Why I stopped using lip balms?

August 25, 2017

This is the post I've been meaning to write for a few months now, and I see that you like to read these random types of posts because the "other" category here on the blog has the most views and reads. And I really like to write them, to get away from the reviews.

You might read the title and ask yourself: "What? Why would anyone do that?" or some similar questions. And I'm here to explain everything in great detail.

I don't know if you noticed this, but lip balms aren't what they used to be. Or I just didn't pay that much attention to them when I was younger. Until recently, I was appliying lip balms all the time, but my lips were still dry and chapped. But the biggest problem was, if I forgot to apply the lip balm one day, my lips became worse than ever in a matter of hours. That is why I carried some type of a lip balm in every bag and every pocket. If I stepped out of the house without the lip balm with me, I had to go buy a new one, because my lips were screaming for hydration (that is why I had a huge collection of lip balms, but didn't really love any of them). All of the colors and brands. I tried so many types of them, and didn't repurchase any of them. Which is saying something, because when you like something, you keep buying it. None of them didn't really nourish my lips, but I couldn't be without them.

I even stopped wearing lipsticks, because I had to take it off after a few hours, apply the lip balm and then re-apply the lipstick. I can't tell you how many times wearing lipstick was so uncomfortable and unbearable for me, that I was applying the lip balm over it over and over again, just to get rid of the dry feeling and trying to make the lipstick feel more comfortable. If there were times that I was wearing matte liquid lipstick, I wasn't able to apply the lip balm over it, and tommorow my lips would be so dry... They looked like they were left on the could windy day and someone threw salt on them, and then rubbing alcohol. I'm being dramatic now, but they really looked and felt chapped to the point of bleeding. I would usually spend the next week trying to get them to heal, so I could wear lipstick again. And I was back at the beggining. A circle with no exit. I never suspected that it could be the lip balm. But how, they are suppose to moisture and nourish the lips. They aren't suppose to make them worse?! It must be the food I was eating, or I wasn't drinking enough water, the lipsticks are drying out my lips... I had so many explanations and reasons why. Let me be clear, I was doing the regular mild scrubs when I felt needed, and honey masks (which did help for a while).

Cutting off the lip balms from my life and realizing that they were the issu, happened, literally, over night. It actually happened over a year ago, and since then, I've been trying to find the best way that will really nourish and moisturize my lips, not just on the surface. To be honest, I always thought it was weird that most of the lips balms had that first layer that felt really good, and as you keep using it, it becomes worse and worse. Also, the more I kept using it, the more my lips were needing it. Wasn't it suppose to be the other way around?

I didn't know how to explain it other than it was addicting. And me being me, interested in every form of conspiracy theories I read one in particual that changed my life forever - it was about the lip balms. The theory goes: companies put the tiny microscopic bits of shredded glass in lip balms, so when you feel like they are healing you lips, that is just momentarily. These bits and pieces of glass make tiny cuts in your lips - resulting in even more damaged surface, so it makes you use the lip balm over and over again. The neverending circle of healing and damaging your lips at the same time. MIND BLOWN.

All of the problems I had with using the lip balms for over a decade, were sudenly explained. The truth or not, it seems realistic enough for me. And - the biggest reason for me to never touch any of the lip balms ever again. But, the period of getting used to be without them wasn't easy, beacause you feel like your lips are the driest they ever been, and you feel the need to keep licking them. Don't do that. It will make it worse. For me actually, thing were even harder, because I didn't find the replacement right away and I was trying out so many things. So learn from my mistakes. But lets start from the begining, with the things that did work.

These are the things I do use right now, not all at the same time, but I kinda grab whatever is closer to the reach at the moment.

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Ovaj post spremam već nekoliko mjeseci, a vidim da su ovakvi random postovi, odnosno moja kategorija "other", jedni od najčitanijih na blogu. A i ja ih volim pisati, da se maknemo od recenzija.

Možda ćeš pročitati naslov posta i zapitati se: "Molim? Zašto?" ili neka slična pitanja. E pa tu sam da vam objasnim u detalje.

