Our story is a good one, so we can't help but tell it.The roots of O'Keeffe's Company go back more than 25 years to an arid region on the California-Oregon border known as the Klamath Basin. Tara O'Keeffe's father was a rancher and the tough lifestyle took its toll on Bill O'Keeffe's hands and feet. The work and the weather had dried his hands and cracked his feet to the point that he could hardly shake hands and it was painful to even walk. When Tara graduated from college with a degree in pharmacy, Bill believed his daughter, with her new education, might be able to help him.

Of course, he had already tried nearly every alleged dry skin treatment available, including the expensive prescription medications. Unfortunately, they had all proven ineffective; nothing seemed to heal his damaged skin. Tara began a long process of experimenting with various concoctions until, many years later; she had the basic formula for what became O'Keeffe's Working Hands. Her persistence turned a kitchen-table project into a solution for her father's dry skin. Eventually this family endeavor expanded into a booming business helping others with the same problems.

What makes this product so special? Why does it work when nothing else will? Over the years, Tara has discovered many secrets about dry hands and cracked feet, and has incorporated each of them into the constantly improving formulation. Her focus is on actually healing skin and thus deviates from the conventional wisdom behind traditional lotions. The underlying difference is the oil - or the lack of it. Unlike most skin creams and lotions, O'Keeffe's contains no oil. According to Tara, "oil repels moisture - it simply sits on the skin. Our product attracts moisture, draws it into the skin, and promotes the healing process".

O'Keeffe's is a family owned business incorporated in 1994. The company proudly carries on the tradition of family owned businesses that have always been the backbone of American communities. All members of Tara's immediate family are involved in the business in one way or another. In 2002, O'Keeffe's Company won the Austin Family Business award for "Best Small Woman-Owned Company."

O'Keeffe's is an old fashioned success story
in which science, dogged determination, desire to help others, and the love for a father came together in a product more effective than anything the giant cosmetic companies could conceive of.

"Over the years, Tara has discovered many secrets about healing skin, and has incorporated each of them into the constantly improving formulation."