Lip Balm Obsession – My Top 3

So, if you read my previous post on the power of a lemon drink you would know I have an obsession with lip balm. Ever since I can remember, I have always had a lip balm on me, and if I didn’t… not a good time for anyone! I would have dry, chapped lips and I would lick my lips over and over again until I had a bright red ring around my mouth. It was so bad once that a teacher at school actually gave me some paw paw cream to soothe my lips! I was always reapplying and forever had shiny balm all around my mouth (cringe). I have read that there is such a thing as lip balm addiction which can be pretty bad, especially if you are slathering on lip balm all day long that contains really nasty chemicals and ingredients!

As I have become older I have been really careful with the lip balms I use. As I was forever applying the stuff I became interested in what the ingredients were and I really did not like what I discovered. Over the years I have been trying to find my ‘holy grail’ of lip balm and I have found my three favourites.

I will not name the brands I used to use, however I will name the brands I really like, and their ingredients. My top three favourite lip balms are:

1. HURRAW!

Not only is this name super cute, but this lip balm is organic, fair trade, cold pressed, vegan, uses only raw ingredients and is not tested on animals. I have a lime flavoured balm and the ingredients list for the lime balm is: sweet almond oil, candelilla wax (it comes from the leaves of the candelilla shrub), coconut oil, jojoba seed oil, cocoa seed butter, castor seed oil (from the castor oil plant), olive fruit oil, lime peel oil and vitamin e.

I love this lip balm so much. It comes in a little wind up tube and is really soft on the lips. The packaging is fun and colourful and there are so many flavours to choose from! I have had lemon, coconut and lime flavour and lime is definitely my favourite. They also have chocolate, ginger, grapefruit, earl grey, vanilla, black cherry, mint, almond, licorice, cinnamon, chai spice and many others! This balm does not make your lips look shiny, but applies a soft layer of buttery lip balm.

HURRAW! Lime Lip Balm

You can buy a lip balm from HURRAW! for around $6. Visit HURRAW! here: http://www.hurrawbalm.com

2. Eco Lips

I recently purchased a kiwi fruit and strawberry flavoured lip balm by Eco Lips. Eco Lips lip balms are cruelty free, gluten free and are made from either natural or organic ingredients. The ingredients list is kept pretty simple: sunflower seed oil, beeswax, kiwi flavour, strawberry flavour and non GMO vitamin e.

I really like this lip balm. It has a really nice texture, like whipped butter. I recently visited the Eco Lips website to purchase another balm and I was really surprised to see that they are now making custom orders. How cool is that?! You get to choose the size, which ingredients you want in the balm, the flavours of the balm, the packaging colour and you can even get whatever you want written on the side of the lip balm package! I made my own lip balm on the create your lip balm page however I was so sad to find out that shipping to Australia would cost me nearly triple the price of the lip balm itself, so I had to close the page. The flavours that I picked for my lip balm were raspberry, mango and peach and I think it would have been an amazing combination!

Eco Lips Kiwi and Strawberry Lip Balm

You can purchase a lip balm from Eco Lips for around $6 (more expensive if you custom make one, however mine was only around $7). If you are lucky enough to live in the US (where Eco Lips is based) and want to create your own lip balm, then hop onto the website to check it out: http://www.ecolips.com

3. Coconut oil

Ahh coconut oil. Is there anything that coconut oil cannot do? Coconut oil is a great and easy way to rehydrate your lips. Not only are there no added ingredients in pure cold pressed coconut oil, but coconut oil is really soothing. The only problem with coconut oil is when it melts in the summer time. This can be pretty inconvenient, however, in the winter time when coconut oil is solid, I like to melt down about a teaspoon and put it in a tiny lip balm container, then I can carry it around with me. In the summer months I just use HURRAW! or Eco Lips as it is easier. You can find coconut oil at your local supermarket (Woolworths or Coles in Australia) or at health food stores. In Australia the price of a small (around 300g) jar is $6.50.

Pure coconut oil is an easy way to keep lips smooth and hydrated without all the nasty chemicals!

So there are my top three lip balm favourites! Let me know if you have tried any of these brands or what lip balm combination you would make!

Jordie xo

When life gives you lemons, make lemon water!

Warm lemon water in the mornings is a great way to start the day – and lemon water has numerous health benefits too. For my first habit, I am going to commit to drinking warm lemon water every morning for a month. I have some family members who swear by this habit and while I have tried it now and again I haven’t been able to make this habit stick yet! Every time I have tried this I haven’t noticed any major changes in the way I feel but that is probably because I haven’t committed to this habit over a long period of time.

Here are some of the health benefits of drinking lemon water in the morning:

1. Lemons are really high in vitamin C, which help to boost the immune system. If our immune system is working well it makes it easier for our bodies to fight off illnesses such as colds and flus. In Australia it is nearly winter so this habit is perfect for this time of year as I seem to get sick mostly during the winter time.

2. Lemons balance the pH levels in your body. Even though lemons are acidic, when they enter the body they become alkalising. Too much acid in the body can be inflammatory so lemons are great if you suffer from inflammation as they make the body more alkaline therefore reducing inflammation levels.

3. Lemon water flushes out toxins. Lemon water supports our digestive systems and can help to eliminate waste from our bodies.

4. Not only does lemon water aid our digestive system, it also stops bad bacteria from spreading and multiplying in our bodies, which can help protect us against infections and diseases!

5. Lemon water is also great for our eyes. It helps to look after our eye health and to protect our eyes from diseases!

These are just my top five favourite things that lemon water can do for our bodies!

If anyone watches Adventure Time you’d notice this beautiful face belongs to Lemon Grab, one of the shows more insane characters…

How do I make lemon water?

Some people make their lemon water differently – some use the zest of the lemon, others pour lemon juice into warm water and other people simply put a slice of lemon in their cup. However the things you need to keep the same in all three methods is to make sure the lemons you use are fresh (not bottled! And if possible organic) and the water you use is high quality (filtered/purified) and the water is warm! Cold water is harder for the body to digest (it takes more energy to digest) and if you use boiling water it kills the good stuff *insert sad emoticon here*.

This mornings lemon water featuring a Royal Albert mug and my sleepy dog Jakey

I am going to try all three ways and review each one. I will let you know how I am going with this habit in approximately one month!

I’d love to know if anyone else drinks warm lemon water and if there are any differences you have noticed with your body so please comment below and let me know!

Jordie xo