Ne znam jeste li primijetile, ali balzami za usne nisu kao što su nekad bili. Ili bar ja nisam toliko obraćala pažnju na to dok sam bila mlađa. Mazuckala sam se stalno do nedavno, ali usne su i dalje bile ispucale i suhe. Najveći problem je bio što bi mi, ako bih slučajno zaboravila nanijeti balzam na usne kroz nekoliko sati, usne ispucale gore nego što su ikad bile. Zato sam u svakoj torbi, svakom džepu i pretincu imala po jedan balzam. Svih boja, oblika i brendova. Probala sam toliko različitih balzama, i nijedan nisam kupila dva puta (što govori nešto, jer kad mi se nešto svidi, kupujem to ponovo). Ako bih slučajno izašla iz kuće bez balzama, usne bi mi vrištale za njegom, pa sa nebrojeno put otišla u trgovinu samo da ih imam čime namazati. ako se stvorila kolekcija od preko nekoliko balzama, svih vrsta, ali nijedan nije radio ono što sam željela od njega. Ni jedan nije njegovao usne i popravljao im stanje, ali bez balzama nisam mogla.

Situacija je došla do toga da sam prestala nositi i ruževe, jer bih ga morala skidati svako malo, nanijeti balzam i opet stavljati ruž. Ne mogu vam nabrojati koliko puta sam osjećala toliku nelagodu noseći ruž, da bih preko njega mazala hrpu balzama, samo da ne budu suhe i da ruž bude ugodniji. Ili ako to ne bih radila, recimo kad bih nosila mat tekuće ruževe, sutradan bi mi usne izgledale kao da su provele dva mjeseca na buri, da je netko bacao sol na njih, a onda ih zalio alkoholom. Karikiram da, ali bile su ispucale do krvi. Provela bih po tjedan dana u liječenju, da bih mogla nositi ruževe, a onda kad bih ga nosila, vratila sam se na početak. Začarani krug iz kojeg nije bilo izlaza. Nikada nisam niti posumnjala da bi moglo biti do balzama. Pa kako, on njeguje usne, nemoguće da ih on čini gorima?! Sigurno je do hrane, ne pijem dovoljno tekućine, ruževi mi isušuju usne... Našla sam hrpu razloga i opravdanja, ali nikada rješenje. Da se razumijemo, da, radim blage pilinge usana često, kako tada, tako i sad, i maske od meda (koje su čak i pomagale trenutačno).

Izbacivanje balzama za usne i shvaćanja da su oni ti koji su problematični za moje usne, se dogodio preko noći. Ali doslovno. Dogodilo se to prije više od godinu dana, te od tada pokušavam pronaći zamjenu koja će zaista njegovati usne, ne samo površinski. Da budem iskrena, oduvijek mi je bilo sumnjivo kako na većini balzama, ona prvi gornji dio kao da super njeguje, a onda što ga više koristiš, bude sve lošiji. Također, zašto što više ga nanosim, usne ga i više traže. Zar ne bi trebalo biti obrnuto?

Nisam imala drugog objašnjenja nego da izaziva ovisnost. A ja kakva jesam, zainteresirana za teorije zavjere svih oblika i vrsta, naišla sam na jednu koja mi je promijenila život - vezanu uz balzame za usne. Teorija ide ovako: brendovi u balzame za usne stavljaju male sitne, gotovo mikroskopske čestice i komadiće stakla, tako da, iako njeguju, to je samo trenutačno, jer ti komadići rade sitne porezotine na površini kože, kako bi usne bile još oštećenije i ispucale, te te tako natjerali da češće koristiš balzam, a samim time padaš u začarani krug oštećivanja i zaliječivanja usana. MIND BLOWN.

Svi problemi koje sam imala s usnama i sve što sam primijetila kroz desetljeće korištenja balzama, je opisano i objašnjeno. Bilo istina ili ne, meni se čini dovoljno realno, a samim time i dovoljan razlog da više nikada ne posegnem za ikojim balzamom za usne. Ipak, period "odvikavanja" nije bio ni malo lagan, pogotovo jer imaš osjećaj da su ti usne suše nego ikada, pa ih imaš potrebu stalno oblizivati. Nemoj. To će napraviti stvar još gorom. Također, kod mene je išlo još malo sporije jer nisam odmah našla dovoljno dobru zamjenu, već sam isprobavala svašta. Zato uči na mojim greškama. No idemo redom. stvarima koje jesu pomogle.

