Dry Chapped Lips?
Try Natural Lip Balm

Petroleum is a common addition to many lip balms and is not needed or used in natural lip balm. It tends to sit on top of the lips and while it may provide temporary relief, it can make your lips feel drier. This just sets us up to feel like we need more lip balm.

While petroleum seems to be a very low risk ingredient, the fact that it is a product of oil drilling, a non renewable resource, is enough to convince me not to use lip balms that contain it. Beeswax and shea butter have been found to provide a better alternative. They help the skin absorb and retain moisture better.

Lip balm has only been around about 100 years. It started out as something that was made at home for personal use. It was made in small batches to prevent spoiling because it was made with only natural ingredients.

When cosmetics became commercialized in the late 1800's early 1900's, synthetic ingredients were added to most cosmetics to improve and preserve them. Now we are beginning to question the safety of many chemicals that are finding their way into our skin care products.(see non toxic skincare )

Today's lip balms can be tinted or scented, contain sunscreens, antioxidants or essential oils. A brand that I like contains peppermint oil which gives the lips a tingly feeling. I even found one that includes green tea extract for an added nutritional boost.

At first I thought this was crazy but it might make a little sense since our skin absorbs about 60 percent of whatever we put on it and it has been estimated that we consume at least 4 lbs of lip products in a lifetime. So it has a good chance of getting into our bodies.

Where to Shop

Keeping your lips soft and moist with natural ingredients and no chemicals is easier than ever just check out the choice below: