Let me tell you a story about Chapsticks before we begin this review.
I used to be a real heavy user of the Medicated Chapsticke and I really did not know why. Or rather, my lips were dry all the time and I thought that the best solution would be to use the Chapstick. However, come April, when I began to read labels I found something very interesting and disturbing; the two active ingredients inside that Medicated Chapstick (M.CS from now on) are Phenol and Camphor. You first should know that Phenol is an external painkiller, and it can be injucted to treat muscle pain. The EWG claims it may lead to cancer, while the U.S. government says it won’t, not even in high quantities; however, they do admit though that it could kill you. Either way, that is not such a peachy safe chemical that I feel comfortable with so close to my mouth. And let’s discuss Camphor. If you have a heart attack, you may be happy to know that using both Camphor and Phenol may help you live, but why would I want it on my lips? After all, toxic data tells me that I do not want to ingest it and after quite a long search on the FDA website I can say that it’s use has been limited in quantity. However, one should note that the M.CS has more than just those two chemicals in it. I dunno about you, but I do believe these chemicals accumulate in our bodies. And to return to my tale of woe, after reading much about the ingredients inside the M.CS, I decided to stop using it. I ordered the Badger Unscented Healing Balm because it was actually natural, but it would take it about a month to arrive by mail. I decided not to fret about it, after all, it’s not like my lips were addicted to it, right? Wrong. I went though a month of terribly chapped lips, so much that they almost bled. And no, the weather wasn’t too hot or too cold. I believe it was just withdrawal.
And with this in mind, here is the Badger Unscented Healing Balm (stick) review:
The ingredients: “Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Pure Beewax, Castor Oil & Nothing Else”. These are basic ingredients, no chemicals or dodgy substances. It is of course not Vegan, but it is still a pretty good beginning for this product.
Description: It is a small tube, not unlike that of the Medicated Chapstick, and it comes with a sticker seal. The balm smells like Olive Oil, and it will spread smoothly on your lips. On the lips it is not sticky and has a kind of a gloss. It has no taste that I can point to, and it is quite safe to eat so it should not hinder your make out sessions.
My thoughts: It was a life saver after my lips chapped all to hell after said withdrawal. I have been using it for the past 4 months on a pretty much daily basis and it has not run out yet. It works, but it must be applied daily; I apply it twice a day usually. I am very happy with the ingredients in it, although it would be nice if they found a way to make it Vegan. People who do not like the smell of Olive Oil should really avoid this product, although it is subtle, it is still very much “there”. It stays on the lips for about an hour or more (without drinkig or eating), but it will not instantly cure your chapped lips, and prolonged use is necessary. My solution for unbearably chapped lips is to apply it before you go to bed; when you will wake up the chapping will be over and your lips will feel great! It is easy to carry around because of it’s size and I haven’t lost it yet, so it is not too small and neglectable.
The bottem line is that this product is not perfect. It feels pretty good, partly Organic, smells decent, will not harm you and will help your chapped lips. It will not do it instantly, it does fade pretty fast and you will probably need to use daily to really feel a difference. It’s price should not be more than 3$ and because it will last a few months it is has a pretty good value per $.
Once it will run out I will try Weleda’s lip balm and then I will do a side by side comparison. In the mean time, if you are looking to switch to a more natural lip balm, I would recommand Badger’s balm.
