Lip Balm Addiction? Is it for real?
I can't say about you guys, but I do always need a lip balm on my lips. Or a gloss. Or a lipstick. Basically anything - even if it is regular petroleum jelly, I need to have something smooth on my lips.
There is a site lip balm anonymous that talks about lip balm addiction with the same seriousness as if it were cocain addiction. Frankly the site seems like a very bad joke, and looks like a spoof. I first saw this site two years ago but dismissed it as urban legend.
Now as it turns out, lip balm addiction does exist and it is for real. This article by the Beauty Brains explains that using lipbalm slows down the production of new moist lip skin cells as it leads the lower layer of cells to wrongly beleive that there is no need, as the surface cells are moist, therefore new, all the time.
Since the production of new moist cells is low, the lip surface largly consists of dry, dead cells. When we don't apply the lip balm, our lip skin surface starts to chap because of all these dead cells. The lower cell layer gets taken by surprise as all this while it had been lulled into slow production, but it takes them a few days to bump up the production rate.
In the mean time, our lips are feeling super uncomfortable, so we again reach for our lipbalm. The lip surface cells are soothed by the sudden burst of moisture and the new moist cell production rate again slows down - meaning that we have trained our lips to rely on this balm.
However despite now being aware that I am now, also, scientifically - Addicted to Lip Balm (I thought I was only Addicted to Blush), I am still not gonna get therapy or do anything much about it.
As I see it, this addiction doesn't seem to be life-threatning and if some cell layers in my body get to slack off coz of balm I am ok with that. As it is the rest of the body has to work hard.
Infact I am going to go ahead and share with you some of my favourite lip balms:
1. Nivea Tinted Lipbalm: I love all of them, Strawberry, Dragon-fruits & Cherry (in that order). Cost Rs. 129 for a tube, I love the lovely tints of these lipbalms. Read review here
2. Neutrogena Lip Balm (Norwegian formula): I love this baby for night time care. Has SPF too, but I apply a thick layer at night, and wake up in the morning to very soft lips. Read review here
3. Jordana Lip Jelly Juicy Tints: Affordable, smell fruity smells, nice range of color, and have a glossy finish. What else does a girl need? Read review here
4. Colorbar Juicy Candy Gloss tubes: I know, this is a gloss, but it also doubles up as an excellent lip softner for chapped babies. Plus it lets you shimmer as well. Read review here
Are you too, ahem, Addicted to Lip Balm? If yea, What's your Poison?
I saw that article on Beauty Brains too..and it really did make sense to me..not their explanation but the description of how our lips feel seemed so accurate!! But like you said, its not life-threatening :-)
ReplyDeletewoow!!! I didnt know abt this and I am sure most readers wouldnt be aware...
ReplyDeleteI too need something on my lips if not lipstick atleast a lip balm everytime i step out...My current fav is lotus
HD
My fav is TBS lip balm ...and I am not addicted to them as much I am addicted to my hand cream:P
ReplyDeleteam addicted to nivea lip balms too havent tried other ones yet...
ReplyDeleteShweta
whoa, that's mad! I never thought it could be a proper 'addiction!'
ReplyDeleteI mean, doesn't the same theory apply to say, moisturizer? we apply it 'religiously' enough to be considered addictive don't we? Also, the 'moisturizing' effect probably tricks our skin cells, yada yada...
I think it's quite silly to think lip balms in themselves are addictive substances.
Anyway, you forgot the most important! Body shop's lip balms and butters--I swear by them. I have tried almost all flavours: mango, tangerine, strawberry, bubblegum, watermelon....and I haven't felt the need to use another kind since them.
Love,
do Korres lipbutter count? i love them and my fav is mango at the moment. i shall do the swatch soon
ReplyDeleteYes it's for real! hehe...I also have to have something on my lips all the time! But it's fun n I think the Lip Balm Anonymous is kinda pointless :D shhhh......;)
ReplyDelete♥xx♥
Nice review tanveer! love love nivea strawberry. like u, i use plain chapstick for the night coz it's very good n stays all night, though it's waxy n colorless. never seen jordana anywhere in delhi :(
ReplyDeleteI use Jovees Lip Balm. I'm sure I'm lip balm adicted, not only applying them on my lip[s every now and then in ever 15 minutes but also buying them. My friends kinda put a blinder on my eyes when they see a lip balm and me around... lol..
ReplyDeleteI've curbed that buying additcion for sometime.
<3<3
I have the same addiction !!
ReplyDeleteI like Vaseline (the one in dirty yellow bottle , Its a lot thicker than the one we see in ads .. very moisturizing ! You should try it :))
I like tints , Nivea Dragonfruit , cherry and Strawberry too ^_^)
@ Palak: Isn't that vaseline so so so thick...:( i bought that with so many hopes but it didn't work for me. I'm glad you liked and it's working for you...
ReplyDelete<3
I can't live without Vaseline....I can't function w/o it...seriously. Now i'm beginning to think that it is an addiction indeed.
ReplyDeleteI too am addicted to nivea..need it like a daily cup of coffee in the morning...
ReplyDeleteAddictive blog!!!
oh yes i'm addicted to lip balm and how! can't survive without it. though i put on a very thin layer. this doesn't confuse my lip cells as stated in the article.
ReplyDeletei too use lip balm very often but not so much as to call it an addiction..i generally use it as i am not a very lipstick person and hence the balm gives a little sheen to my lips..i use burt bees and it is pretty good
ReplyDeletehttp://weddingonthecards.blogspot.com/
@Rads: Yup, totally non-threatning. And a wonderful one at that :)
ReplyDelete@HD: hehhehehe.. Now u know :) & are a fellow addict. Welcome to the club
@Anamika: Hand cream addict? Interesting :D
@Shweta: Welcome to the club :)
@Ash: It could be possible you know.. that our sin gets lazy with all the cream we slather on and keeps on getting drier as we age..
I didn't forget TBS, I skipped it on purpose coz I am yet to try their lip balms.. Suggest a good flavour for me?
@Sarah: Sigh, Korres.. I so wanna try them :)
@CZ: Yea, shhhh. Or else they be labeling you as a lip balm peddler :P
@Anon: Jordana is available only in Mumbai. Thks a lot :D
@Shoppingaholic: yet to try jovees :)... How's the rehab for lip balm going?
@palak: I did use Vaseline tub when I was in Kerala during winters. It was just fab for the lips.
@Yuvna: Yup, u show all the signs of addiction :)
@Simran: Thks :).. since when did u start to have coffee in the morning?
@Rima: Nice to know that you are having your lipbalm and not confusing the cells too.. maybe we addicts could also try out yr method :D
@Sovina: Yea, I love glossy lipbalms too, they just perk up the face :)