Going Lip Balm Cold Turkey!

ihihio

Desperate times call for drastic measures as the saying goes! And for one self confessed lip balm addict this is one drastic measure in the hope to find the answer to my dry lips.

It literally seems like I've had dry lips all my life but if I think about it all my problems started when I found flavoured lip balms back in 1999! I would say crazy hey... but I'm sure you all know about how lip balms can stop/block the signaling mechanism that tells the cells in the lips to produce more fresh skin. Basically the lip balm confuses the natural process and you are left with continuously dry lips... so you apply more lip balm which just carries on the cycle. So then like me you think well if I need them I may as well try all different types and slowly but surely you become hooked on lip balms. I tell you it's like a crack addiction... nah only joking! It's not THAT bad but I do need to break the cycle. 

Hence the 7 Day Lip balm ban! 

Like a true addict I know which 'last supper' lip balm I will chose - Let Them Eat Cake Bon Bon Lip Balm by Tokyo Milk which actually is like cake... just perfectly sugary. However it would of been Mrs Fields Chewy Fudge Lip Balm if it hadn't died a low death when I put my bag next to a radiator. 

Joking aside, I actually don't know how the seven days will go... which in reality sounds crazy, even to me. But I do literally carry around at least 4 lip balms at all times and apply one every 2 hours or so! It's the first thing I do in the morning and the last thing I do at night. Though I'm hoping my nature reflex of reaching into my bag will stop after a few days and I'll see some difference in the dryness of my bottom lip.
   
joojo

...the ones I will miss the most!

But of course there are afew lip balms out of the 30 or so I own that I will really miss! Firstly there is the Neom Multi Balm (a lovely organic slightly zesty oil based balm) which sits next to my bed so I can apply it when I wake up and just before bed as I massage my cuticles.

Next is what I call my pre-makeup prep lip treatments - If my lips are feeling really dry or I want to wear a lip stain or even lipstick I apply the Blistex Relief Cream while I put on my primer and foundation then I take a cotton bud and twirl it along my lips to remove all the dead skin. But for normal days I opt for the Original Carmex which I just apply and leave on while applying my makeup. 

As for the two that are with me at all times it has to be the Tokyo Milk balm just because it hydrates my lips without them feeling coated in product and it also stops them 4pm sugar cravings! The other lip balm is a tinted one by Hurraw in Black Cherry which is so easy to apply but is so needed on days that my lips are too dry for lipstick but I want some colour on them. 
 
Just writing this has made me realize how hard it is actually going to be. But I've promised myself I'm going to stick to it and see if after 7 days it has made a difference. 

Of course I will post about it next week to tell you all how I got on and show the results of going cold turkey! 

Wish me luck?!


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Comments (67)

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Good luck! I had no idea lip balm had that effect - what a consipracy! :P
1 reply · active 724 weeks ago
It is actually proven you can really get addicted to lip balms not like crack but still..
Good luck!!!
1 reply · active 724 weeks ago
So brave :'] I always have to keep my lips moisturised because I split the bottom one open when I was younger and it always gets really sore still, so this is my addiction justification...plus toothpaste allergy issues! Goodluck xx
1 reply · active 724 weeks ago
Good luck! I'm sure I read that lip balm can do that a few years back, but ignored it & kept on applying! I too am addicted to Carmex, just reading this post has made me distressed that it's been a couple of hours without! Can't wait to see how you get on!!! xxx
1 reply · active 724 weeks ago
I had no idea about the lip-balm-effect! I'm tempted to try it out though. & to be fair, although I have a bag of lip balm I'm not the best at remembering to apply it, & my lips are generally fine about it!

& like I tweeted, I wonder if the same premise applies to moisturiser?
1 reply · active 724 weeks ago
instead of banning lip balms, try and use only organic balms! you will notice the difference! petroleum jelly only protect your lips but it's not moisturizing or hydrating.
1 reply · active 724 weeks ago
what an interesting experiment! I can't wait to find out what happens!

