Best Lip Care & Lip Balm
Best Overall Lip Balm
Best Lip Care with SPF
Best Natural Lip Care
Best Overnight Lip Care
Best Lip Balm with Tint
Best Lip Balm for Shine
What what’s the big deal about lip balm anyway?
Lip balm is for everyone. In fact, it’s a must for both the beauty connoisseurs’ packed makeup collections and the practically minded with a single product. Lip balm can serve both a functional and an aesthetic purpose. Choosing the best lip care products on your own can be tricky due to the vast number of lip balms on offer. From the best organic lip care available at the drugstore to the best lip mask for over night use, there’s a lot to consider.
Who wants to have chapped or flakey lips, afterall? We’ll make your next beauty haul or drugstore trip a one-stop shop. We’ve chosen some of the very best lip balm products for you. In order to select our favorites we looked at things like ingredients, affordability, protection, and flavor.
How to pick a lip balm
Ingredients
Some lip balms can actually dry out the lips which makes choosing products with the right elements super important. Steer clear of ingredients like camphor, salicylic acid, and menthol which can dry the lips with frequent use. Instead, look for non-harsh ingredients like beeswax, shea butter, and lanolin which soothe the skin and keep it healthy.
Protection and safety
Planning on heading to the beach or mountains? Well, then you may want to choose a product with SPF for extra protection. In fact, SPF is something that you should consider adding to your skin daily, rain or shine.
Flavor
This one comes down to personal taste. Decide whether or not you like something fruity, or something with no flavor at all, and pick your product accordingly.
Color and form
Lip products come in all different shapes and sizes. Some are sticks and others are tubes. Beeswax sticks tend to be better for fighting chapping while tubes and masks help with general nourishment and shine. Tint is another thing to consider, so think about whether or not you want an added layer of shimmer. Otherwise, clear balm does the trick for adding moisture to your natural lip hue.
Bells and whistles
You may be wondering if there’s anything else you need to buy to go along with your chosen lip balm. One of our favorite suggestions when it comes to accessories is a keychain holder for your balm.
The other extra you may want to consider for your lips is a scrub. By mildly scrubbing your lips with a store-bought product or DIY rock sugar scrub, you can help to remove dead skin cells.
How to take care of your lips
Don’t lick or touch
Licking or touching dry or cracked lips can make the problem worse. While it may be natural to lick your lips every once in a while, you should avoid licking or touching whether you’re wearing lip balm or not.
Remove your makeup
If you’re wearing makeup on your lips, you should always take it off at the day’s end. Makeup, like lipstick and gloss, can dry out your lips.
Take your lip balm with you wherever you go
We know how uncomfortable dry lips can be. They can be dangerous too and can eventually split or bleed if you do not look after them. Pop a balm in your handbag or in your pocket on the way out the door to keep your lips healthy.
Best Overall Lip Balm
This is the holy grail of lip balms. It has no shine and it’s classic flavor, Beeswax, has little to no taste.
Super affordable
The product is super affordable, and usually comes in packs of multiples so you can have them at home and on-the-go. It’s a shock that even given its price, it contains Vitamin E and beeswax for the utmost hydration so you can bid dry cracked lips goodbye. If you do want your lip balm to taste like sweets, then there are a plethora of other flavors on offer.
Best Lip Care with SPF
Acai has become a buzzword of all buzzwords for health and beauty enthusiasts. It only seemed natural to include the best lip care product that uses the antioxidant rich ingredient. While it comes in a tube, unlike other similar products, the balm is not sticky nor does it layer your lips in a whitish film when applied.
SPF protection
Last but not least, the balm is SPF 30 and will protect one of the most sun sensitive parts of your skin on hot days, making it a must-have for your carry on bag. For the sporty types, we have even better news. The formula is water and sweat resistant so apply it 15 minutes before heading out on the beach or slopes and you’re good to go.
Best Natural Lip Care
This is a fan favorite amongst those lip balm users who settle for nothing less than vegan. We love that it works well for those with highly sensitive skin or allergies. It’s made with mongongo oil which comes from Zambia, Africa and has been in use for centuries to protect from desert conditions.
Guilt-free ingredients with benefits
Even given its gluten free, cruelty free, and earth friendly ingredients, the balm is silky smooth, thin, and non-greasy.
Best Overnight Lip Care
Perhaps best for the more experienced beauty aficionados, this is a mask for overnight use. It has a sweet fruity scent which, for some may be a drawback, but for us was a sweet bonus. After just one sleep, you’ll notice a serious difference in the newly smooth and hydrated texture of your slips.
Shine bright
For those who like their lips to have a bit of a shine, apply during the day or under a gloss to lock in moisture.
Best Lip Balm with Tint
Cult beauty brand Glossier presents you with one of their staples in the form of this lip balm. The lip balm is super hydrating, with ingredients containing a range of antioxidants, beeswax, and lanolin. That means it’s pretty much a cocktail of all the best lip balm ingredients. People even claim to use it on their chapped nose and elbows due to its super moisturizing qualities.
Tint
The highlight of this product for us is the eight shades to choose between for an extra colored effect. From clear to sheer to red and deep berry, there is s shade for every type of lip. There are also a variety of flavors. Many enthusiasts of this product say the mint is delicious.
Best Lip Balm for Shine
While it does sit on the pricier end on our list of favorites, it’s well worth it if you put serious emphasis on your lips. Beloved by lip enthusiasts in Japan where it’s made, the product has finally hit the US market. The range of colors satisfies the desires of all types of balm wearers, from the pink for a light sheen to the orange for a dramatic statement. For an added bonus, the gloss is SPF 20.
Innovative ingredients
The lactic acid and prebiotic properties of this product’s ingredients not only add an undeniable shine to the lips but it keeps them hydrated even when not worn.
Essential information about lip balm
FAQs about Best Lip Balms
Is there such a thing as too much lip balm?
Unfortunately, the saying goes that sometimes there’s just too much of a good thing. If you over apply lip balm, your skin gets used to it and stops producing its protective barrier on its own. Lip balm is addicting, we know. Use it in moderation and wait until lips are dry to apply a new layer.
Can I use lip balm for other purposes?
Yes! In fact, this is one of our favorite hacks. The best lip balm has multi-purpose use. Some people experience dry or cracking skin around the nose area, so there’s no harm in rubbing a bit of your balm to the face in light quantities.
You can also use a bit of lip balm on blisters or cuts to help them heal and stay moist. Just be sure to apply it with your finger instead of putting the applicator directly on the cut.
Are pricey balms worth it?
There’s quite a range when it comes to the price of lip gloss. Lip gloss is often unfortunately one of those things that can slip beneath our fingers in an instant. You may not want to spend a fortune on something you might lose.
The best lip care products include elements like lanolin, coconut oil, jojoba, and wax. Price shouldn’t matter, so long as the ingredients are there. If you’re looking for something with an extra shine or plump then you may have to invest in something more expensive and be sure to keep it somewhere safe.