 |
|
BANG FOR THE BITE
If 10,000 Biters opt for a bottle of Un-Petroleum instead of Vaseline, we'll avert the weight of 15 teenagers in petrolatum.
COCKTAIL FACT
Vaseline's founder, Richard Chesebrough, traveled around NY demo-ing the product by burning his skin with acid, then spreading Vaseline on the injury and showing healed past injuries.
| SAVE TO MY BITES |  |
FORWARD TO A FRIEND:
RATE THIS TIP:
How useful is this tip to you?
(5 is the highest)
home › tip library › Petrolatum Alternatives
Could the shine of your skin fuel an oil lamp?
The Bite
It could if your soft-as-a-baby's-butt-ness comes from products made from petrolatum (aka oil). Petrolatum's an ingredient in a lot of body products (lip balm, moisturizer, mustache wax), and it's made from petroleum. Luckily, switching to eco-fab alternatives is even less painful than seeing shiny-faced teen photos of yourself.The Benefits
- Leaving oily to the pubescent. Unlike alternatives such as coconut oil, petroleum is not a renewable resource, so once it's gone, it's gone.
- Protecting your health. Petrolatum's already listed as a probable human carcinogen under the EU's Dangerous Substances Directive, but it's found in one out of 14 body-care products in the United States.
- Better options are plentiful. Petrolatum's in a lot of products, but you don't have to give up lip balm - or 'stache wax - since there are plenty of great alternatives.
Personally Speaking
In her teens, Heather used Vaseline to moisturize and gloss up her lips, like, 10 times a day, but swears that Un-Petroleum Jelly does the job just as well, if not better.Wanna Try?
Avoid cosmetics that include petrolatum on their ingredients lists - and check out our faves:- Un-Petroleum Jelly - has the consistency of PJ but made with beeswax and coconut oil ($5).
- Professor Edward J. Fuzzworthy's Gentleman's Organic Beard Care Gloss - organic mustache wax made with beeswax, and jojoba and olive oils ($15).
- Eco Lips Lip Balm - tons of lip-savers made with veggie oils ($4).
Jan 08,2008
Sponsor
All editorial suggestions in this tip are the result of testing and a preference for the tip topic. No advertiser has paid to have its company referenced in the tip. For more information, please read our Editorial Policy.
Lubed Lips
Ever wonder how much lipstick, lipgloss, moisturizer, liptint you have been ingesting?
I mean, they make these things flavored, for crying out loud. I even remember getting Bonnie Bell Lipsmackers as a kid and eating the bubble gum flavor tube. The whole tube.
Looking back, now that I know so much more about cosmetics products and the ingredients that go into them, I'm sort of skeeved out by the thought that I ate so much petroleum. It's one thing to pour it into your car. Somewhat more disgusting to think about actually ingesting the stuff.
-Heather... off to put some shea butter on my lips...
Biter Comments...
I love these tips! I have been trying to find a lip balm/conditioner that does not contain petroleum, unfortunately every one I have tried has caused an allergic reaction. Not a good thing when you are trying to treat dry, chapped lips! Then I have swollen, red, chapped lips. I have tried Kiss My Face Lip Balm, Blooming Lotus Lip Conditioner, CO Bigelow Lip Conditioner(I know it contains Petrolatum,I was going for Not Animal Tested at the time) and most recently Zum Kiss CocoZKiss by Indigo Wild. These are not cheap products and it is very frustrating. All these products have various specific ingredients, a lot with essential oils. I was wondering if any one knows of a very mild lip balm/conditioner? Or what it is that is the most likely culprit to cause the allergic reaction and products that do not contain them? I don't want to have to go back to using the "bad" stuff!
Lanie
Try Sun Dog. It is made by a nice lady named Sue who lives a couple valleys over from me. She sold to Dr. Bronner's but it is still her very simple recipe. I use the unscented which is called 'naked'. It is wonderful stuff. I too have allergies to nut oils and fragrances and have a hard time finding 'safe' lip treatments. I swear by Sun Dog.
www.drbronner.com or look at your local coop or health food store.
