The Chapped Lip Remedy

Chapped lips are one of the most common skin ailments, and among one of the most irritating. They can be the result of dry weather, frequent lip licking, or dehydration. Luckily, the remedy is usually simple. An easy application of lip balm can quickly make lips soft and smooth. However, choosing the right lip product is essential to your success and the overall health of lips.

A lip balm is typically the go-to choice for chapped lips. But all too often lip balms will contain mineral oil, a petroleum byproduct and a known carcinogen. This ingredient allows a product to boast moisturizing benefits, but in fact lip balms made with mineral oil only offer temporary relief. Mineral Oil creates an impermeable barrier that traps your body’s current moisture in, giving you the feeling of relief. It does not allow for additional moisture to penetrate skin. This is the reason why you find yourself constantly applying certain lip balm products. Instead, look for products that use mineral oil alternatives like coconut oil. Organic coconut oil is the hero ingredient in our Lip Yummies, which works from deep within the layers of skin to truly moisturize and nourish lips. It gives an instant boost of moisture, while allowing lips to still "breathe," benefiting from the other good-for-you ingredients in your product, or the environment's natural moisture.

But how can you avoid chapped lips in the first place? We're glad you asked! Our Lip Assist Conditioning Treatment is a transparent lip gloss that features active, plant-based botanical and moisture-rich, organic oils and butters to soothe lips, minimizing the appearance of dry, chapped lips from deep within. With its subtle gloss, it can enhance your lip's natural color when worn alone, or add a sleek finish when worn atop your favorite lip color.

With the added healing power of organic Gotu Kola and the anti-aging benefits of Vigna Acontifolia, our Lip Assist works double duty to keep lips moisturized and the area around your mouth youthful. The skin around your lips is prone to fine lines and wrinkles (from all the smiling you do), but our Lip Assist is formulated with some of the hardest working anti-aging ingredients to keep your smile looking youthful. In addition to using this product during the day, we suggest liberally applying it to lips and the skin around the lips right before going to bed.

When talking about lip products we would be remiss to not warn against colored lip products. In 2007, the Campaign For Safe Cosmetics published the study A Poison Kiss: The Problem of Lead in Lipstick, which first alerted consumers to the all too common problem of lead in lipstick. The dangers of lead exposure can vary from developmental problems in children to cancer in adults. While it should register as a concern for everyone, pregnant women and young children are the two groups that should take particular caution against lead. From the earliest stage in the womb to age 6, kids are undergoing their most vulnerable developmental stages, which can be negatively affected by the presence of lead. But how does lead find its way into lipsticks and lip glosses? Lead is an unintended contaminant or impurity that can be present at low levels in some color additives and in other common ingredients, like water, that are used to produce cosmetics. Luckily for us, today’s cosmetics market boasts a plethora of non-toxic lip coloring options, like naturally occurring micas, which we use to color our B Glossy Lip Gloss and Lip Skinnies. Instead of water to add moisture to our products, we use organic oils and butters that do not have traces of lead.

Wonder if your lipstick contains lead? Look it up on the EWG's Skin Deep Cosmetics Database. This independent cosmetics watchdog has safety tested thousands of products and will reveal any known toxins or potential health concerns of your products.

Chapped lips do not be an inevitable side effect of daily life. Being prepared with the right products, containing the right ingredients can make all the difference.