Something different from Asia-town posts!
My new obsession is lip balm. For years, I've been using and buying the same lip balms over and over, and it was time for a change. My previous lip balms were:
A pretty boring collection of lip balm, but they worked fine at keeping my lips from becoming chapped.
Lately, people are becoming concerned about petro-chemicals such as petrolatum, mineral oil, and microcrystalline wax, which are by-products of petroleum refining. Some believe that it's potentially harmful. You'll find sources on the internet that say it's toxic, but I think they might be a little alarmist. And they're often trying to sell you some sort of natural product as an alternative.
I'll be honest - I don't know if it's toxic or not. I know that mineral oil is used on babies, and even ingested as a laxative. I know that I've been rubbing Vaseline, 100% petrolatum, on my lips for years. I also know that it's an ingredient in a ton of other lotions and creams. Every single one of my previous lip balms contains some type of petro-chemical. It's an ingredient in Neosporin ointment. It won't be easy to completely eliminate it.
But I do think there is a better argument to avoid petro-chemicals than possible toxicity - they are a non-renewable resource. So it's more eco-friendly to use products that are made from natural materials like beeswax or plant-based materials (e.g., cocoa butter, shea butter, etc.)
So I've decided to make a switch, and phase out my current lip balm collection and replace them with petro-chemical-free balms.
Plus, it's another excuse to go shopping.
My new obsession is lip balm. For years, I've been using and buying the same lip balms over and over, and it was time for a change. My previous lip balms were:
- Vaseline
- regular Chapstick
- Philosophy Kiss Me
- Palmer's Cocoa Butter Swivel Stick
- the Oprah-approved Smith's Rosebud Salve, and Smith's Strawberry Lip Balm.
A pretty boring collection of lip balm, but they worked fine at keeping my lips from becoming chapped.
Lately, people are becoming concerned about petro-chemicals such as petrolatum, mineral oil, and microcrystalline wax, which are by-products of petroleum refining. Some believe that it's potentially harmful. You'll find sources on the internet that say it's toxic, but I think they might be a little alarmist. And they're often trying to sell you some sort of natural product as an alternative.
I'll be honest - I don't know if it's toxic or not. I know that mineral oil is used on babies, and even ingested as a laxative. I know that I've been rubbing Vaseline, 100% petrolatum, on my lips for years. I also know that it's an ingredient in a ton of other lotions and creams. Every single one of my previous lip balms contains some type of petro-chemical. It's an ingredient in Neosporin ointment. It won't be easy to completely eliminate it.
But I do think there is a better argument to avoid petro-chemicals than possible toxicity - they are a non-renewable resource. So it's more eco-friendly to use products that are made from natural materials like beeswax or plant-based materials (e.g., cocoa butter, shea butter, etc.)
So I've decided to make a switch, and phase out my current lip balm collection and replace them with petro-chemical-free balms.
Plus, it's another excuse to go shopping.
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