Lip Balm: types, rules for selection and application. Top 7 Best Lip Balms

16.04.2021

What are the ingredients to look for in a part of lip balm contents, how is lip balm useful in manicure, and why do we need tinted balms and gloss balms? Read our detailed ABBeauty review!

Lip balm is a beauty tool that appears in a beautician before other products, even in adolescence, and always accompanies us everywhere. How to choose your ideal option? 

WHAT IS A LIP BALM?

Lip balm is a separate category of lip products, the main function of which is not only decorative but also lip skincare. The skin of the lips is very thin, so it is primarily it that suffers from dry air, cold wind, high or low temperatures. The main purpose of lip balm is to create a special protective layer on the lips. Or help to solve the problem of the weather-beaten lips.

Lip balm nourishes lip skin, prevents moisture loss, heals wounds and cuts, helps cope with peeling and small cracks. Usually, there are also SPF filters in the contents, which guarantee the protection of sensitive lip skin from the sun. 

The first lip balms appeared at the end of the XIX century. Today they are produced by both “pharmacy” brands and popular makeup brands, and they are sold everywhere - from specialized cosmetics stores to ordinary supermarkets and gas stations. The most popular product format is colorless lip balm. But nowadays, balms are becoming increasingly popular, which at the same time care for the lip skin and give them a light shade (they are called “tinted”). 

WHAT ARE THE INGREDIENTS IN A PART OF A LIP BALM CONTENTS?

The contents of lip balms can vary greatly depending on the manufacturer (as, in general, lipstick contents), but active care and moisturizing ingredients in the list of ingredients will be required. Among them are the following:

  • beeswax or vegetable wax (softens and smoothes the skin, makes it more firm and elastic)
  • natural oils (coconut, almond, apricot, shea, argan, cocoa, jojoba) - are responsible for moisturizing and nourishing the skin,
  • vitamins (groups A, E, C, F) - strengthen and protect the lip skin,
  • plant extracts (aloe vera, chamomile, sage, calendula) - relieve irritation and soothe,
  • panthenol and honey - have excellent healing abilities.

HOW TO CHOOSE A LIP BALM?

Lip balm

When choosing a lip balm, it is worth considering three factors.

1) Season

If you buy balm for the summer, make sure that the package is marked with SPF, and that it contains moisturizing ingredients. The “winter” version should have a more saturated texture and as many nutritious ingredients as possible. 

2) Purpose

Determine why you need lip balm. Are you seriously worried about the condition of the lips - the skin is cracked and peeling, small cracks and sores have formed? Give preference to healing balm (most likely, in this case, you will see the word repair on the tube).

Are you looking for a two-in-one product that will simultaneously care for your lips and give them color? Take a look at the tinting balm or lipstick balm.

Do you need a balm to just keep your lips in perfect condition? Buy a basic moisturizing balm with a light texture, wax, oils, and vitamin E in the contents. 

3) Personal preferences

If you are allergic to any components (such as honey), first make sure that they are not in the balm contents. Be sure to smell the balm before buying: someone likes intense fragrances, while others, on the contrary, are looking for cosmetics without any perfumes. 

When choosing, consider the release form of the balm. Which lip balm will be more convenient for you to use - a stick or a solid balm that you need to apply with your finger? 

HOW TO APPLY A LIP BALM? LIP BALM: 7 TYPES

Due to the soft texture, any lip balm can be spread with your fingertips or applied directly from the stick to the lips. 

Lip balm aplication

But if we are talking about a fairly bright lipstick balm, you may need a special lip brush made of the artificial pile, which will allow you to distribute the pigment evenly.

Nowadays, lip balm is often a multifunctional remedy that solves several tasks at once. But depending on the main function and the contents, they can be divided into seven main categories.

Natural

This category includes products that mainly include natural ingredients. These also include those balms that are handmade from improvised means - for example, based on wax and oils.

Moisturizing

In this case, the name also speaks for itself - moisturizing lip balms intensively saturate the skin with moisture and prevent its loss. In summer, be sure to keep it with you, as hot air instantly dries your lips. The high-quality balm is one of the means that will help quickly bring dry lips back to normal. 

