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Lip Balms


SouthernGal

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I have big lips, lol. I can't live without really good lip balms and lipsticks :)

Recently I've been having a really hard time finding anything that works. In fact, I just started using Deep Renewel Blistex and it seems to be making my lips worse. In the past I've used Burt's Bee, Neosporin Lip Health and others but they make my lips peel. I use Mary Kay or Bareminerals lipstick and they work better than most dept store brand lipsticks for me. But I hate to wear lipstick to bed, kwim?

I don't make bath & body products but I just wondered if any of you who are really experienced in creating lip balms would know what kind of ingredients I need to look for in a product that works and what I need to stay away from. Tia

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  • 2 weeks later...

If you're not sensitive to lanolin, it's the one thing that I've found to be very soothing when all else fails. It's an ingredient in Burts Bees formulation for instance.

I've used it neat when chapping got the best of me with fast relief. It goes on a little sticky, so use sparingly. Lansinoh may be available in your area in the mommy aisle at your local department store. It's marketed for nursing moms, so safe for use around the lips (approved for use where breastfed babies latch on). Jojoba also seems to work well in a blend IME.

In total agreement with those who mentioned beeswax and vitamin E. A gel cap of vitamin E may help in a pinch. Puncture the gel cap and smear a bit of it on.

I'm not sure what the aloe butters available on the market are thickened with (often vegetable oils like soy). I don't generally use that type of butter, so I'll trust the others who swear by it.

My current blend of lip balm contains beeswax, babassu, palm, palm kernel, fractionated coconut oil, jojoba, castor and vitamin E.

Making your own isn't terribly difficult - basically start with 1/3 wax, 1/3 brittle oils and 1/3 soft oils. thesage.com and many other sites have some wonderful references for you. Wishing you success at finding your magic blend. :)

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  • 4 weeks later...

Soapbuddy, I have seen that question posed on so many boards and no one has ever had an answer. It's a mystery. There has to be an emulsifier and a preservative, or maybe aloe extract can be used in anhydrous products? I don't know so I don't use it.

SoutherGal, try to see what common ingredients are in the balms that irritate your lips. For me anything labeled "medicated" or containing essential oils and extracts will cause my lips to burn and peel. You could have a beeswax sensitivity, or be sensitive to the preservatives used in commercial balms. You can make your own balm starting with equal parts (by volume) beeswax, coconut oil, and another light oil. Or check out MMS lip balm instructions; they have a nice formula (in percents/weight) incorporating hard and soft oils and butters. You can't go wrong. In the meantime, keep it simple - vaseline until your lips heal. I know, petroleum, but this will create a serious moisture barrier and protect your lips while they heal. HTH!

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  • 2 weeks later...

The INCI on the batch I just ordered says aloe leaf extract and coconut oil. I guess the extract must be miscible with the coconut. A fair amount of folks have trouble tolerating coconut so that would be a definite problem. I use the aloe butter in my lip balms and have never had a complaint but may be just lucky. I quit using coconut in my soaps partly for that reason.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I'd love to find a good lip balm that I could flavor. Most commercial brands just don't work for me. I have to keep putting it on all through the day and night or my lips get real dry and crack. The best I've tried is Burt's Bees but my husband complains it tastes awful and it doesn't work as well as I'd like. I'm just not sure where to start to know what ingredients I need. I assume beeswax but after that I'm lost. How do you learn which indiv ingredients you need--is it all just trial and error? The lip balm bases I saw on Wholesale Supplies Plus (I assume that's the WSP I see referred to on the forum) seem more like for lip gloss or lipstick. I don't have any allergies or sensitivities that I'm aware of.

Edited by jackie
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Thanks for the replies. I just ordered BCN's lip balm base--I got their starter kit so it has flavoring and tubes in there too which I also wanted. I also ordered sample sizes of their body lotion and aloe body wash and a sample size of clean cotton fragrance. I'm excited. Something new to play with.

Edited by jackie
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Let me know how you like the lotion base.. I'm thinking of getting some of that! I ADORE their clean cotton fragrance.... I could pour it over my head. LOL To me it smells like Gold Canyon's Clean Sheets candle....

I like the lotion base. It's not greasy at all. To me it's similar to Aveeno Active Naturals lotion which is what I was buying. I love the Clean Cotton fragrance. I haven't tried any other lotion bases for comparison. I noticed WSP has quite a few so I may try one or two of theirs next time.

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