Ovo je postava koju trenutno koristim. Ne koristim sve odjednom, već kako što imam pri ruci.

First I started using calendula cream, that my mom was using at the time. Even thought it did help a bit in a transition period and didn't leave my lips feeling dry, I noticed that it didn't make my lips worse, but didn't really moisture them as well. After I researched it, I realized why is that - it contains vaseline, pertoleum jelly, that creates the barier between the skin and the surroundings, protecting it; but on its own, it doesn't nourish or moisturise the skin at all. Which means nothing could penetrate the lips underneath. I stopped using the cream and anything that cointained petroleum jelly.

Then I remembered Melem, because at the time I was using it for anything and everything - it was already part of my regular skincare routine. Melem did make thing better, much better, but I had to re-apply it fairly often because my lips were damaged.

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Najprije sam počela koristiti nevenovu kremu, što je otkrila moja mama. Iako je pomagala pri odvikavanju jer nisam imala onaj osjećaj suhoće usana, primijetila sam da ona ne čini stanje gorima, ali niti ne popravlja stanje - ne njeguje usne. Guglajući i istraživajući, shvatila sam da je to zato što sadrži vazelin, petroleleum jelly, koji napravi zaštitni sloj na koži, tako da ju štiti od vanjskih utjecaja, ali sam po sebi, ne njeguje. Što bi značilo da ništa nije prodiralo u kožu usana. Prekrižila sam ju i izbjegavala sve što ima išta takvo u sastavu.

Onda sam se sjetila Melema, jer sam ga koristila na svemu i svačemu, te je ionako već bio dio moje rutine njege kože. Melem je popravljao stanje, njegovao je usne i zaliječivao ispucalost, ali još uvijek to nije bilo to i često sam ih morala mazuckati jer su bile dosta suhe i oštećene.

Zagrebački Melem

Then I discovered coconut oil. I was using it for many thing - cooking and skincare. Also, doing my research (which I suggest you all do), I realized it was comedogenic and you shoudn't apply it on your face, especially on acne prone skin. So I would try to apply it just on the eye area, because my skin was feeling extra dry, and I still haven't found good eyecream. I wasn't thrilled with the effect of the coconut oil - the results weren't that visible.

So, I also stated using it on the lips. Someone on the Instagram told me that they put coconut oil in their coffee so I tried it out too. After you drink your coffee, there is a little bit of greasy and slippery coconut oil residue on the lips, but it did nourish the lips better than and lip balm. But the thing is - it disappears from the lips in minutes. Which meant I had to carry it with me and re-apply it every 20-30 minutes, 2-3 times, to get it to moisturize the lips. It was too much work and time consuming. I didn't want to do that and I was on using Melem again, which stayed on the lips much longer.

I did use up a few jars of the Coconut oil from DM, but now I'm on this one from Lidl, which it pretty empty too. They are the same, but now when it is warmer outside, if you leave it in the room temperatue, it will melt and become clear liquid, like in the photo, so keep it in the fridge.

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Onda sam otkrila kokosovo ulje. Koristila bih ga za sve - što od kuhanja, pa do njege lica. Isto tako istražujući (što vam svima govorim da uvijek radite), saznala sam da je komedogen i da se ne preporučuje stavljati ga na lice, pogotovo ne na lice sklono aknama. Zato bih ga stavljala samo na područje oko očiju, navečer, jer mi je to područje extra suho, a još uvijek nisam pronašla dobru okoloočnu kremu. Nisam baš bila oduševljena rezultatima, odnosno, nisu bili nešto očiti.

Također sam ga nanosila i na usne, a to sam slučajno otkrila. Netko mi je na Instagramu rekao da kokosovo ulje stavlja u kavu, pa sam i ja počela. Nakon popijene kave, ostao bi taj klizavi masni trag na usnama i primijetila sam da ih njeguje bolje nego svi balzami koje sam do tada probala, ali da brzo nestane s usana. Što je značilo da ga moram stalno imati sa sobom i stalno ponovno nanositi. To za mene nije bila opcija jer mi se jednostavno nije dalo nanositi ga svakih 20-30 minuta 2 do 3 puta, dok ne nahrani usne, pa bih nanosila Melem koji ipak duže ostaje na usnama.

