Are you in the habit of applying more lip balm, and are you wondering if it's becoming less effective with each application? Or are your lips becoming reliant on it for moisture and drying out more easily when you don’t apply it? Is it true that … the more lip balm you use, the more lip balm you need? Editor Trudi Brewer the facts and hardest working balms on offer.
Winter is the season when lips need more moisture. Dermatologist Dr Rosalind Simpson says: “Lip balms don’t contain products that cause tolerance. But it can feel like this due to other factors.” She says that some people are “lip-lickers” and that lip balms with fragrance or flavour can encourage the habit: “People who lick their lips naturally dry their lips out because saliva has irritant and drying properties.” The second is the environment. “In winter, going between the cold outside, which is very drying, and the heating on the inside, which can also dry things out, people might find they need more lip balm.” In addition, the skin on our lips is thinner and lacks oil glands, making it more prone to dryness and chapping. So, addiction aside, there is also the final factor that some people can develop contact allergies to ingredients in lip balms, particularly fragrances and flavours such as menthol. Also, ingredients such as lanolin and propylene glycol. This reaction might present as irritation and dryness and may not start until months after you start using a product. “People often say: ‘I’ve been using the product for ages. How can it only now be causing me a problem?’” Simpson says. “But a contact allergy is a delayed rather than an immediate reaction.”Her best tip for finding a lip balm that won’t trigger irritation is to opt for products with as few ingredients as possible. Ensure the balm has a combination of hydrating, soothing, and protective ingredients. Occlusives like beeswax and shea butter both help seal in moisture and prevent dehydration. Also, humectants, like glycerin and hyaluronic acid, help attract moisture to the lips, keeping them hydrated and plump. It also contains plant oil and extracts with antioxidant benefits, as well as vitamins C and E.
We are here to help: These caring balms will get you through the cold snap ahead and stop the addictive urge.
Burt’s Bees Vanilla Bean Lip Balm, $10.
This lip balm is 100 per cent natural. So it's safe when we say it’s good enough to eat. Its base is beeswax, shea butter, and vitamin E, which have nourishing, anti-inflammatory benefits. This vanilla bean flavour, one of many, is our favourite. It is faintly sweet and comforting, while the buttery formula leaves lips supple and hydrated. As far as lip balms go, you get a lot of balm per tube for the price, making it great value for money.
The Ordinary Squalane + amino acids lip balm, $19.
This balm leaves a clear, immediately softening veil over the lips that is ultra-lightweight and perfect as a base for lipstick or gloss. The formula calls on skin-quenching squalene, which works with moisture-boosting amino acids. We also love the novel packaging, and the small applicator helps with a precision application. Supporting the skin barrier, the formula calls on skin-quenching squalene. This works in tandem with moisture-boosting amino acids. Like all The Ordinary skincare, it’s vegan, unscented and made for all ages and skin types.
Summer Fridays Lip Butter Balm, $45.
Not only is this an instantly hydrating creamy balm, thanks to the shea and murumuru seed butters, plant waxes and hyaluronic acid the silky formula melts into lips leave a gorgeous shine. There are nine shades, pictured here is Vanilla Beige.
Glow Recipe Plum Plump Gloss Balm, $41.
This balm is brilliant. It is so hydrating thanks to the blend of hyaluronic acid and Kakadu plum, while raspberry extract protects lips against that dreaded cracking and flaking. While it’s a nourishing balm, the finish is more like a shiny gloss once on the lips - have to admit, we are addicted.
Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream Lip Balm, $45.
Its iconic, nostalgic scent and uber-hard-working healing ability make this balm a beauty staple. The formula's lanolin and rice bran oils will soothe lips that look like they’ve been to the Arctic fast. This serious salve has certainly stood the test of time among the beauty faithful.
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