Nourishing

This lip balm has a denser and more saturated consistency, as well as a composition with a high content of nutrient components. It is better to buy it in the winter: with the problem of dry cracked lips, it will cope perfectly. Nutritional balms include, for example, Baby Lips Dr. Maybelline Rescue with eucalyptus and vitamin E in the contents. This lip balm protects lips for up to 12 hours!

Healing (regenerating)

It solves specific problems, helps in healing cracks and small wounds (and some balms cope with more serious problems - for example, herpes). Take a closer look at La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Balm, which contains panthenol and helps to quickly restore the skin of the lips if it is very weathered, burned, or chapped. By the way, it can be used even by children. And apply to other areas of the skin that are affected by the sun (if you did not follow the basic rules of tanning).

Tinted

Gives lips an interesting shade and gloss, while caring for the lip skin. In this category, in particular, tint balms (provide a translucent natural effect) and lipstick balms (guarantee a brighter and more saturated color).

Kiehls tinted lip balm

Sunscreen 

A lip balm that contains SPF filters. As a rule, we are talking about SPF 15-25, but for people with very sensitive skin are released lip products with higher protection factors - for example, Vichy’s Capital Ideal Soleil stick is marked SPF 50+. It can also be used for other sensitive areas - in particular, locally treat moles. 

For lip augmentation

Such a lip balm will help make the lips visually more puffy due to special components in the contents (f.e. collagen or hyaluronic acid). Such balms fill small wrinkles, making the surface of the lips smoother and more voluminous. A great example is the Infaillible Tube Top Gloss by L’Oréal Paris. It can be applied to clean lips to instantly make them larger, or spread on top of the color gloss for an impressive volume effect. Such tools are sometimes called Plumpers. 

LIP BALM FORMATS

You are most likely to buy face powder or foundation cream in a single copy, but lip balms in a cosmetic bag can be stored at once in several different formats for all occasions. 

Stick Balm

The most popular format of the balm, as it is easiest to use, just unscrew the stick a little and apply it to your lips. It can be both colorless and tinted.

Tube Lip Balm

Cream or gel texture lip balm is easier to apply directly from the tube. Try Lancôme Absolue Precious Cells Nourishing Balm, one drop of which is enough to keep your lips moisturized and smooth throughout the day. 

Lancôme Absolue Precious Cells Nourishing Balm

Liquid lip balm (gloss-balm)

Liquid balm is essentially a lip gloss that has caring properties. This type of lip balm is not found so often, but if you are more used to using the applicator to apply the product on the lips, it will suit you perfectly.

Solid lip balm

Compact size is the main advantage of a solid lip balm: this type fits even in a small clutch. Apply the contents from the jar with your fingers, patting movements. Thus, you massage your lips and improve blood microcirculation.

Oily Lip balm

This balm has an oily texture, is available in bottles with an applicator, like lip glosses, and boasts a high oil content. For example, YSL's Volupté Tint-In-Oil contains as many as four - apricot, coriander, jojoba, and passionflower. The product intensively nourishes the lips, gives them a glossy shine and a light shade (there are six colors in the palette).

Balm-Lipstick

The usual lipstick to obtain the status of a balm should, firstly, have a soft and delicate texture, and secondly, take care of your lips. A worthy example is the Ecstasy Shine Lipstick by Giorgio Armani. This line includes one and a half dozen different shades, the saturation of which can be adjusted.

Ecstasy Shine Lipstick by Giorgio Armani

 

Balm-Tint

It seems like these two products - balm and tint - cannot coexist peacefully: the classic tint dries lips quite strongly, and the lip balm, on the contrary, is designed to moisturize them. However, a high-quality balm-tint combines the best qualities of two means - makes the lips a little brighter, but at the same time perfectly cares for them.

Lip Pencil Balm

The cream texture “hidden” in a lip pencil is a convenient solution for those who do not like lip products from jars, but have not learned how to evenly paint their lips with lipstick. With such a lip pencil, the process of applying even the brightest balm will take a couple of seconds. Pay attention to the NYX Professional Makeup Chunky Hydrating Lippie, which contains candelilla and carnauba wax, sunflower and jojoba oil, and vitamin E.

