We mostly associate dry lips with dry winter weather. Dry, chapped lips can happen 24/7 and all season long, to be honest. The quest for the right lip balm for our precious lips is what can be daunting.
What Causes Dry Lips?
There are many causes behind why we suffer from dry lips. Some factors include:
- Allergies
- Prolonged sun exposure
- Low humidity in the air
- Licking lips too much
- Infections
- Autoimmune conditions
- Type of medications
You see, our lips do not have oil glands, like the skin on our bodies, do. Thus, this makes our lips extremely sensitive to the outside elements to become dry and chapped. We often lick out lips to help aid in moisture, but sadly that only dry them out more. Therefore, self-care is needed to make sure our pouts are up to par.
Cheilitis
Warning though dry, chapped lips can take a sinister turn to become cheilitis. Key factors that point to cheilitis is if your symptoms do not improve with treatment. You notice your lips have become more chapped and redder, your lips have an uneven texture, sores develop, or white spots appear on your lips these are all signs of cheilitis. Cheilitis forms mostly from inner infections, and inflammation. Cheilitis can also develop after orthodontic work, with excessive saliva that can take a normal case of dry chapped lips morphing it into Cheilitis. If you are concerned see a dermatologist who can help with the diagnosis see if it is cheilitis or not.
What to Look for in a Lip Balm
A good lip balm function is to hydrate and keep that moisture in. You will want a balm made from either petroleum or beeswax, cocoa or shea butter. These are your protector ingredients that will protect your lips. Add vitamin E and other plant-based oils like sunflower, avocado, jojoba, or hyaluronic acid, and these are your hydration. The results are smooth moist lips all day long.
Top Lip Balms for Dry Lips
Now, let’s begin the reviews with the lip balms for dry lips.
Lanolips 101 Ointment Multi-purpose Super Balm
Who does not like a multipurpose lip balm? This stuff works for your lips, your hands, elbows, feet, anywhere you get a dry spot. Say goodbye to those stacks of lotions this may be all you need. Lanolips is also appreciated due to its lightweight feel. It’s not a heavy or sticky feeling. It leaves a nice soft feel that lasts all day.
Burt’s Bees Beeswax Lip Balm
If you are looking for a pocket friend, you cannot go wrong with Burt’s Bees Beeswax Lip Balm. It is simple and healing of your dry, chapped lips is soothing. Burt’s Bees Beeswax features no color or flavor, just pure natural lip balm.
La Mer’s The Lip Balm
The most expensive out of the bunch, it’s well worth it. This marine base lip balm makes your lips feel instant results. Simply put a dab on your lips at night, you will still feel the moisture and smoothness in the morning that will last you all day long. No constant reapplying needed. Finally, a lip balm that will last you all day!
Hourglass’s No. 28 Lip Treatment Oil
Aside from looking cool, this is a lip oil that works great overnight rejuvenating your lips the next morning. It does leave a bit of a sticky feel, though.
Clarins Instant Light Lip Oil
Moisturizes with a hint of vanilla, leaving lips feeling smooth with an added shiny gloss touch.
Coola Liplux SPF 30 Organic Lip Sunscreen
This lip balm is packed with all the good stuff. Aloe, jojoba oil, coconut oil, beeswax, along with raspberry seed oil to give your lips a powerful moisture boost. The bonus? Sunscreen to protect your lips even further.
Jane Iredale Lip Drink Lip Balm
Filled with antioxidants and vitamins C and E, and a titanium dioxide SPF protection leaves your lips sealed in a moisturizing protective field. They come in tinted and not tinted shades to fit whatever your lips style you want.
Kiehl’s Lip Balm #1
This balm has groupies. It is loved for its healing formula. The balm works wonders on severely dry painful cracked lips. It is filled with petrolatum, then boosted with vitamins E, aloe and squalene. Squalene is a plant-based lipid whose job is to make the skin absorb moisture better, as well as help, make a shield of protection. Comes in flavors scented cranberry, mint, or mango, or unscented flavor.
Jack Black Intense Therapy Lip Balm
You know a product is good when make-up artists love it. They practice it with their male clients because it does not have a glossy shine to it. All the moisturizing, not the GLOSSY SHINE! Perfect to put under your bold matte lipstick colors.
Love +Sage Sunday Morning Lip Balm
The perfect lip balm if you are looking for something simple and just a good product. Love +Sage Sunday Morning has no flavor, no scent, only pure natural ingredients such as shea butter, vitamin E, and coconut oil among others. This balms mission is to help hydrate those sore, dry lips, and promote healing.
John Masters Organics Lip Calm
For those who like nothing but organic then John Masters Organics Lip Calm is aimed at you. Crafted from all organic ingredients, it glides on nice, making your lips feel quickly nourished and feeling almost pillow-soft. It does have a light citrus scent to it, but it’s nice. Hardly noticeable.
Dr. Dan’s CortiBalm Lip Balm
Dr. Dan’s CortiBalm is probably the strongest lip balm out there on the market without a prescription from a dermatologist. Crafted by a dermatologist this lip contains beeswax and a petroleum jelly base along with mineral oil and 1% hydrocortisone. The results are amazingly healed lips. The downside is the smell due to it containing hydrocortisone, and you this balm is recommended for temporary use only. Do not want to use this product over a long period of time or it could make your lips matter worse.