Btw have you tried taking B vitamins? That helps my chronically dry lips a little bit.
1 reply · active 724 weeks ago
I find my lips are dry when I don' t drink enough. I hate the feeling of dry lips but rarely put on lipbalm I just have a drink instead.
Stacie xoxox
1 reply · active 724 weeks ago
As a fellow lipbalm addict I am highly interested in how this goes. Rather you than me :)
1 reply · active 724 weeks ago
I have the exact same addiction! I can't be without my Lypsyl. I get frantic if I can't find it. I've never considered weaning myself off the junk, so good luck!
1 reply · active 724 weeks ago
Good luck! I know how hard it can be. Two weeks ago I had insainly dry lips. My lips were swollen, had cracks in them and a lot of dead skin. And then I realised: I had used more lipbalm the past week than I have ever used before. It's going to be hard and painfull (literally) but it's a fase you need to go trough. And then you will have perfect soft lips. You can do it!
1 reply · active 724 weeks ago
Good luck fee, cant wait to see how it goes.
Alex http://alexslifeafter20.blogspot.com//
1 reply · active 724 weeks ago
it really annoys me how people that never use lipbalm have lovely soft lips, and then us lot that do use it end up with really dry lips :( good luck!x
1 reply · active 724 weeks ago
Good luck. I stopped using it years ago.. as it does make your lips drier. Especially the lipsyl type balms. Bear with it and you'll be fine :)
1 reply · active 724 weeks ago
i'm really interested in this project as well. i even thought about doing it with you, but i'm not ready yet. my lips are often cracked, an so are they now. i think it might be better to start with a healed lip.
i also think organic lip balms are a lot better than petroleum jelly based ones. good luck and keep us updated on the experiment!
1 reply · active 724 weeks ago
Good luck! I may also recommend gentle exfoliation of your lips with the toothbrush and then putting some organic honey on them. Works wonders. I'm using Nivea, Palmers and Rose & Co's Cherry Kiss - they last really long time! X
http://mademoiselle-la-la.blogspot.com/
1 reply · active less than 1 minute ago
It is lip balms that contain petroleum that have that effect. Use something more natural and it won't happen! I apply a good lip balm over night and maybe once throughout the day (though this often isn't needed) and I never get dry lips.
1 reply · active 724 weeks ago
Good luck! Reading this post made me realize how pitiful my own lipbalm collection is - mostly because it's less of a 'collection' and more of a single, lonely tub of Vaseline! Usually if my lips are really suffering, I'll use some olive oil and leave it on for a good five minutes. That stuff is a miracle worker!
1 reply · active 724 weeks ago
When I did this for the first time I realised it was the best thing I have ever done. Since, I've experimented and realised I can do things just as well with lush's Sweet Lips Lip Scrub once a day and using Clinique Superbalm over my lipstick.
1 reply · active 724 weeks ago
oh dear, this is a very difficult challenge. My lips feel dry after reading the post lol. I really love Bliztex Relief Cream, it's great for when your lips are suffering due to the harsh weather.
Best of luck.
1 reply · active 724 weeks ago
My lips have been dry for ever! So much so I've been to the doctors for some kind of diagnosis. Would love to hear about your progress with this next week, maybe it is a reliant on lip balm that's causing it! As a fellow lip balm obsessor I wish you huge amounts of luck!
1 reply · active 724 weeks ago
I so know what you mean by this. I feel like I have dry lips constantly so I use lip balm constantly, I'm not sure I could ever ban lip balm completely!
1 reply · active 724 weeks ago
I've done this a few years ago, when I realized that even medicated lip balm doesn't work very well for me anymore. It really is like an addiction; at first it seemed impossible, my lips got So dry, but after a while things improved and my body figured out how to regulate itself. Still need and use lip balm, maybe once every two-three days, unless it's January or something, but it's definitely less and I don't feel like I Need to have it, it's just nice to get that extra kick once in a while. I also noticed that using natural lip balms prevents you from getting addicted to the product, I really like Korres.
http://www.yourarthere.com/entry/beauty-shot
1 reply · active 724 weeks ago
Good luck! I don't think I could do this - I'd crack after an hour!
1 reply · active less than 1 minute ago
What! Lipbalms actually make the lips drier? I had no idea. Good luck with it!
1 reply · active less than 1 minute ago

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