Lip balm is a simple, yet versatile beauty product with many useful purposes including keeping lips moisturized, offering protection against sun damage, and enhancing lip color. A basic lip balm is a staple for every handbag as both men and women can benefit from lip nourishment. Lip balm works just as well under lipsticks or glosses as it does solo, and it’s essential to maintain healthy lips for yourself. Since wearing a lip balm heals and protects lips, choose the best one to suit your needs.
Natural Nourishment
The nourishment a lip balm provides is mainly due to the ingredients it contains. There are many lip balms featuring artificial colors and flavors with no real nourishment. Since these options are virtually useless for your lips, it’s best to look for lip balms packed with naturally-sourced moisturizing agents such as coconut, shea butter, and essential oils. The more natural nourishment a lip balm provides, the better healing and protection you’ll experience.
Pleasant Taste
Nobody likes an awful-tasting lip balm, and you don’t have to settle for one to heal or protect your lips.. Although you’re likely not planning on eating your lip balm, it’s impossible not to taste it when applied to your lips; medicated and SPF lip balms should be pleasant as well. The best lip balms should appeal to the taste buds as well as they protect your lips.
Smooth Application
If you’ve ever tried applying a lip balm that doesn’t glide on easily, then you already know the importance of smooth application. Some lips balms have a hard, dry texture which forces you to push them down firmly on your lips just to apply them. Others are too soft which aside from never feeling pleasant, can result in over-application. A quality lip balms should glide onto the lips smoothly and effortlessly for an even coating of balm.
Lip Balm Types
Tinted Lip Balm
A tinted lip balm is the perfect way to enhance lip color without using a heavy, waxy lipstick or sticky lip gloss. Tinted lip balms are available in several flattering shades featuring shimmery or matte finishes. The best tinted lip balms should also moisturize with the use of natural ingredients such as shea butter.
Medicated Lip Balm
Medicated lip balms are formulated to relieve cracked, chapped lips and promote healing. While medicated lip balms typically don’t come in exciting shades or flavors, they provide a cooling sensation that alleviates the sensation of burning, itchy lips. The best medicated lip balms soothe and heal chapped, damaged lips while preventing further irritation.
SPF Lip Balm
The skin on lips is very delicate, making it susceptible to damage from the suns UV rays. SPF lip balm is essential to protecting lips from sun-related damages such as burning, peeling, and cracking. A quality SPF lip balm should provide both UVA and UVB protection while moisturizing and conditioning lips. The best SPF lip balms will be rated at SPF 25 or above.
Lip Balm for Cracked Lips
Cracked lips are a painful condition where the lips experience bleeding due to dry, peeling skin. A moisturizing lip balm enriched with healing ingredients such as vitamins and chamomile can help heal and soothe cracked lips.
Flavored Lip Balm
Depending on the brand, there are many lip balm flavors available ranging from mango and orange to mint and coconut. A high-quality flavored lip balm is naturally flavored and contains other nourishing natural ingredients such as shea butter or antioxidants to nourish lips.
Men’s Lip Balm
Since men typically don’t opt for the tinted or flavored lip balms women use, naturally there are lip balms formulated with men in mind. Men’s lip balms are often unflavored or formulated with mint for breath freshening and less sheen. Their main purposes are to heal chapped lips and prevent dryness.
Natural Lip Balm
A truly natural lip balm is formulated without artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives. They may contain essential oils for flavor and natural moisturizing ingredients such as beeswax, coconut, or shea butter.