Aquaphor Healing Ointment
You might already have this in your beauty regimen. It’s great for healing dry cracked feet, elbows, legs, and wherever. Did you know that includes your lips too? Yes, you can use it on your lips! It absorbs right into your lips for the healing of dry cracked lips in a snap. If you are worried about too much moisturizing clutter Aquaphor Healing Ointment is your all in one. Talk about cost-efficient.
Eos Lip Balm Smooth Sphere
They have a round little shape, making them compact and cute. The balm glides on with a light feel, not heavy at all. Eos Lip Balm delivers great hydration to your lips thanks to its ingredients of shea butter, vitamin E, and jojoba oil.
Chapstick Total Hydration 3 in 1 Lip Care
Chapstick has evolved from its humble beginnings by bringing us Total Hydration 3 in 1 Lip care. Surprisingly, this is good stuff. Silky smooth lips, long-lasting effects. It’s a winner.
Carmex Lip Balm
Another classic lip balm that is still beloved after 80 years. Why? Because of its tried and true working ingredients of camphor, petrolatum, and menthol. Your tin will last you all winter long. Apply once and you’re done! A bonus is it is cheap, and it works!
Smith’s Rosebud Salve
Powerfully hydrating with a hint of color describes Smith’s Rosebud Salve. No worries though the hint of color is slight, mostly enhancing your lips already natural pink color.
Blistex Lip Medex
It is an ER for your lips. Glide it on your lips, and you instantly feel the hydration and healing begin. Apply light for a great lipstick primer or slather it on generously to protect your lips from the cruel outside wintery elements. It lasts all day until you eat, then you need to reapply.
Maybelline New York Baby Lips
Aimed probably for teenage dry lips, but don’t let the teen scream packaging intimidate you. Adults love this product and its non-stick feel. Let it slide on smooth to moisturize and shine. With the added, SPF protection this lip balm has you all set.
Agave +Daytime Vegan Lip Balm
This vegan-friendly lip balm is like butter! Apply to your chapped lips to feel the creaminess melt right into your lips for deep hydration that requires limited reapplication and does not leave any residue feel.
Neutrogena Moisture Shine Lip Soother Cooling Hydragel
Neutrogena makes products for the face then why not for the lips too? The moment it hits your lips, it’s like a cool whisper across your lips. Crafted with cucumber, chamomile, glycerin it’s no wonder. Touched with a hint of tint these glazes include SPF protection to complete the package.
Nuxe Reve De Miel Ultra-Nourishing Lip Balm
Beloved by beauty bloggers and YouTubers our nourishing lip balm comes to us from France. Formulated from beeswax this balm is thick and surprisingly not greasy. It absorbs moisturizing lips effectively leaving a matte finish not glossy.
Kosaport LipFuel Hyaluronic Lip Balm
When you see Hyaluronic in the title, you know this is serious lip therapy. Besides containing heavy hydrating hyaluronic acid this balm also had konjac root. This ingredient is known for providing a barrier on the lips, protecting it from the outside elements that can dry out our lips. It is great and it comes in 3 color options, clear, dusty rose, and cool pink.
Lip Treatment by Hanalei
Chocked fill of goodness for your lips this lip balm is made with shea butter, grape seed oil, agave and kukui nut oil, which is only found in Hawaii. When combined it provides a soothing and protective effect for your lips. Comes in clear, mauve/pink, dragon fruit and red.
Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask
Prep your lips for the next day using this overnight lip sleeping mask. It is the 2019 Beauty Winner according to Allure Magazine. This lip treatment works overtime, meaning the more you use it the better your lips will look and feel. Still, just after one use, you will notice a difference in your lips. It is filled with berry antioxidants, vitamin C, and what they call “moisture warp” technology. They come in fall in love scents like vanilla and apple lime.
Beautanique Beauty Butter Lip & Cheek Balm
I love it when I can get a two for one. You can find them in 5 shades for your cheeks and lips, adding a nice hint of moisture and color to both. Glides on buttery smooth on both lips and cheeks which gives this a bonus in my book. I normally do not like cheek balms because they are so dry and thick. Beautanique is not like that at all. I will say it again, it is so buttery smooth! I just love being able to add a dash of color to my cheeks again!
Dr. Pawpaw Multi-Purpose Balm
If you are looking for a fragrance-free, color-free, and vegan-friendly lip balm look no further than Dr. Pawpaw Multi – Purpose Balm. This is a multi-purpose balm that means you can slab it on your lip, and some other problem areas as well. Dr. Pawpaw is incorporated with all plant-based products including fermented pawpaw which is known for its soothing and healing of dry lips. It works on instant contact with your lips and everywhere else for that matter. I even used it on a dry spot on my face.
Banish Chapped Lips by Emo Joy
Want a great lip balm that works and is truly all natural? Go with Banish Chapped Lips by Emo Joy. This lip balm is petroleum free, gluten free instead made with Montana beeswax, vitamin E coconut oil, grade A emu oil cocoa butter, jojoba oil and aloe oil. The emu oil is said to penetrate all the layers of the lips skin for deep soothing moisturizing results.
Conclusion
We all agree dry lips are awful. Can we add not attractive at all too? Chapped lips can even be downright painful! All these products are aimed to cure our lips each containing the perfect formula for your lips and mine. All you have to do is find a preference that works well with you and your lip chemistry.
Sources:
1. https://www.allure.com/gallery/best-lip-treatments
2. https://www.healthline.com/health/chapped-lips#symptoms