Peace, Kris
There are loads of amazing organic lip balms out there now and a lot of them are mild and made for people with sensitive skin. There's a site called http://www.futurenatural.com which has the best organic & natural beauty brands, where you can get several different types. Hamadi, Mod.Skin Labs, John Masters (and Pangea) all make awesome balms. Farmaesthetics make an amazing vaseline alternative called Hand to Heel Softening Salve http://www.futurenatural.com/page99859.html?lnum=43862
and Suki make one called Butter Cream Salve that's also really great.
Oh, and Heather ... I used to eat the ones with the glitter in them!! UGH - god only knows what kind of heavy metals I ingested on top of the petroleum by-products. How is it legal to sell that stuff to starry eyed little girls who love bubblegum & glitter?! Off to use my Hamadi balm ...
Another ingredient to look out for is squalane or squalene -- generally derived from sharks' livers. Sharks are practically a nonrenewable resource, given their naturally low reproductive rate and the high numbers that are still taken. Then there's the issue of sharks being too amazing and grand to be rendered into goo to smear on our dry lips and faces.
You're right - it's a travesty! Thank god that all the squalane used in authentically natural & organic beauty products is derived mostly from olives. Amen to that.
EATING lip balm?!?! EWWWWW!!! Anyway, my lower lip (and ONLY my lower lip, for some reason) gets SO chapped, peely, and sore that I need a heavy duty, medicated lip balm, so Blistex's Lip Medex is my balm of choice. It's the ONLY lip balm I've found that heavy duty enough for my needs. Could there possibly be any of those non-petroleum lip balms that would be that strong?
Disgusting I know but when you're a kid and there's glitter and bubblegum involved ... well, what can I say! You should definitely try the hand to heel softening salve from Farmaesthetics. They talk about it being used by sailors, workmen, dancers - pretty much anyone who's skin (lips, elbows, feet, etc...) is prone to extreme dryness. Blistex Medex could be your problem. Let me explain: mineral oils and petroleum derived waxes or jelly (which Blistex is), don't allow the skin to breathe and prevent it from performing it's natural functions. The result is that the skin overcompensates for what it perceives it isn't getting because it's blocked from being sent the right messages. When you use natural plant waxes, oils and nut butters, they have a natural affinity with skin and get readily absorbed because the body perceives the ingredients as food, and allocates all the nutrients accordingly. There are no nutrients in mineral oil or petrolatum.
I've also found the Mod.Skin Lab lip balm works wonders too.
If you want to try a great all natural lip balm you must try ChopSaver. (www.Chopsaver.com) Invented by a prof. Trumpet player and used by musicians all over the world, so they know their lips.
NO petrolatum, aloe, vit. E and SHEA butter the main ingredient. Even derms recommend it to their patients. IT's great!
I bought a brand of chapstick at my favorite little organic store called "Sun Lipcare - Alba Botanica." It explicitly states that it's non-petroleum. I don't know if it's super strong, but I really like it. Their site is http://avalonorganics.com/.
What about Burt's Bees? They don't explicitly state non-petroleum but they apparently don't test on animals.
Kris, Emma and everyone else:
Thank you for your suggestions! I will most definitely be checking them out. I am in great need of that one (preferably more) non-paraben, non-petroleum, not animal tested lip balm/conditioner that will heal rather than hurt my lips! Keep the suggestions coming. XX
What about good ol' Burt?
Emma, Jessica, Rhea, et al.,
Thanks so much for your suggestions for possible, petrolatum-free alternatives to my Lip Medex. It certainly couldn't hurt to give 'em a try at least!
Thanks again!
Emma P.,
I just checked out the Farmaesthetics Hand-to-Heel Softening Salve on Amazon.com. $22.00?!?!? YIKES!!! WAY too expensive for me! It SHOULD be good for THAT price!
