Some tips for choosing the best lip balm

Whether you spend most of the winter outside or inside, tis the season for dry, chapped lips. All those overheated rooms and raw, cold winds can do a number on even the hardiest of kissers. And there are literally scores (if not hundreds) of lip balms available, ranging from inexpensive drugstore brands to pricey boutique products. Although we found plenty of lip balm reviews, the sheer number of products makes finding consensus and choosing the best lip balm incredibly difficult, if not impossible. However, we did find some agreement among experts regarding what to look for when choosing a lip balm.

Read the ingredients label. Expert sources we consulted, including MayoClinic.com and AOLHealth.com, say petrolatum and beeswax do the best job of keeping lips moist. Petrolatum (also known as petroleum jelly, the stuff Vaseline is made of) is a common ingredient found in popular lip balms such as ChapStick Classic and Carmex. Although the Food and Drug Administration does not consider petrolatum to be a health hazard (something echoed by cosmetics expert and author Paula Begoun), others disagree. The Environmental Working Group, for instance, says petrolatum is a possible carcinogen and should be avoided. If this is a concern for you, you might want to consider a lip balm that uses beeswax, rather than petrolatum, such as Burt's Bees Beeswax Lip Balm or Badger Lip Balm.

Pick a lip balm with sunscreen. According to WebMD, your lips can be damaged by ultraviolet rays even in the coldest of conditions. For instance, it may only be 20 degrees on the ski slope, but that bright white snow can reflect the  sun's rays, intensifying your exposure. Several manufacturers make lip balms with an SPF factor of 15 or higher, including brands such as Blistex and Vaseline Lip Therapy.

Sensitive skin? Avoid potential irritants. Menthol, camphor and eucalyptus or peppermint oil, used in some lip balms, creates a soothing, cooling sensation on chapped lips. But several sources we consulted, including Paula Begoun and WebMD, say these ingredients actually can make dry lips even drier or irritate sensitive skin. Lip balms like Carmex and Burt's Bees use such ingredients. However, we also read comments by many consumers who say they love the feel of lip balms that use such ingredients and report no such irritation. 

Don't lick your lips. No matter what lip balm you choose, experts say you should avoid the temptation to lick your lips to keep them moist. You'll wear off the balm faster, and doing so will further irritate your sore lips.  

Want to know more about choosing the best lip balm? There are more lip balm brands (and reviews) than we could count, making the goal of choosing the best lip balm next to impossible because of lack of consensus. That said, we found a number of recommendations in normally reliable sources, including The Times of London, New York Magazine, and Real Simple magazine. More information can be found on websites, such as eco-minded Grist.org, retailer Drugstore.com, and the beauty channel at About.com (Note: ComsumerSearch is owned by About.com, but the two don't share an editorial affiliation).