Are you allergic to most lip balms out there? Or trying to cut down on the chemicals entering your body on a daily basis? Then it’s time you discovered 10 awesome lip balm substitutes that people use all the time with success. None on this list is dangerous for your health nor do any of them contain scary cancer-causing additives, so let’s delve into it right now!
Top 10 Lip Balm Substitute List
1. Castor Oil
With its thick consistency, castor oil (where to get it) is THE perfect natural emollient for cracked lips. It has a heavy and sticky feel but just a drop smoothed on your lips works like a charm in sealing moisture, soothing painful cracks and healing bleeding chapped lips.
2. Vaseline
You can use Vaseline (where to get it) to seal your severely cracked lips – it does a wonderful job in holding moisture for hours thereby protecting skin from chapping, cracking and bleeding. My sister always has severely chapped lips and the cracks actually burst open bleeding when talking (ouch!). She’s used everything from shea butter to coconut oil, and didn’t find a proper natural cure unfortunately. Shea butter and coconut oil dried her lips and she had to keep applying. But when she slathered pure petroleum jelly on her lips, she told me she finally found her cure. Now she always carries a tiny container of Vaseline in her handbag.
Some people may worry about the unnaturalness of Vaseline (including me before), yes – it’s artificially derived but first of all, it was originally found coating the bottom of oil rigs – not synthetically manufactured like some skin care products. And this one’s big – although it’s highly refined and triple purified, it’s actually non-carcinogenic (non-cancer causing), which is so much better than store-bought face creams loaded with parabens (used as preservatives) that are well-known cancer causing substances!
3. Coconut Oil
Hyped in today’s world as a cure-all, coconut oil (where to get it) is a natural lip balm substitute that many people use with success! Though creamy in texture, it’s called ‘oil’ because it originates from South East Asia and the Philippines, both sunny regions where the coconut oil always stays liquid. Fact: Above 76 degrees F, coconut oil is a liquid. The creamy consistency feels so soothing and cooling when smoothed over dehydrated and aching lips during winter. Try it out and you’ll fall in love with it! If you’re in an extremely cold region where your coconut oil is not creamy but hard, pop the jar in a bowl of hot water and it’ll instantly turn silky.
4. Pure Lanolin
Lanolin is another excellent lip balm substitute that lots of people have good reviews about. It’s derived from the oil secreted onto the wool of sheep hence also called wool grease or even wool wax because of its waxy nature. Lanolin (where to get it) acts just like a heavy sealant, locking moisture in skin cells and preventing water loss.
Note: Extraction of lanolin does not harm sheep but the wool has to be shorn from the sheep to obtain it. Also, by using lanolin, you are supporting the wool industry whose practices do harm sheep. If you’re vegan, consider the plant-based lip balm substitutes in this list.
5. Vitamin E
Touted as the ‘skin vitamin’, vitamin E (where to get it) has supreme moisturizing and lubricating properties because of its thick consistency. It’s also a powerful antioxidant that wards off free radicals that are known to cause sunburn and aging of skin. Ever got sunburned on your lips? It’s time to get some vitamin E capsules. The type of vitamin E to get is the one called D-alpha tocopherol because this is the natural version – there’s also DL-alpha tocopherol (notice the L) but this one’s synthetically crafted so stay away from it. Also get the vitamin E in capsule form – it’s much easier to use than the oil. Just poke a capsule, squeeze out the oil onto your index finger and dab it on your lips!
6. Shea Butter
A plant based oil that’s solid at room temperature, shea butter (where to get it) is an intense moisturizer that deeply hydrates and lubricates skin and lips. It is also rich in nourishing nutrients like vitamin A (that’s very important for healthy non-chapped lips), vitamin E (see above), vitamin K and vitamin F (fatty acids) that all promote moisturized plump lips. Get the shea butter in a jar for easy application as a lip balm because the one in block form has to have a small piece broken off and rubbed between your palms to first soften it for easy use. Since it has a smoky and nutty scent that you might feel is unpleasant, consider purchasing beautiful smelling essential oils like geranium or sweet orange to mask the scent.
7. Butter
We all love some butter slathered on soft white bread but did you know that this fat spread can also act as a quick emergency lip balm substitute? That’s right – when you spot chapped lips, immediately rush to the refrigerator and dig out that luscious block of butter. Run it over your lips for a quick soothing relief. Butter works because it’s full of fat (good fat, that is) which seals the lips and prevents further chapping.
8. Honey
I personally loved using honey on my lips as a teen. This natural goodness makes your lips glossy and keeps them sealed with moisture, preventing any water-loss. Raw honey (where to get it) is a natural humectant that absorbs moisture from the surroundings so it transfers this moisture into wherever it’s applied to like the skin, hair or lips! If you’ve ever run out of lip balm and you’re desperate for some lip balm to soothe your painful lips, try applying some sweet honey for instant relief. Just don’t be tempted to keep licking it off!
9. Beeswax
You can’t use plain beeswax, which comes in the form of a hard block or pastilles, directly on your lips because beeswax (where to get it) on its own is too hard and can’t be used on skin. To use it, you have to gently melt it down with a liquid oil in a double boiler then pour the melted wax and oil mixture into a glass jar to form a solid balm that’s easy to scoop out with your finger. Here’s a simple recipe for making your own beeswax lip balm: Melt 2 tbsp beeswax pastilles and 2 tbsp liquid oil like almond oil together in a double boiler. Once melted, allow it to cool for a minute then stir in 5 drops lavender oil (optional, for scent). Pour it into salve tins and let it cool down completely. Smear a little on dry lips.
10. Aloe Vera Gel
If you don’t like the heavy feel and coat of Vaseline or beeswax or any other lip balm substitute on this list, then aloe vera gel (where to get it) is for you! It has a very light consistency that just glides on your skin and tightly seals moisture without sitting on top of your lips like how Vaseline, lanolin or beeswax can feel. It’s also incredibly soothing for cracked bleeding lips and gives an amazing cooling sensation when applied. You can make a more healing lip balm by combining aloe vera gel with lavender oil and shea butter.
Anonymous says
Sick dude