Here are a few tips for storing, using and taking care of your lip balms!

1. If you have a LOT of lip balm like me, make sure you ROTATE your use of them. Like, say, use two different ones and change it up just so that you make sure you make good use of the ones you’ve got. It’s always nice to have variety right? And it also combats the possibility of reliance. YEAH it’s possible. Some people use it so much that they become accustomed to using it and reliance goes to dependency. NOW, not saying that this is easily reached (you’d have to use the same lip balm every day, constantly for like a year or two) but this is just a reason to switch things up.

2. Store in a Cool, DRY place. Make sure you keep track of them (especially if they cost more than say $2.00) because it’s a wasted investment if you find them at the bottom of your clean laundry…half melted from the dryer. Also! Olive oil based lip balms need to be stored in COOLER places in the summer. DO NOT LEAVE THEM IN THE SUN. They will melt. and get all over the place. AND don’t leave any lip balms in the car during the summer. That’s just asking for you to buy a new one.

3. KNOW the expiration date. EXHIBIT A:

"BB 08/12" uhh check the date, Alex. It’s JANUARY 2013. FML. My organic Olive Oil lip balm expired. Not saying you can’t use it…because you totally can. It’s most likely stale and smells bad…or the intended smell is gone. What a waste. It was $4.00 :( boo hoo.

4. Instant Moisturizer. Excess lip balm you don’t like? So if you saw my earlier post about the Burt’s Bees Honey Lip Balm…then this one is for that. So i know most people will say…"Eww, are you putting lip balm on?!" (gesturing to a place NOT near your lips) and my answer to that is YEAH. Your lip balm is essentially LOTION for your lips. And what are lips made of? SKIN. VERY THIN SKIN. So, you can totally use it sparingly on little rough spots on your hands, or maybe dry areas anywhere on your body. It’s meant to moisturize thin skin. Your body’s skin is thicker than your lips, so it will do absolutely no harm…except for possibly make that spot you just put it on a little shiny! But that’s okay. At least it’s not sandpaper anymore! Or ashy looking! :D