Luscious lips...

Living in a dry climate means extra care for hair, skin and nails. One area where I really feel the dryness it is in my lips. Especially when I am out all day in the sun, I notice my lips peeling and cracked. Using safe lip products is also important becase research by the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has found lead and other toxic metals in a surprising number of lipsticks. In fact, a study by University of California researchers found nine toxic heavy metals, including chromium, cadmium, aluminum, manganese, and lead in testing of 24 lip glosses and eight lipsticks. I really try to keep my lip products clean because I figure that between the natural absorption and licking my lips, I am getting the products in my body.

So over the years I have experimented with lots of different lip care options. Here are a few of my favorite options:

Everyday Lip Balm

One of my favorite DIY hacks is using coconut oil on my lips. It helps moisturize and has anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties and is already in my kitchen. But my favorite “non-toxic” lip balm is D. Bonner’s peppermint lip balm. It is USDA Organic with ingredients like beeswax jojoba, avocado and hemp oil that protect against cold and windy weather. It uses essential oils and only fair trade ingredients. You can buy it here.

Lip Balm with SPF

When I need a lip balm for the sun I reach to Supergoop! Play Lip Balm with SPF 30. It’s a Reef Safe, Broad Spectrum SPF Lip Balm with Hydrating Honey, Shea Butter, Sunflower Seed Oil. You can find it here. And if you want to find other safer lip balms with SPF, I love using EWG’s guide.

Lip Gloss

In general I am much more likely to wear gloss than lipstick. And from my first obsession with Bonnie Bell’s Lip Smacker Roll-on Lip Shiner in Va-va-vanilla (btw, I just checked and you can still buy this!), I have been on a mission to find a safe gloss that moisturizes, stays on and isn’t super sticky (nothing worse than your hair getting stuck to your lip gloss). My go-to for last several years is Beautycounter’s lip gloss. I love how the jojoba seed oil provides the wear I want without the stickiness of other glosses. It's about to get an upgrade with responsibly sourced organic vanilla (and we use a woman-owner supplier). Buy it here.

Lipstick

Many women apply lipstick up to 20 times a day! And as I mentioned above many lipsticks contain lead and other dangerous heavy metals. Unfortunately these are not listed in the ingredients J So I try to really stick to a brand that I know is doing extra testing for the heavy metals. My go to for lipstick is Beautycounter – read about the testing process here.

They have two main types of lipstick – a lip sheer and a color intense. For everyday I lean to the lip sheers that includes jojoba esters and carnauba wax to condition and hydrate lips and no synthetic fragrance—just a sophisticated hint of natural vanilla. When I am going out or presenting (not much of these activities right now) I love the Little Black Dress color. It is great on all skin types and the natural peppermint oil delivers a subtle flavor.

Sugar Scrub

One thing I never used to use is sugar scrub – but that changed when I got one as a present and fell in love. When it ran out I realized that the company no longer was making it and when I went to find another safe option I found out how easy it is to make your own. The simplest one is just mixing coconut oil, brown sugar, and honey. You can play around with the three ingredients until it has the consistency you like – more sugar = more exfoliation. You just rub it on your lips and wipe off with a damp cloth. Here are some other DIY options.