Linda I totally understand - it's a wow when you think of how much a stick of lip balm is. Bear in mind this though: a stick of lip balm contains about .25oz of product; the hand to heel softening salve comes in a big 2.5oz pot so it'll last you AGES and you can use it on other dry areas too. You could always go with the Mod.Skin, John Masters or Hamadi lip balms which are all organic, contain similar ingredients to the softening salve, and they're all around the $6.00 mark. I know too that Futurenatural give out free samples of other things + have a cool environmental stance if you want to buy from them rather than Amazon.
As for Burts Bees, call me pedantic but I'd rather use organic not just natural and I'm still on the fence with how I feel about Burts Bees being purchased by the Chlorox parent company. Plus I find their lip balm a little waxy for my liking and their products are not as well formulated as I like either. It's totally my personal preference though!
ChopSaver retails for $4.95, some stores carry it at $4.50. (but it is sold mostly in music stores) In addition to being made with Shea butter and Mango butter. It has four herbs that are unique in their healing properties. White willow, arnica, calendula, and comfrey. The reason musicians (in particular) love it is because they find that it actually helps reduce the soreness they get from playing, Dermatologists are now coming on board because of it's healing properties and they find that patients on acutane don't have the dry lip problems that they normally complain about. I have converted many of my friends to the product! Good luck!
Emma, I'll check out Futurenatural. If they give out FREE samples of lip balm, then I am SO there. (I guess "free" is everyone's favorite price. I know it's mine!)
And Rhea, I haven't see ChopSaver in any of the stores I frequent, but I did check out their website and bookmarked it, so I've got their info at my fingertips.
Thanks again, both of you!
You know, I know a Heather who ate her chapstick too... and she was teased mercilessly. ;)
Another great natural, no mineral oil, no fragrance lip balm is Arbonne Lip Saver. It does have a few chemicals in because it is SPF 30. But I love that stuff! I put it on really heavy at night before bed and when I wake up.... No more chapped lips! And just FYI the average woman ingests 4.5 pounds of lipstick in a lifetime. I am sure they are not taking into effect those that eat whole tubes - ICK!
Linda! Desert Essence Shea Butter Lip Rescue, $1.83 at my hippie store. Hugo Naturals Vanilla and Sweet Orange balm, $2.48. Both fabulous, buttery, and smooth. All good ingredients, free of petroleum products, and work so well that I'd never go back to my Blistex. Underneath, when I'm going to be out and about, Alba Sun SPF 18 balm. It's a little tacky and regular-Chapstick-y, so I layer one of the others on top.
The Bite does tend to spotlight pretty spendy products, but with a little poking around and advice, it's entirely possible to get what you need for a lot less. Good luck!
Drat. Forgot: the Alba SPF balm's about $3.50.
If you don't mind shopping there, Walmart has a brand called Back 2 Basics: Nature's Lipcare. 4 tubes of natural lip balm (chamomile, green tea, ylang ylang, and lavendar) for about $1.30. I've used the green tea before and not only has it lasted me months and keep my lips smooth and non-drying, but it's the only lip balm I've ever tried that doesn't have petroleum or taste nasty (no, I didn't eat it, I know how it tastes because putting it on your lips means you inevitably taste it).
The only other natural lip balm I've tried that works just as well is a regular vitamin e stick made from nothing but pure vitamin oil. Reviva makes one. Unfortunately, it's very hard to find in stores and even when you do find them, they've very expensive: almost $4 a tube plus tax. I would buy them in bulk through Amazon to save money except that the shipping costs are ridiculous. Point being that regular vitamin e oil is also a great lip conditioner if you can find it in an affordable, usable form.
i got this stuff from wal-mart and it is absolutely AMAZING!!! it's called back2basics. it comes in a pack of four tubes lavender, chamomile, green tea, and yleng-yleng. it's all natural and it feels so smooth on your lips. it's not too thick and it's not runny or greasy it's absolutely perfect you've all got to go try it. and did i mention it's all natural!!!!
PHOTO ALBUMS
Posted by: Annie | January 08, 2008 at 05:16 AM