Potrošila sam nekoliko teglica kokosovog ulja iz DM-a, a sada koristim ovo iz Lidla. Ustvari, skoro pa je i potrošeno. Jednako su mi dobri, samo što se topi na sobnom temperaturi čim malo zatopli i bude ovako proziran kao na slici, pa ga treba držati u hladnjaku.

Bio Coconut oil

The coconut oil + Melem combo did work very well - my lips weren't as dry, the lipstick felt comfortable, and there were hours that I didn't feel the need to apply something on my lips. Until a few months ago when I discovered something even better. I was at Čoksas place, snooping around and seeing what new makeup shes been buying recently, and she told me abour Shea butter. She got it for the dry patches on her skin, and since my nose was peeling and dry, I tried it out one evening. By the morning when I woke up, my skin never felt better.

Since then, I've been using it every day for so many things. But, mostly on the lips. Shea butter is in a soild form, so I scoop a bit with my nail (and clean hands!) and apply to the lips. As you start to massage it, it melts a bit. It is thick and greasy, but not slippery as coconut oil, so it stays on the lips for much, much longer.

I usually apply it ever morning and night, and before wearing any lipstick or lip pencil. Even though I don't really feel the need to re-apply it during the day, I have to have it with me all the times. I put some of it in a empty Melem jar - it is easier than carry around the whole jar.

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Kombinacija kokos + Melem je vrlo dobro radila svoj posao do prije nekoliko mjeseci. Usne mi nisu bile toliko ispucale, ruževi su mi bili ugodni na usnama, a znalo bi proći i po nekoliko sati da ne nanesem ništa na usne. A onda sam otkrila nešto još bolje. Bila sam kod Čokse, i naravno, gledala što sve novo ima kod nje, te mi je tako rekla za Karite maslac. Kaže da ga je kupila jer joj se koža ljuštila, a kako se i moj nos tada ljuštio, isprobala sam ga jednu večer. Prespavala sam, a ujutro mi se koža nikada nije osjećala bolje.

Od tada ga koristim svaki dan, za sve i svašta. No, najviše ga koristim na usnama. Karite maslac je u čvrstom obliku, pa ga zagrabim malo noktom (čistim rukama) i nanesem na usne. Kako ga razmazuješ, tako se krene topiti. Masan je, ali ne klizav kao kokosovo ulje, pa puno duže ostaje na usnama.

Na usne ga nanosim ujutro i navečer, te obavezno prije nošenja bilo kakvog ruža ili olovke. Iako najčešće nemam potrebe nanositi ga preko dana, moram a imati sa sobom uvijek i svud. Odvojila sam dio u praznu posudicu od Melema, pa ga nosim sa sobom jer je tako praktičnije.

Karite maslac / Shea butter

I can't even begin to tell you how this changed my life. I am now able to wear any kind of lipstick, Even the liquid listick aren't that uncomfortable to wear anymore. I am not afraid anymore that I would have to take it off in the midle of the day, or that my lips will look bad the next day. It also makes any lipstick much easier to wear, it looks better and feels better on the lips. My lips are almost never chapped anymore, I don't have to use scrubs at all, because there aren't any dead skin of the surface of the lips anymore. Also, there are days that I don't feel the need to moisture my lips.

If you have the same problems as I did, or you just want to make your lips look and feel better, and you only want to buy one thing from these I showed you - get the Shea butter. It gives the best results and you can use it for so many things because it is very benefitial to the skin. I will talk about that in one of the upcoming skincare posts, but until then - take care of every part of your skin.

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Ne mogu ti opisati kolika je ovo promjena za mene. Napokon mogu nositi sve ruževe, svaki dan, bez straha da ću ih u sred dana morati skidati ili da će mi sutradan usne izgledati užasno. Također, svaki ruž se ljepše nanosi i doslovno klizi po usnama. Usne mi gotovo pa nikada nisu ispucale, pilinge nemam potrebu raditi toliko često jer nema onih nakupljenih mrtvih stanica na površini usana, a često prođe i po nekoliko dana da na usne ne nanesem ništa jer su njegovane i nahranjene.

