{"id":1763,"date":"2018-07-26T11:40:32","date_gmt":"2018-07-26T15:40:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/practicalbits.com\/?p=1763"},"modified":"2018-12-28T16:00:30","modified_gmt":"2018-12-28T21:00:30","slug":"lip-balm-quest","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/practicalbits.com\/?p=1763","title":{"rendered":"Lip Balm Quest"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Related<\/p>\n

The lip balm conundrum: why do we pay $4 for a tube that contains a fraction of an ounce of mostly beeswax, which is supposed to keep our lips hydrated and supple (the two most overused words in the lip-related beauty industry), and then you end up with chapped lips. After using the product.<\/p>\n

What the hell is that, beauty industry?<\/p>\n

We’re not talking about the sweetened, candy-flavored stuff. The flavoring agents in those products make you lick your lips more often, which in turn leads to the chapping. No mystery there.<\/p>\n

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No, I’m talking about stuff like Burt’s Bees, which is markets itself as a natural, earth-hugging, love your body kind of formula. I’ve tried their product multiple times over the last ten years and always thought the problem was me. I have excema to begin with, but then why do my lips start peeling in teeny strips when I start putting on<\/em> lip balm? Was I not applying it enough? Was I using it wrong? This is all natural, no wacky petro-chemicals, right? So of course the product isn’t the problem…  right?<\/em><\/p>\n

It turns out, my genius child informs me, that some lip balm ingredients that are supposed to enrich the formula will actually dry out your lips. So, now I need to start tracking my lip balms so I don’t beat my head against the proverbial wall, because unless I start making my own again, this is going to add up.<\/p>\n

Good<\/strong><\/p>\n

The current go-to: Simone Chickenbone’s Chicken Poop. I picked up a tube because I thought it was funny but, to my delight, it is far and away the best lip balm I’ve tried yet. I buy two or three at a time and leave them all over the place because that’s how often I use lip balm: one on the night stand, one in the purse, one in my winter coat, you name it.<\/p>\n

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Chapstick Hydration Lock: the You Hate Te Earth people will howl at me over this one, but this is a double-ended tube with “day” and “night” formulas, and the night formula was fan-tas-tic. And now, of course, I can’t find the product. Probably discontinued, just like the fizzy Ricolas.<\/p>\n

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Bad<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Burt’s Bees: I came back to this product over and over again, trying their various flavors and styles. I’m pretty religious about using lip balm because I chap pretty easily, and without fail, after two or three days, my lips would start peeling. I hear Burt’s use of peppermint oil may be the culprit, but all I can say is that it’s a no-go for me.<\/p>\n

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Carmex: I used this when I was younger. Gave it up because I was no longer keen on the hygenic repercussions of applying lip balm with my fingers.<\/p>\n

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La Chick Poo Poo Glace: This is the tinted lip balm from Simone Chickenbone. I picked up the three-pack (three colors) in the hopes that it would be a nicely tinted version of the regular stuff but, alas, it is not so. I found the formula much softer than the original, and a bit more drying. The colors are nice, but the balm doesn’t work for me.<\/p>\n

Elsen Grapefruit: Picked it up at a natural foods store. Went on silky (actually, a little too slippery for me), but seemed to be doing okay. And now I’m chapping. As much as I would like to support a local business, I’m going to have to move on.<\/p>\n

Once upon a time, I had the time and materials to make my own. And it was darn good, actually. The key to achieving a properly textured balm (of any kind, actually, not just for lips) is knowing what your ingredients do at room temperature. Combine the right amounts of solids, semi-solids, and liquids, and you get a beauty of a product. Watch:<\/p>\n