Why lip glosses and balms don't hydrate lips
Joshua Zeichner, a New York-based dermatologist said there are two issues that can arise when using lip balm.
"First, if it has a potentially irritating ingredient, it can cause inflammation and loss of hydration," he tells Real Simple. "This, in turn, causes your lips to need more moisture so you keep applying the product and it turns into a vicious cycle."
He says to check the ingredients and avoid products with a fragrance, menthol, or salicylic acid.
The second problem occurs when you continue to use lip-gloss containing occlusive ingredients like petroleum. While these create a barrier to protect your skin, they also make your lips "lazy" and over time they will stop hydrating themselves naturally.
"These formulas create an artificial barrier to lock in moisture, but when overused, can cause lips to become lazy because the skin doesn't have to work to maintain its own hydration level," Zeichner explains.
You have to go through the dry spell to get lips back to normal and working on their own again before applying another balm. So to avoid this, stick with products that are free of nasties like Bepanthen. It's worth the $9 investment.
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