An American Story

The Little Jar with the Blue Star

The story of Blue Star Ointment is rich and colorful, with roots in the early 1900’s - a time of great American industry and entrepreneurship. Nearly a century ago, Adolph Gottlieb, a chemist by trade and a recent immigrant from Germany, developed this multi-purpose remedy in the rural farming town of Plantersville, TX. His healing product was used for farmers, their families and their livestock, as was the custom of the day.

Influenced by alchemy, Gottlieb chose to name his newly invented ointment “Blue Star”. Alchemy, a predecessor of modern chemistry, is a mixture of chemistry, magic, astrology and philosophy. The goal was to discover a life-prolonging elixir, and a universal cure for disease. These early scientists used a five-point star to symbolize the five elements – air, earth, fire, water and the human spirit.

In the 1930’s, Gottlieb retired and sold the Blue Star Ointment formula to Jim Bourland, a travelling salesman from Fort Worth, Texas. Heralding the healing powers of the multi-purpose remedy, Bourland advertised in the Houston Post. Bourland eventually passed away, and his housekeeper (who was his production assistant) inherited Blue Star‘s valuable formula. Unfortunately she had no experience in sales and marketing, and the company languished.

Meanwhile, our company’s founder, Robert G. Whitehead was working for Amalie Oil in New York. Robert longed for the independence of his own business and moved his young family to Texas to start anew. Robert began producing and selling two products: a steam iron cleaner and a rust remover. He discovered Blue Star Ointment inadvertently and knew that this healing product had incredible potential.

From the beginning, Whitehead’s business was a family affair. The ointment was prepared and packaged in the backyard of his Houston home, and his children were often enlisted to help with deliveries.

Blue Star Ointment soon began to see a profit, but Robert knew that for his product to have longevity, he would have to sell in major drug store chains. Yet he was unable to get an appointment to meet with the store buyers to introduce them to Blue Star Ointment.

Undaunted, Robert targeted each chain, and doubled his advertising budget, boldly advertising that the product was available in those very stores he longed to sell from. After receiving numerous requests for Blue Star Ointment, the stores finally became more agreeable to a meeting. His healing ointment was put on the shelves, and the subsequent sales surprised even Robert Whitehead.

Robert G. Whitehead succeeded in creating his dream – a thriving business that is family owned and operated. Robert is no longer with us, but his daughter Gail remains as CEO, his granddaughter Sonya handles the day–to-day operations, and his son Henry advises on the company's financials. Blue Star Ointment is committed to maintaining the original vision, values, and formula of this historic and great American product.