Lip Care: Carmex

I love lip care. I have had some tough times with dry lips and painful cracking, so my lips are one thing I tend not to neglect these days. That being said, I'm going to talk about my latest change in lip care.

Meet my new best friend: Carmex! For months now, I haven't been able to find Polysporin's Lip Therapy. It's hard to get a hold of sometimes, but never for this long. In any case, it had been months and I'd now run out of mine, so it was time to find a new lip balm. Turns out, it was a good thing I did.

When choosing a lip balm, I never go by the packaging. I look at the ingredients instead. I like something that has about 1.5% camphor (great for lip irritation, brings down discomfort and redness in small quantities), some phenol is also good, and a petroleum base so that it stays on all night and can do its thing properly. You'd be surprised (or not) at how many lip balms sound great and do nothing. Cheap or not, no one needs a collection of failed lip balms.

It is this habit of checking the ingredients that led me to Carmex. I would have overlooked it otherwise, and that would be a shame because this is a truly brilliant product! It has 1.7% camphor, 0.44% phenol, and 45.3% petroleum.

As much as I love Polysporin's Lip Therapy and as much as it has served me well, this stuff is even better. Even if the Polysporin's lip balm resurfaces, I am switching to this.

Here are the things I love about Carmex:

•  The price is amazing - This sells for about two dollars. Polysporin is already good value, but this is even cheaper - and where quality is  concerned, this brings it.
• The texture is great - Although it's petroleum-based and it sits on the lips, as it should, it also feels like it isn't just slipping around when you rub your lips together. It feels like it's melding with your lips, moisturising, while still maintaining that protective barrier. It feels a lot like the texture of Clarins' Instant Light lip perfecter which I also reviewed not long ago, but is about a twentieth the price.  
• It smells good - Polysporin's Lip Therapy smells mentholated, which I never minded, but Carmex smells nicer. While this stuff also contains menthol, you can't tell by the scent. Carmex smells like beeswax and honey - smooth and lightly sweet.
• It's easy to find. This particular lip balm has been around for 75 years, and the pharmacists are behind it, too. There are a lot of lip balms that come onto the market, but by the time you've gotten to the bottom of the tin, you can't find it any more because it has been discontinued. I like being able to repurchase my favourite products as I go through them, and it sucks when they get discontinued. I like knowing that a product will be around a while, and this shows no signs of going anywhere any time soon. Reliability is a factor in choosing skin care products. We don't want to be forced to switch if we don't have to.
• There's a bit more camphor in this. Camphor is a great thing. It heals and relieves irritation, and even daily exposure to cold weather can cause the a cold sore to take  hold. No one wants a cold sore. Now, one of the best things for a cold sore is to put camphor oil on it as soon as it starts, but if you get to it too late, you're out of luck. How often do we really catch a cold sore exactly when it starts? Well, this is why I like to use a lip balm nightly with camphor in it. If something starts, it is addressed right away, and you have a little leeway  in order to really beat it before it takes hold. This is my method of prevention. Polysporin's Lip Therapy is good in this respect as well, as it contains 1.5% camphor. Carmex has 1.7%. Not a big difference, but it certainly can't hurt.

I like to use lip balm every night. I put it on before bed, and it's still on in the morning. I am prone to dry lips that crack and bleed, but ever since I started this routine some time ago, my lips have been absolutely perfect. I use some during the day when I need it, but it's this night routine that has made the difference for me.

At some point, I should do a post about cold sores. It's a tricky thing, and they are a huge pain for those of us who get them bad and for a long time. It's on my to-do list.

Til then, have a great day, and thanks for reading!

A.