Shredded.

This time of year, pretty much every year, my lips start to absolutely fall apart. They stare at me blankly in the mirror, with their shredded edges & cracked lines, as if to prove once more that I’ve neglected their entire existence. However, this is the furthest from the truth. I drink endless amounts of lemon water, devour vegetables, & even drink my coffee//tea through a straw [I’ve convinced myself that this helps my lips somehow]. But it’s the constant dry outdoor air mixed with blasting heater vents that eventually destroys your smoochers. Thus, I’ve decided to do a post on my favorite lip rescue treatments, so you & yours can get back to lip locking this blustery 2015.

Let’s start with the facts: lippies with salicylic acid, camphor, menthol & phenol can actually make your lips drier, irritated & more chapped than when you started. Not to mention, some ingredients are completely synthetic. Annoying right? [Everything is a business, after all]. If you do a little research & truly think about some of the ingredients used on our mouth multiple times a day, you might have a borderline freak out. [Don’t worry I had mine, too]. But fear not, there are still honest companies out there that want to better your kisser without all the crap.

What to look for: lips are incredibly self sufficient; Winter adds extra stress, but your lips retain moisture relatively naturally. To give them a little extra help during harsh weather months, try to lessen your lip licking, find lip treatments with cetyl alcohol & petrolatum [in small doses, as it can suffocate your lips if used too often], & be picky about your lip scrubs.

My Favorites: as a woman with some major lips, I’m incredibly selective about what I put on them. I love me a good lip color, but I always use a chapstick prior to every application. Below are a few of my favorite pre-lipstick-application brands & products.

Favorite Daily Wear: Smith’s Rosebud Salve [original scent]
Favorite Organic Balm: Osmia Organics Lip Balm
Favorite Non-Organic Balm: Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment
Favorite Scrub: Fresh Sugar Polish
Favorite Lip Cure: Dr. Dewy Lip Cure

What to abolish from your makeup bag: as well-marketed & cute as some lip moisturizing brands can be, you should always educate yourself on what to truly never waste your time with. However, considering you probably don’t have the time to sit & read up on all kinds of lip treatment ingredients, I’ll do the work of you [that’s just the kind of girl I am]. Consider the following blacklisted:

eos Medicated Tangerine Lip Balm: as a big eos fan myself, I was incredibly disappointed to find that they used “phenol” in this particular ball of supposed Tangerine goodness. I literally wrote eos a letter & sent this product back to them. Click above [phenol click-through] to get all the nasty ingredient deets. I would recommend the rest of their line for a quick go-to purse chapstick, but always read the fine print.
Carmex: a brand that has been under scrutiny for years now & continues to alarm me. Any brand using acids, phenols & menthol all in one balm should be banned. Period. Lest we forget the fiberglass rumor of the early 2000’s? Just saying…
e.l.f. Studio Lip Balm: SPF 15 is certainly a great additive to your lip balm, but masking it with harmful chemicals, acids & cheap waxes doesn’t make for a good product or purchase. Treat yourself & your lips right & spend a few more than $3 on your next lip treatment.

Winter doesn’t get to take all the fun out of kissing, so long as you take the initiative to protect your lips the right way. So the next time you get that pesky crack or sore on your lip, remember what you’ve learned here & put your knowledge to good use. Your lips will thank you. & so will those smoochin you.

Happy Kissing.

**Please keep in mind that the brands mentioned above are my opinion. They aren’t meant to harm or hinder anyone’s use of a particular product, but rather open our minds to what we’re potentially ingesting day in & day out.**