Friday, April 25, 2014

Reformed Lip Balm

After doing a post on lip SPF, I became aware of certain problematic ingredients. 
http://www.skincarebeautyzone.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/lip-balm.jpg
That tingle I am addicted to? It's from drying ingredients like menthol, camphor, and alcohol; peppermint oil is also frowned upon.

No more Burt's Bees Lip Tin.

Oxybenzone was a once relied upon SPF ingredient, but now it has some scandal surrounding it. It is also an ingredient in my favorite Giovanni lip SPF (which has since disappeared from Vitacost). 

What now? 

For nighttime use, Vaseline is supposed to be great, but I got turned off from petroleum oil a while back. It clogs pores something terrible, and I don't want any migrant strands of the stuff to end up on my facial skin at all. 

Rosebud Perfume Co. Salve has a big following; I bought a tin during a Sephora sale to see what the big fuss was, although I did end up using a lot of it on my nephew's angry diaper rash when I ran out of A & D. 

It's pretty much cottonseed oil, a mystery blend of rose oils and such, and petroleum (I didn't realize that was an ingredient until after I purchased it). It does leave a beautiful gleam on my lips, but Vaseline does the same thing.

But I have discovered a perfect alternative to Vaseline: Alba Un-Petroleum Multi-Purpose Jelly. It really does have the consistency of Vaseline with better ingredients, but it smells distinctly like castor oil. Great product, but don't get thrown off by the, er, scent.
http://c2.diapers.com/images/products/p/al/al-008_1z.jpg
In terms of official lip balms, most that I checked out often had at least one of the no-no ingredients. 

One can use 100% natural products like shea or cocoa butter; cocoa butter smells distractingly lovely. Vitamin E oil is another option, which while sticky, has a nice glossy effect. I would use these at night to replenish my lips.

For daytime, I always SPF. I went with Alba Botanic Very Emollient Sunblock Lipcare SPF 25, which has no oxybenzone or other irritating ingredients (I think). I like the whole Alba Botanica Emollient line, which boasts a variety of easily spreadable sunscreens. 
http://images.iherb.com/l/ALB-00394-1.jpg
Keep in mind opaque lipstick also protects the lips from the sun; I use both for the max protection.

None of these options are tingly, which I guess means they are doing the job of hydrating and protecting, as opposed to drying out.

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