Photo: Marko Metzinger/Studio D
Fine Print Alert!
If you think you might have an unhealthy dependency on your lip balm, check the ingredient list. "Lip balms that contain phenol, an antibacterial agent, strip the top layer of skin off your lips," says dermatologist Amy Wechsler, MD, author of The Mind-Beauty Connection: 9 Days to Reverse Stress Aging and Reveal More Youthful, Beautiful Skin. "That's why you get addicted to these balms; they remove your natural protection, so you're constantly reapplying to try to restore a supple feeling to your lips." Break the cycle by reaching for a phenol-free balm that contains a rich moisturizer such as beeswax, shea butter, or jojoba oil. Rehab lips with shea butter and beeswax in Yes to Carrots C Me Smile Lip Butters, $4 each.
— Jenny Bailly
From the
January 2009 issue of
O, The Oprah Magazine
