I prefer Lip Medex. I have a tub right in front of me at work, on my nightstand, and in my car. However, the size of the tub presents a problem for out-of-house/work use. I don’t carry a purse, and the tub is just too big to fit into your pocket without looking funny. So for those times when I can’t be with my beloved Lip Medex, I turn to Bonne Bell Lipsmackers. They tide me over until I can get to the real stuff. I consider it a lost Christmas if I don’t get at least three tubes of Bonne Bell. My record in about 1998: 24 tubes.
When my lips are feeling really chapped, it feels like Lip Medex (or Carmex, in a pinch) is the only thing that can repair my lips. Bonne Bell just staves off further damage. I kinda thing I’m a bit allergic to some of the ingredients of various flavors, because it actually makes my lips burn. This tends to happen most when my lips are chapped to start out with.
I’ve been addicted for several years now. I have psychological withdrawal if I go to a movie or somewhere and forget to bring along some sort of lip balm. If I don’t focus on it, I’m ok, but if I get my little obsessive mind going, I have problems. Luckily, my roommate (whom I’m most likely to see a movie with) usually carries around a tube of Bonne Bell, so it’s usually ok.
And to close my overly verbose post… the best moment in the course of lip balm addiction? Opening a new tub of Lip Medex. The first dip into the shiny smooth surface is the best feeling ever. My lips tingle just thinking about it.
I have a lunchbox that’s completely filled with lip balm tubes. I’m pathetic.
Number one choice? Burt’s Bees, all the way baby. And I love their natural lip gloss, because it’s like an extremely light weight lipbalm as well. I wonder what the spf of the lifeguard’s choice is, because I switch to Blistex in the summer for the sunblock…
By the way, I found a very informative article on lip balm here. I’ve preferred natural lipbalms for awhile now, and I found this interesting, especially since I was wondering about any spf in Burt’s Bees Lifeguard’s Choice. It doesn’t say specifically what spf it has (for reasons explained in the article), but I think I can use that in the summer just fine. Neat!
Well, the first place I ever checked was http://www.burtsbees.com. They have a store locator, but I’m not sure if it’s only for the US. You can still order the stuff online, though.
They have a whole slew of products, not just lip balm. One of the products I really want to try is the rosemary mint shampoo bar, since it contains no sodium laureth sulfates. But I have extremely long hair that needs to be conditioned, and I don’t know if it’d be conditioning enough on its own (if anyone knows, let me know!)
ya, me too! This is why i don’t leave the house without it!:o
on the rare occasions when i forgot, i’ve had to stop and buy some or else my lips feel like they’ll chap off :smack:
I even put some on before i go to sleep:D
I don’t know if you can get it in the US, but I swear by Neutrogena lip balm. My lips dry out and crack big-time, to the point where they split open and bleed, and this is the only product which works for me.
Seeing as I’m a guy, I like this one because it’s pretty plain and simple, and not too “girlie”. Only downside is, it’s pretty expensive. Worth a try if your lips keep you in agony, though.
I recently dedicated a post in my livejournal to my love of lip balm. I then dug out my purse to see what was in there. On any given day, I carry all of these around with me. Good lord.
1 tube of Carmex
1 tube of Softlips, French Vanilla
Avon lip balm in White Chocolate (SO GOOD!)
1 tube of Blistex Herbal Answer lip balm
Body Shop’s “Born Lippy” in Unbridaled Passionberry
“” in Last Strawberry
Burt’s Bees Strawberry lip gloss
Tube of Burts Bees lip balm
I have numerous tubes of the Burt’s Bees, and a couple of tins, here and there. That is my favorite, I didn’t really like it at first, but now I love it. I also make my own lip balm, and I have a couple of tubes/tins of that here and there, but it’s not that great yet.
