http://www.care2.com/greenliving/green-girl-who-loves-lip-balm-too-much.html
Green Girl, Who Loves Lip Balm Too Much
I have a confession to make. It’s hard for me because I know that I will have to face the truth once I spit it out. Okay. Here goes. I’m addicted to lip balm (and there’s more to this than you might think).
UGH. The thing is, I don’t want to give it up. I love it. I use it multiple times a day, and looking around my room, I can see four sticks right now. I am never without it. If I don’t always have it with me, I know that my lips are going to get really dry and cracked and I’m going to need it. Alas. I guess I now know how drug addicts feel.
So, you might be asking, is it possible for people to actually get addicted to lip balm? Well, I asked the same thing. Lip balm addiction? Psh. Yeah, right. Well, turns out that it’s legit. If addiction is the habitual/obsessive use of and subsequent psychological dependence upon a substance, then sure enough, we can indeed be addicted to lip balm.
Shall we take a look at this? Well, the more you use lip balm, the more your lips become used to the wonderful, moisturized feeling of it. When you take away the lip balm, they are dry! So dry. I’ve been using lip balm for a couple of years now, and my lips are almost always dry. You would think it would go the opposite way. Apparently not.
Also, when addicts watch other people using lip balm, they need it, too. It’s the same as hard drugs. The presence of the drug makes the addict crave it. Though the addiction may not be based on a physical dependence, it is most certainly psychologically present.
And then, let’s take a look at Carmex, which has one of the largest addict followings within the lip balm field, perhaps because it uses salicylic acid (aspirin) in its products. First of all, you must assume that if you are putting tons of aspirin on your mouth daily, you are going to get addicted to it. Second of all, salicylic acid dries up your lips, making sure that people need more, more, more! Ridiculous. It also turns out that Carma Labs, the company behind Carmex, acknowledges but does not deny the rumor that they mix ground Fiberglas with their lip balm to further dry out lips. Who knows if this is true, but it does put a bit of a damper on your desire for a Carmex fix.
Anyways, it seems to be true that lip balm addiction is a widespread problem. Just searching “lip balm addiction” on google, I came up with hundreds and hundreds of people struggling with the addiction. I was surprised to find “Chapstick (I’m a Chapstick Addict lol)” on the Care2 Web site early on in my search, but it is indeed there. Other titles compared the stuff to hard drugs: “Heroin and Chapstick: Any Difference?” and “The Straight Dope: Is It Possible To Be Addicted To Chap Stick?”
Perhaps the site with the largest wealth of knowledge and the best analogies was Lip Balm Anonymous, an Alcoholics Anonymous-type group that speaks of the evils of lip balm addiction. It has information about many of the most popular brands (including a few that are supposedly gateway drugs) and first-hand accounts by addicts, along with a 12-step process to getting clean. I suppose it’s time to push aside my Pomegranate Oil Burt’s Bees and face the music.
Note to self: Time for step one.
Lily Berthold-Bond grew up in a chemical-free zone and has struggled her whole life to understand and accept this non-commercial lifestyle. Now a freshman at Tufts University, she has embraced her green life and hopes to share its possibilities with the rest of her generation.
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11 comments
add your comment »Thanks everyone for the great ideas about homemade lip balms. It's definitely worth a shot! I've sadly been having trouble kicking the addiction ...
[though I seem to have cut back at least a little bit.]
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The best lip balm I have used is by Miessence. It has Nutritious cocoa butter, safflower and avocado oils soften and smoothes rough, chapped lips, while organic orange and vanilla taste delicious.
and is found at www.heatherorganics.com
direct link is http://heatherfahey.mionegroup.com/en/product/14201
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I'm definitely in the same boat. I use rooibos lip balm, which has properties of rooibos tea in it. Just can't get enough! Good luck with the addiction=)
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Are organic homemade lip balms as bad as the over-the-counter stuff? My friend makes me lip balm with no more than beeswax, Shea butter and essential oils in it.
http://www.aromaticsinternational.com/recipes.php#R17
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Okay, I'm going to be an enabler here. Try the vegan lip balm at www.ForMyKidsOnline.com. You could eat that stuff (because, let's face it, you DO eat it). From the website: "This naturally-protective formula contains organic sweet almond oil, organic coconut oil, carnauba wax, organic tamanu oil, and natural vanilla flavor (or organic peppermint extract for those of you who are more adventurous!)."
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Hey girl- I hear ya on the lip balm- in my house it's "lip junk" and we all use it a ton! I did however, change what I use when I realized what was in some of them- wow & OMG! So if you want to find a good/healthy alternative- visit "www.arbonne.com" - lots of choices and they actually are good for your body :) yay! :)
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I use lip balm religiously (home made now), but I have dry skin. I also have to use heavier moisturisers. I doubt it's related to addiction, however, as it's part of aging. I'm getting older. When I don't moisturise my legs during harsh drying winters (or similarly drying summers), they crack and bleed. The same holds true for my lips. If anyone were to tell me to stop using sunscreen and moisturiser on my lips and skin because then my skin would naturally produce enough moisture and protection against the sun, I would think they were nuts. Drinking a few litres of water throughout the day (as well as eating) removes some of the protective layer of moisture on my lips. I just wish I were as diligent about moisturising my hands after washing as I am with my lips after eating and drinking!
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http://www.snopes.com/business/secret/carmex.asp
As far as the salicylic acid goes, I had severe psoriasis which has improved greatly due in part to a prescription salicylic acid moisturizer. Salicylic acid helps to moisturize your skin (like alpha hydroxy acids or fruit acids.) I understand how one can get in the habit of applying lip balm, but a physical addiction doesn't seem possible. While I love you, Green Girl, you are definitely wrong on this one.
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This was the issue that started me on my own chemical-paranoia kick a few years ago: generally the lip balms that are addictive - hello chapstick brand - are so because their primary ingredient is petroleum, which dries out your lips/skin, hence making you need the product... Of course they're going to use substances that are 'addictive' because if they actually fixed your dry lip problem, you wouldn't need to buy the product anymore, which means no profits for the company. I make my own balms - yes I use them too, I am a compulsive lip-chewer - (and also only buy them) made out of natural vegetable oils that really do soothe and moisturize lips/skin. I don't think Burt's uses petroleum, but they do use lanolin, which can have the same effect if you're sensitive to it. So you don't have to do away with balms - just get the right kinds: no petroleum/mineral oil, no lanolin, no menthol, no chemicals, nothing irritating like ginger, tea tree or lemon etc. Good Luck ;)
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This is a great article (I thought I was the only 1) The first step to recovery is admitting you have a problem.... Hi my name is Mary and I am addicted to Chapstick! I use it a least 4 times a day I take it everywhere I go. I riped apart the house the other day because I could not find it and it was too late to go out and get another one! I think its time to check out Lip Balm Anonymous. :)
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