Ako imaš istih problema kao ja, ili samo želiš popraviti stanje svojih usana, a želiš kupiti samo jednu od stvari koje sam tu navela - preporučujem Karite maslac. Može se pronaći u gotovo svim ljekarnama po cijeni od oko 30-40 kuna. Daje najbolje rezultate, a korisit ćeš ga za sve, ne samo za usne, jer je odličan za kožu. O tome u nekom drugom skincare postu, a do tada - vodite brigu o svakom dijelu svoje kože.

8 komentari

UnknownAugust 25, 2017 12:57 PM
Sve sto si opisala se dogada sa mnom. Vec godinama nisam napustila prostoriju bez balzama za usne, ne mogu ni zamisliti da ostanem nekako bez njega. Svjesna sam da to nije dobro za usne, ali nikako da nadem neku prakticnu zamjenu, probala sam i ja kokosovo ulje ali mi je jako neprakticno, previse masno i mogu ga koristit samo kad sam doma. Ovaj karite maslac me bas zainteresirao, gdje se kod nas moze nabavit i po kojoj cijeni? Super post 😀😀
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Beauty WonderlustAugust 25, 2017 1:29 PM
Znam kako ti je! Možeš ga pronaći u skoro svim ljekarnama, a cijena je oko 30-40 kuna. :)
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AnonymousAugust 25, 2017 10:36 PM
Nanosis li ikada karite maslac na cijelo lice? Cula sam da je jako dobar za oziljke, suhu kozu i svasta nesto.:)
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LelaAugust 29, 2017 6:16 PM
E ovako, ta teorija meni baš i ne drži vodu. Da zapravo stavljaju komadiće stakla u balzame, oni bi ujedno obavljali i piling, zar ne? I ne bi se skupljala osušena koža na dehidriranim usnama.
Patila sam od istog problema, bila ovisna o balzamima, a kao što kažeš, jedan gori od drugoga i nijedan nije pomagao. Onda sam nabasala na par blogerica koje su pisale o sastojcima u kozmetici i shvatila da je problem u sastavu. Većina balzama se bazira na kojekakvim silikonima, mineralnim uljima, i gore navedenom petroleum jelly. Svi odreda samo stoje na koži, ali ne prodiru duboko i ne njeguju je. Crkla sam tražeći neke koji zapravo imaju njegujuća ulja u sebi (jer moja prirodno suha koža traži njegu i ne mogu baš bez ičega) pa imam neke preporuke:
U Mulleru se može naći ovaj, najdraži mi je mango: https://www.google.ba/search?q=bee+natural+beeswax+lip+balm&rlz=1C1GGRV_enBA751BA752&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj7ntyq6vzVAhWqDsAKHagiDKYQ_AUICigB&biw=1366&bih=662#imgrc=_00PHfJQIxQgFM:
U Bipi i Dm-u nekad nađem ovaj https://www.google.ba/search?q=himalaya+lip+balm&rlz=1C1GGRV_enBA751BA752&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjNl-Pb6vzVAhWGKMAKHYh2AtoQ_AUICigB&biw=1366&bih=662#imgrc=MZp6Wh_3cdMk5M:
A ok mi je i https://www.google.ba/search?q=alverde+lip+balm+calendula&rlz=1C1GGRV_enBA751BA752&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjU8sTv6vzVAhUEJMAKHbKkAe4Q_AUICigB&biw=1366&bih=662#imgrc=osM7WMEeciYroM: , ali gornja dva su mi draža. Svi su do 20kn ako se ne varam.
S njima se konstantno mazanje usana svelo na 2-3 puta u cijelom danu pa se nadam da će i tebi odgovarati :)
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pink beeSeptember 04, 2017 8:15 PM
meni je isto jako dobar himalaya...ali ovaj: Intensive Moisturizing Cocoa Butter Lip Balm
ne topi se, uvijek je iste konzistencije, što mi je super po ljeti kao podloga za ruž jer ne "dopušta" da se ruž topi.
..iako, ponekad, a posebno u zadnje vrijeme mi usne znaju biti jako suhe pa ću zasigurno probati i s karite maslacem.
hvala na dobrom članku ;)
p.s. slučajno sam naletjela na tvoj blog i mogu ti reći da mi se baš sviđa
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