One day we’ll read about how the lip balm companies knew their balms were addictive 20 years ago and yet said nothing to the public…
My friend, Karen, is truly addicted to it. It’s bad. She has stashes everywhere. One time on vacation we bicycled a half hour to the beach and she panicked (seriously) when she couldn’t find her lip goop (plain vaseline). Her husband (who is a better person than I) bicycled all the way home to get it. It’s so bad that I have a baby Vaseline container that is marked “KAREN’S EMERGENCY LIP BALM” in my drawer so her poor husband doesn’t have to keep walking back up to this house to retrieve one of her tubes.
I’m not as addicted as all that, but when my lips are chapped or dry, it’s Carmex for me. Blistex in the blue tube (vanilla flavored) is okay in a pinch, but I find myself licking my lips because of the flavor. That kind of defeats the purpose so I try not to use it.
Same here… gets much worse in the winter of course.
I can’t believe no one has mentioned the new Metholatum Cool Aqua it’s the bomb. Their Natural Ice will do in a pinch too. I have tubes everywhere… including the Lip Balm Keeper keychain ~ it’s great… you can just grab it off your keys while driving… keeps the lids from getting lost.
I hadn’t heard of Bert’s Bees before. I must have tunnel vision and not notice any other brands. Sounds like it’s worth checking out.
It’s funny the memories this brought back. When I smell regular Chapstick I think of going to softball games with my Dad and he always had a tube in his gymbag. I was a lifeguard in high school and we used to wear the “cool” zinc oxide stuff that was colored. I think it might have been Bonnie Bell
Thanx for the linx…
Does anyone have the 12 steps written up for our addiction yet ?
Being both a lip balm and an internet addict (I have an addictive personality, what can I say), I present the following: The 12 Steps to Lip Balm Recovery.
Now, as for brands, I cannot handle mentholated/medicated brands, such as Carmex or Blistex – they tend to make my lips feel a bit tender. (Coincidentally, I played the clarinet for many years.) My current relief of choice is flavored Chapstick when out and about and plain Vaseline while at home. I may try Burt’s Bees, but I hope it doesn’t irritate my lips.
Seriously, has anyone ever just cut back on this stuff? Eating dries out my lips like crazy, and I look like a total addict when I’m dining out and reapplying Chapstick after every bite (or if I’m being good, every other bite). I just put on three layers while reading this thread. I’ve been known to go insane after 30-60 minutes without Chapstick.
Total lip balm junky here. I used to use all kinds, but now I’ve whittled my choices down to two primary ones: Chapstick LipMoisturizer…spf15 (it is smooth, not waxy, and it has this candy-vanilla kind of smell. It feels really good going on), and LipSmackers Dr. Pepper flavor. It smells great, feels good, and has just the right amount of tint for my lips.
I’ve tried to use those menthol based ones, but they actually make my lips drier and chapped!
I did. Like I mentioned earlier, I went cold turkey. The key is to recognize that you’ve been using it so much that you consider the default condition of your lips to be moist from the chapstick (think of it like this–if you’ve spent all day in 90 degree weather and step into 70 degree air conditioning, it’ll feel cold, even though it isn’t). Every time you get the urge, just keep telling yourself they’re not as chapped as you think–then find something else to do, post haste (preferably something as engrossing as possible). Worked for me. Sorta. Been 3 or 4 months and I still get the occasional urge to stick up…
I only use in the winter. And in the summer when I’m out in the wind and sun. And the fall when it gets cold out. And the spring when the March nasties hit.
I use Carmex if my lips are chapped. Plain lip gloss with sunscreen during the day, and Blistex Revitalizer before bed. The revitalizer has alpha hydroxy in it and removes the dry skin from your lips.
If I use a flavored lip balm, I end up snacking on my lips.
Now I don’t consider myself an addict, mind you, but I do regularly use lip balm. And I’ve found one that I really like alot–it’s Blistex Herbal Answer, with aloe, avocado, chamomile, shea butter and jojoba. It does have an SPF of 15, so offers some sunshade protection. The taste is sort of unusual; I like it, but not enough to smack on my lips.
I also use flavored lip gloss–kiwi/lime and berry, but prefer the herbal answer, which I use whenever I’m going to be outside for any extended period.
