Chapstick
Did you know that most products on the market are either a wax , petrolium or vaseline base for your lips? In reality, you are waxing your lips just as you would your car? Yuck! Ever notice how when you apply that chapstick it feels good. Doesn’t it feel nice? Slick, moist and refreshing; yet shortly afterwards your lips actually feel worse? Maybe even more dry? So you reach for that tube of chapstick and slather it on again, right? AHHHHH! Relief. Soon to realize they are dry again so you reach again for that same tube of chapstick. You may even notice that during certain times of year your lips may crack, even bleed. What the heck?
You are using your chapstick. You even have it stashed everywhere from your pocket to your purse, your glove compartment, the office drawer, bathroom counter, prfetty much anywhere and everywhere just so you are never without. Sound familiar? If so, then you are a chapstick junkie & you need to hear this!
Chapstick Warning:
That wonderful chapstick you routinely are slathering on your lips is actually making it worse. Yes that is correct… it is drying them out more! Say what? The wax is actually creating a barrier on your lips, not allowing anything to penetrate, including that much needed moisture your lips are practically screaming for. Not to mention many of the ingredients could be causing a reaction with your lips, creating inflammation and even dehydration.
Common ingredients of lip balms with humectants that can potentially damage lips are hyaluronic acid and glycerin. These ingredients are humectants and thus draw in water. Once absorbed, the water simply evaporates from the skin, compounding the damage to your lips. No matter how often you apply, you are simply blocking your lips from getting moisture as most products on the market do not include ingredients that can actually moisturize and then lock in that moisture. That being said, humectant ingredients can be good for you if used with barrier forming ingredients and can then truly heal and protect the lips.
Look for products that include some of the following ingredients and you will be helping your lips: Shea Butter, Vitamin E (although some people may be sensitive), Natural Oils, Cocoa Butter and even Honey.
My Favorite Product: SeneGence Lip Balm as it contains NONE of the problematic ingredients above, nor does it contain lanolin nor animal derived beeswax. I also love the Glosses by Senegence and although they do contain beeswax, it is synthetic, not animal based. As mentioned above, the presence of the synthetic beeswax is an essential component to complimenting humectants and keeping your lips healthy throughout the day. SeneGence keeps their product vegan and cruelty free, thus the use of synthetic beeswax.
Lipstick
Now think about that beautiful red lipstick you love to put on for that perfect night out. You know the one. When you put it on you feel powerful, beautiful, maybe even a little naughty. But within no time, it is no longer the picture perfect image you left the house with is it? You get to dinner and after that first drink and maybe a bite or two you will be lucky to have any remaining on your lips. Your teeth on the other hand, well those just seem to draw lipstick like a magnet now don’t they? Why is that? It is so not ok in my mind.
How many times have you been on a date or simply talking to people, feeling great, maybe even empowered wearing that bold red lip color and so you are secure in smiling and flashing those pearly whites. 
Then you take that much needed bathroom break and look in the mirror. OMG! Practically no color on your lips, maybe even seared around the edges or bleeding into the fine lines and wrinkles we all deny we have. You smile to check your teeth for food and BOOM! Discover your lipstick. Seriously? You want to crawl in a hole. You just were flashing those not so pearly whites to everybody a few minutes before, showing off the remainder of that $15-20 favorite red lipstick. What is the answer? Read my blog on just that “Kiss Proof Lipstick”