On chapped lips and lip therapy
I have always had chapped lips. Ever since I can remember, I have always had problems with dry, chapped lips. I often had to buy chapstick and being the kikay that I am I would always be frustrated that I could not successfully wear lipstick.
And this is why I feel I have enough experience with the different lip balms that are available in the market to recommend some that would help those with problems like mine.
The products I have tried include chapstick, blistex, nivea lip balm, body shop lip treatment, burt’s bees lip balm, crabtree and evelyn lip therapy and lip balms, and the oh so dependable petroleum jelly.
Let me give you a lowdown on each product and how it has improved or hurt my lips during the time that I have used them.
Chapstick – These come in a variety of flavors and colors. They are sold with affordable prices and are available in your local drugstore, department store or even 7-11. Its skin protectant is from the ingredient petrolatum. This product is good for everyday use however its effect is not long-lasting and it does not do much for someone like me for which dealing with chapped lips has already become routine. I think this is why it comes cheap. You do not have to worry about applying liberally – you have to anyway.
Ahh Blistex – these are my favorite. See them all lined up above? I had them like that as these are all the types that I have been able to try.
Blistex lip balm cost a bit more than chapstick but their lip balms are heavier upon application. They stay on your lips longer so you dont have to apply them frequently. They come in a variety of flavors too. Its active ingredients include dimethicone and it also contains beeswax which is a popular ingredient in lip balms.
Blistex lip ointment is a medicated lip balm that is intended for severly chapped lips. It is made with analgesics like Camphor and Menthol that helps cure dry lips. This helps temporarily especially for extremely cracked lips (like what I had when I was in Arizona) but the downside is – it doesnt feel good on your lips. Its medicated and it feels, smells, and tastes like it is.
Blistex lip tone is similar to the lip balm but with added features. It professes to bring out your lips natural blush and color. This lip balm is pinkish in color and it pretty much works like the balm. It made my lips pinkish upon application but the color did not last long. Besides I did not really need the coloring features as I really want that to come from lipsticks or glosses.
Blistex Herbal and Clear Advance are my favorites. I keep stock of these so that I have one in my bag, at home, and in the office.
Herbal blistex is 45% petrolatum. One great thing about this is that it also contains aloe, chamomile, and avocado. All these help moisturize and the cool feeling it gives my lips is great – you feel its effects the instant you apply it on your lips.
Clear Advance consists of 49% petrolatum. It also contains Parsol which is an advanced UVA sunscreen and is a registered trademark of Givaudan Roure corporation.
Nivea Lip Care is the cheapest of the bunch. Like the Chapstick, it can be bought at any drugstore and local department store. This product contains Jojoba oil and shea butter which are known moisturizers. The effect is ok if you dont mind swiping this on your lips every now and then as the effects are not long lasting. One thing that I love is that its cherry-flavored product gives your lips a red tint that looks oh so natural.
Burt’s Bees beeswax lip balm was something I learned of from the cosmo magazines and the internet. There were a lot of hype about it so I bought it immediately the next time I passed by Beauty Bar. This lip balm contains lanolin and beeswax. It also contains peppermint oil which will give your lips that minty tingling feeling. Initially I loved this lip balm. But my prolonged use of the product resulted in drier lips. I think the peppermint oil gave me the false impression that the lip balm was actually working. In this case, it wasnt and it even worsened my condition.
This is it for now. I still have a few stuff to write about but I will just update this next time. Ciao!
I used Chapstick when I was younger but after some time it doesn’t feel like it’s working anymore. I have never used Nivea but I know a lot of people who use it because like you said, it’s cheap. I like Blistex too, especially the one with UVA/UVB protection. I used them last year for my summer GK build so I wouldn’t get windburned and it’s pretty good.
I used to love Burt’s Beeswax but I think I developed an allergic reaction to it. One time, I used it after recovering from windburn, and I got small lip blisters that really hurt. Ouch.
Right now I’m using this lip balm I got from Healthy Options ironically called “Lizard Lips”. It’s really good, kind of fruity but not overpowering and it doesn’t need to be reapplied a lot within the day.
@Tina
- Sounds like your lips were aggravated by Burt’s Bees and I think its because of the peppermint oil that is used to give that cool feeling to the lips. I love lip balms as I really have dry lips so maybe Ill try Lizard Lips. Thanks for the tip!
I also have a problem with chapped lips especially in the winter months. I’ve tried all the above mentioned lip balms (and then some). Nothing seemed to work until I tried L’Occitane Lip Balm. Works really great.
@Kelly – Thanks for that tip. I will make sure to try it. Im not sure though if we have it here in Manila but I will try Beauty Bar or Rustans Essences.
[...] is – a mess. Most of the time, I would have to grope inside all the junk in my bag just to get my lip balm. So it was really great to finally have a bag organizer, in chic design too! You can get these and [...]
