Winter Is Coming...

Winter is coming... and so are cracked skin and dry lips. And while you may be tempted to pull out the Chapstick, there are some alternatives to consider. 

Many commercial lip products contain mineral oil or petrolatum (also found under the name paraffinum liquidum). These ingredients have garnered their share of controversy. And while the focus of this post is not that controversy, I would encourage everyone to do their own research and decide if using products containing mineral oil or petrolatum are for them (you can visit the EWG website for more information). They have been linked to many health conditions, including breast cancer. Personally, I acknowledge their use as good moisture sealing ingredients in certain formulations, but I do not use products containing them on my lips or in my hair. I will make an exception for some lotions such as Aveeno. Nevertheless, regardless of whether one views them as dangerous, I think everyone can agree that there are better natural, and most importantly more nourishing, alternatives. 

Today I'm sharing a product I picked up at Whole Foods recently. I've used Waxalene before in the winter when I was dealing with extremely dry and chapped skin. It is a product designed with only natural ingredients that has a similar consistency to Vaseline. I was excited to see that they have a version for lips. I don't experience extreme dryness on my lips, and I'm not one of those people who applies Carmex every 10 minutes, but I do like to keep my lips moisturized especially in the fall and winter when I'm wearing matte lipsticks. That said, the product feels greasy to me. That is, however, because I'm not used to having something constantly on my lips. It is not any more greasy than Vaseline and similar products. To reference the LOC method for hair, oils and heavy based creams do not moisturize themselves, but rather seal in moisture. I think this use must be kept in mind. I do like the product, and will continue to use it until it is finished. I would repurchase just to keep something like this on hand, just in case. If you are someone who likes to have something on their lips at all times, and may be concerned about the ingredients in their current lip products, this is a great choice!