I know that, to some of you at least, the idea of using a lip balm may sound a bit girly. I know this because I experience these sort of remarks from my friends on a regular basis.
Of course, they do not bother me one bit, because I believe that a real man is the one who takes good care of his body and his skin; and owning the best lip balm for men is nothing to be ashamed of, in fact, girl love guys who take good care of themselves.
Anyways, the topic of today`s article is (you guessed it) lip balm! We will be discussing some of the most common reasons why it is advisable to wear it on a regular basis, why it is important to choose the right one if you have chapped or dry lips, eczema, herpes or just looking for a good way to protect your lips.
Why You Should Wear Lip Balm Even If You Are A Man?
The skin of the lips is generally 3 to 5 times thinner than the skin on the rest of our face (source: Wikipedia). Skin cells of the lips also contain less pigment, which is why the blood vessels appear through the skin, giving our lips that lovely red color.
For this reason, the skin on the lips is very sensitive and require some TLC. Not only that, wearing proper lip balm with sun protection can shield us from developing skin cancer (tell that to those friends that think wearing lip balm is girly)!
Lip Skin Problems Lip Balm For Men Can Help You With
Chapped Lips
Many people believe that chapped lips only occur during the cold winter months, but the truth is you can develop them during the summer as well.
What happens is you lips dehydrate. Since the skin is so thin, the lips can lose moisture up to 10 times faster than the rest of your skin (source: WebMD). Once the lips become dehydrated, they are very fragile and cracks and splits may appear.
And, of course, there is the infamous “lips licking,” which can actually make the problem even worse. Even though the saliva from your tongue might give you that instant relief, as it evaporates it will dehydrate your skin even further. So, licking chapped lips is a big no-no!
Cold Sores
Cold sores are small blisters that can develop on the lips, caused by herpes simplex virus. They usually last 7-10 days and go away on their own.
And even though lip balm cannot help you get rid of cold sores faster, some ingredients fount within it (menthol or camphor for example) may help make cold sores more bearable by soothing your skin.
Eczema
Lip eczema, or eczematous cheilitis, is a nasty inflammation of the lips which can cause redness, dryness and scaling of the skin on the lips (source: Dermnetnz).
The cause of the eczema might vary, but it is usually treated with moisturizers or topical corticosteroids.
And if you are suffering from it, I have found just the thing for you, it`s called X-zema Balm. This product has been around for quite some time, yet not a lot of people know about it.
And if you are interested in looking more into it, you can check out its official Amazon product page if you click the image below:
Exfoliative cheilitis
Exfoliative cheilitis is a condition where the skin of the lips becomes thick, dry, flaky and constantly peeling off… leaving new, raw skin exposed. Needless to say, it can be painful and hard to deal with.
As for treatment, you will need to do a lot more than just using a lip balm, but it is a vital part of the combination. You should advise your doctor and seek his help, meanwhile use a mild, soothing lip balm.
Choosing The Best Lip Balm For Men!
If you went out to buy a lip balm right now, chances are you wouldn`t put a lot of effort or thought into it. Women tend to put much more thought into this process and men usually laugh at them for doing so, but… don`t hate me for saying this guys, we need to do the same!
You need to take a lot of factors into consideration. In fact, to help you make the best possible decision, we are going to list the main factors you should take into consideration when choosing a lip balm:
- SPF – SPF stands for sun protection factor (you can read more about it in our previous article “Best Sunscreen For Men“). As I mentioned earlier, skin on the lips is really sensitive and you should protect it form the harmful UV rays (especially if you work outdoors). So what can you do? Well, you need to find a lip balm with SPF of at least 10. Neutrogena is one of the leading authorities on this matter, and if you are looking for a lip moisturizer with SPF of 15, their “Norwegian formula” is the way to go!
- Moisturizing – know that your lips will quickly dehydrate in cold, windy and dry weather and if you want to avoid chapping you should protect them on time. Luckily, the Norwegian formula we mentioned earlier will help you take care of this problem as well!
- Sensitive skin – if you have sensitive skin, you probably invested a lot more time looking for the right personal hygiene products then any other guy you know. But this is a good thing, as it will help you make better choices when it comes to lip balm. Nevertheless, I wanted to help you and found the perfect, natural tea tree oil balm, which is perfect for sensitive skin!
- Everyday use – I understand that the Norwegian formula is a bit more expensive, so if you are just looking for a cheap lip balm to use on a daily basis, you can grab Chapstick Classic pack of 3 with SPF factor of 4 for just over $5.
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