[...] of products. Their lip balms are also very famous among beauty addicts such as myself. And because my lips do not cooperate with lipsticks, I got myself the one with SPF 15 and Hue 58B. This lip balm is also a sheer lip gloss with cool [...]
Try Lizard Lips SPF22 Natural Lip Balm. It’s amazing. It is petroleum free (petroleum actually dries lips and therefore become addicting because you have to keep reapplying).
Lizard Lips has aloe, comfrey, sage, grapeseed, coconut and sweet almond oils, as well as shea butter, sal butter and vitamin E. It’s really soft, moisturizing, healing and feels great. I can’t live without it. It’s always first under my lipstick (or of course alone). It’s a must at night too.
It also works great as a healing agent on things like dry spots on skin or bug bites. It can currently be a little hard to find, but retailers in your area can be found on their website – lizardlips.net. I also hear they should have wider distribution at major drugstores nationwide soon.
skesing – Hmm… Lizard Lips… sounds like a description of my lips. hehe. Too bad its imported. Maybe I can find a local store or a PX store that sells this.
One of the most annoying things in the whole world is chapped lips! A lot of people experience this when the weather changes and it can be a nightmare. Chapped lips can become so bad that they are painful, cracked and even bleeding. There are many products out there that claim to help with chapped lips, but some of them don’t provide the healing benefits that you need. Chapped lips can also be a perfect entering point for infections, and that is never a good thing. There are some things that you can do to prevent and heal your chapped lips.
Don’t lick your lips! In colder weather or extremely hot dry weather, licking your lips can cause them to become chapped. If they feel dry, rub on some shea butter for moisture. This will not only hydrate your lips, but provides a protective barrier against cold weather and wind, which can easily chap your lips. Shea Butter is all natural, and it is perfectly safe to use on your lips. In fact, a lot of people eat Shea Butter in chocolates, or as an alternative to butter and oil!
Shea Butter is also great for making your lips soft and healthy. If you have rough lips, simply use Shea Butter several times a day or as needed. It is great for softening skin and healing dry skin. If you want your lips to be very soft, Shea Butter is one of the few all natural ingredients that will soften, heal, and protect dry and rough lips. Never be afraid to give your sweet heart a kiss again!
For more information about Shea Butter, Visit Purely Shea at http://www.purelyshea.com/
Robyn Scott – Thanks for the tip! I actually am using a lip balm with shea butter as main ingredient.
[...] balms are no longer available in the Philippines! Ugggh! How can that be? I looked everywhere and tried every kind of lip balm available in the market before settling on C&E’s jojoba lip balm. I even realized that [...]
[...] in my thirty or so years on this earth, they must have been. Now my memories are filled with dry, cracked and chapped lips. The lipsticks in my makeup kit have been replaced by lip balms and a tub of petroleum jelly and I [...]
try rubbing a little olive oil on your lips! Ive recently started using it for everything- as a body moisturiser, hair treatment, lip balm- the lot!! dont just keep it in the kitchen! it is amazing- even sophia lauren swears by it!
Isabel – I heard about that but didnt know somebody who actually used it. Thanks for sharing!
After six months of trying to figure out what is causing my rashes and dry, chapped, cracking, itching, burning, and swelling lips, I just yesterday began to suspect Burt’s Bees lip balms. But unlike the person here who thinks it is the peppermint in the balm that causes problems, I believe it is not the peppermint. I have tried peppermint, honey, pomegranite, and passionfruit. Peppermint was the first and I discontinued use pretty quickly because the peppermint was too strong and burned my lips a little. Since then I have used (and thought I really liked) all the other flavors I mentioned. They smell and feel good. I thought they were making my lips feel better, which they kind of did in a way, but in reality, I am learning they may be the cause of major dryness, stinging, itching, and cracking at the corners of my mouth. This was painful and I’d slather on more thinking it was helping. I even applied it around my lips, which caused the problem to spread to that area. So it was a vicious cycle. The more I used it, the worse it got. I have yet to pin down an ingredient that is causing the problem. I have used lots of different kinds of chapsticks often for all of my adult life. Only when Burt’s Bees was introduced was there a problem. Today is my first chapstick-free day, and already most of my lip cracks are gone. It is hard to break the addiction, but I want to see if everything will clear up without chapstick.
Angie – Thanks for your feedback but wish you could address me personally as you are posting on my blog and not refer to me in the third person (but thats me). I still think the peppermint in Burts Bees is causing my lips more dryness but it could be because this ingredient is not at all compatible with my skin/lips. But again, I speak for myself.
[...] upon new lip balms in shops or stores, I cannot help but look and browse. It may be because my extremely dry and chapped lips drives me crazy day in day [...]