What do you do with waxy lip balms that never help your chapped lips or cold sore area?
I have a drawer full of thick waxy balms and greasy moisturizers that just sit on my lips without actually hydrating them. My skin gets extra sensitive when I feel a fever blister coming on, so most of these products end up unused. Do you toss them, repurpose them somewhere else on your body, or push through and finish the tube?
I use the waxy ones on my cuticles and elbows instead, they are great there even if they do nothing for chapped lips. For my lips I stick to a simple spf balm since sun exposure is one of my personal triggers.
I stopped forcing products to work for me. Anything greasy goes to my heels at night, and I keep my lip routine minimal, gentle balm, spf during the day, plenty of water, and my usual lysine rich foods as part of my general wellness habits.
Honestly I just donate or toss them, keeping stuff that irritates my skin was never worth the few dollars. A patch test on my jawline first has saved me from a lot of duds near my cold sore prone spots.
Reapplying after eating is my weak spot, working on it.
Sleep makes a huge difference for me, more than I expected.
Honestly I keep a couple in my car door and use them on dry cuticles or my knuckles in winter, since they never did anything for my lips anyway. Feels less wasteful than tossing them, and it stopped me from reapplying something that just sat on top of the sore.