I thought it might be nice to have a thread where us accutane-ers can share our experiences with different lip balms. I mean, it's the one thing we all have in common now right? An unusual interest in lip balms!
(I did search for something similar before starting this, but if I just missed it let me know!)
These are mine. Please add yours (even if the product has already been mentioned) and we'll see if anything emerges as a winner! Maybe this way we can save some people some money by avoiding the losers, and help people find some relief by getting some new ideas for products that can help!
- Carmex: still my HG lip balm. I much prefer the click-stick version to the pot or squeezy tube, or any of the flavours. I don't know if the formula is slightly different but it feels different to me!
- Aquaphor: After seeing so many good reviews I bought it, but I'm not too impressed with it on its own. It basically feels like vaseline, but a little bit nicer in my opinion. I do layer it under carmex at night though, and my lips are still fully coated in the morning.
- Palmer's Flipbalm: I think this is new? I got it because one of the flavours is 'creamy coconut' and I love coconut a lot! The lip balm itself smells amaaazzzing, but unfortunately it's very thin, and if I'm eating or drinking it will totally come off. The packaging is also very stupid. It's going for a 'eos' style round container which you 'flip' open. But it is next to impossible to open it without getting lip balm on your thumb as the top flips open.
- Blistex Happy Lips Mango: Again, I got it for the smell. And it smells great! It also feels good (and I normally find that scented / flavoured lip balms don't feel as good), this one is nice and thick and stayed on really quite well. I wouldn't feel confident enough to just rely on this the whole time, but it's worthy of being in the rotation.
- Blistex Relief Cream (used to be Blistexe): I remember this being the only thing that worked on my very chapped kips when I was younger. I got some when I knew I was going on accutane, but I haven't had to break into it yet. I know it's good though! Although I think it can sting a lot in first few minutes.
-Vaseline: I have never felt like vaseline does anything at all for me - actually I always felt like my lips were just continuing to get dry underneath the grease. I also don't like the smell of the normal one. I know a lot of people love it though!
(ps. I'm on 60mg a day)
Bite Agave Lip Mask is literally the only thing working for me right now (I'm on month 3 of Absorica). I use the clear one at night, and the red one during the day.
Burt's Beeswax lip balm is a distant second place. It used to be my go-to, but now even it doesn't cut it.
Any sort of petrolatum/petroleum-based (Vaseline, SoftLips, most other things) balm does nothing for me, and actually seems to make things vastly worse.
Dr. Dan's Cortibalm makes my lips itch.
Carmex is easily the best. It's a yellow Chapstick tube and usually "strawberry" flavored even tho I never taste any strawberry. Anyways when you open it you will immediately see it's not like other chap sticks. It's hard to explain but it's more vaseliney and might burn at first if you're lips are really cracked but unlike other chap sticks it really heals your lips quickly other than just alleviating dryness. It's dope I 100%recommend haha I wouldn't write such a long thing about a stick of Chapstick if I didn't really think it would help.
This Burt's Bees with Pomegranate oil is amazing, so silky smooth and feels like it really gets in to your lips and stays on for quite a while. My lips aren't major dry though yet so this might change.
When I use Carmex my lips feel loads worse when it has worn off, always has done his with me though.
For me the palmer's cocoa butter original lip formula (spf 15!) is amazing! It feels like oil or butter is melting into your lips. It lasts longer than vaseline/aquaphor etc. It sinks in, but you don't have to reapply instantaneously.
My HOLY GRAIL is the cle de peau lip balm. It's 50 bucks but it is worth IT!! seriously - only thing that truly saved my lips.
At night, I like BITE beauty agave lip mask because you don't have to reapply.