My “Mama Luke” used to eat about 1/4 tsp every night before bed and she lived to be 91! I love me some Vicks, but I don’t eat it! haha I’m so happy you found some Mentholatum.
I particularly remember a time when I desperately needed some. I had just had my 2nd child and was laid up in the bed trying to tend to baby girl #1 and new baby girl #2. My daddy came to visit and asked what could he do for me….I said in desperation, “I NEED SOME VICKS NOW!!!”
OMG!!! I never imagined not being able to find Mentholatum…gasp..
I always have a jar in my bedside table. Just like you said, stuffy noses, chapped lips…it cures everything.
I’m going out tomorrow and if I find some I’m stocking up, just in case we’re facing a nation wide shortage!!! ;-)
PS for those of you north of the Ohio and west of the Mississippi, trust us on this one.
I had to Laugh Out Loud—literally—when I walked into my kitchen the other day (after your first post) and there was a jar of Mentholatum sitting on my counter top. You see, I have an 18 month old who is infatuated with opening and closing the lids on EVERYTHING he can get his grubby little hands on. So, someone had put the Mentholatum on the counter top in my kitchen in hopes of him not falling into the same Boo Mama trap of “mentholatum need”…..Ha Ha!
OK, you finally got me. I have to try this stuff out, even though I am a loyal Vick’s girl, the fact that it can be used as lip balm convinced me I may need to add this to my winter arsenal.
You crack me up, by the way… I share your enthusiasm for every little thing, and can imagine the elderly ladies expression. I get those, too!
Love the stuff. Use it every night — Can’t live without it!
Miz Sophie, I was at the HEB yesterday and decided to look for Mentholatum. I’ve never used it (I’m a fan of the clove-flavored Burt’s Bees, myself), but I bought a box in homage to you.
If the Rite Aid ever runs out, your San Antonio friends can send you a care package.
I use Vicks for all the same reasons you use Mentholatum. Do you think I should switch? My husband HATES the smell of Vicks. Do they smell the same? Just wondering….
Marilyn…in Mississippi
Wow, that sounds like an adventure! I had no idea it was chapstick item you were after all along. I’m glad you refilled your stash.
I think me and my head cold will make a quick stop at the Rite Aid here in just a bit. There is one at the end of my road. My head is filled with all manner of mess and I can barely breath. When my sweet boys woke up this morning, they were all hoarse and raspy. Maybe I’ll give us all a rubdown of the mentholatum (I proabably jacked up that spelling) and when it’s all said and done I’ll be back with a full report. =)
I am FREAKED OUT that you had such a hard time finding this!!! I have a good supply right now but when the time comes to buy more I will be soooo upset if it’s not easy to find! What is going on here? This is epic in my life. must.have.mentholatum!!!
Soo glad you found a supply — I’ve been carefully and sparingly using my little jar for a year so I will check the Rite Aids today! Never thought about using it on feet — duh! — so I will have to buy a bigger jar!
I lurk but never comment, but I have to say that I just sighed a huge sigh of relief for you. I have been stressed out for you ever since you mentioned you couldn’t find it anywhere.
I checked and we still have it around here at Wal Mart so feel free to contact me if in face (gasp) Rite Aid does stop carrying Mentholatum!