NYX Professional Makeup Chunky Hydrating Lippie

Makeup Remover Lip Balm

NYX Professional Makeup has an original balm that solves a non-trivial task - removes makeup from the lips. Just apply it, for example, on top of a resistant lipstick - and remove it with a cotton pad. This balm will easily remove the color from the lips without smearing the lipstick. By the way, Be Gone! Lip Color Remover can also be applied to clean lips: due to vitamin E and beeswax in the contents with the basic functions of the balm, it also copes with a bang.

5 NON-STANDARD WAYS TO USE LIP BALM

maybelline baby lips

A quality lip balm can be useful not only for lip care. How else can it be applied? 

1) To care for the cuticle

The cuticle looks dry and sloppy, but there is no special tool at hand? Simply apply any lip balm to the cuticle and massage gently. 

2) Instead of Eyebrow Gel

Put a drop of liquid lip balm on a clean brush and comb the eyebrows. The balm will help to set hair and complete your eyebrow makeup. 

3) As a Makeup Remover

At the end of the working day, your mascara crumbled under your eyes and smeared, but still, have important plans for the evening? Apply a little lip balm to the black streaks of mascara - you will be surprised how easy it is to remove them with a regular napkin or cotton pad.

4) As a SOS-product

If you accidentally scratched or cut the skin while shaving, apply a little therapeutic lip balm with panthenol to the affected area. It will help stop the blood and relieve irritation. 

5) To create a hairstyle

The styling is ready, but a few hairs are knocked out of the overall perfect picture? Rub the lip balm between the palms and smooth the naughty locks. 

TOP 7 BEST LIP BALMS 

Our ABBeauty selection of 7 great lip balms for all time!

Intense Therapy Lip Balm, Jack Black

Jack Black Intense Therapy Lip Balm

A gentle, nourishing balm that softens chapped, dry and irritated lips. It is quickly absorbed and acts instantly. Vitamin E and shea butter contained in the balm protect lips from external aggressive factors, softening and giving lips a healthy look. Provides a broad spectrum of SPF 25 protection. Leaves lips soft, smooth, fresh, and healthy.

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Natural Moisturizing Lip Balm, Burt's Bees 100%

Burts Bees Moisturizing Lip Balm

This lip balm is one of the most popular products in its category. Quickly restores dry and chapped lips, suitable even for sensitive skin. For maximum effect, apply the balm in a thick layer at night.

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Ultra Repair Lip Therapy, First Aid Beauty

First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair

Wonderful lip rejuvenation with First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair. Ideal for all skin types, the moisturizing formula of FAB Ultra Repair cream heals, nourishes, and moisturizes dry and chapped areas. This oil-free balm with shea butter and glycerin softens and soothes the skin. The lips will become soft and smooth. Free from petroleum products, parabens, harsh chemicals, and dyes. Safe for sensitive skin.

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Ultra-Rich Lip Balm, L'Occitane

L'Occitane Ultra-Rich Lip Balm

A restoring lip balm with shea butter will save even in the most desperate situation. Enriched with the miraculous shea butter, the balm perfectly nourishes, softens, and repairs dry and damaged lips, instantly improving their condition.

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Lip Balm #1, Kiehl’s

Lip Balm #1, Kiehl’s

The immodest name “the number one lip balm” really deserves this remedy: the ratings of the best lip balms are rarely dispensed without its presence. The contents include a shock dose of oils (olive, wheat germ, cottonseed). In combination with vitamin E and allantoin, this complex moisturizes, nourishes, and protects lips from the negative effects of wind and temperature changes.

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Butter Lip Balm, NYX Professional Makeup

NYX Butter Lip Balm

Tinted lip balm with rare quality: it provides not a glossy, but a delicate satin finish. The lips look smooth and beautiful. It contains shea butter and sunflower seeds, candelilla and beeswax, vitamin E, chamomile extract.

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Baby Lips Color Balm Crayon, Maybelline New York

Maybelline Baby Lips Color Balm Crayon

This lip balm is formulated to protect and hydrate the lips. Softens and renews the skin of the lips, creating the effect of soft, moist lips throughout the day. Delicate fruity aroma. The result is a fresh, natural glow.

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And what lip balm is your favorite one? Leave a comment down below!