Any lip balm with SPF that doesn't taste bitter and helps my cold sore prone lips?
I get a fever blister on my lip a few times a year and sun seems to be one of my triggers, so I want to keep SPF on my lips all summer. Every SPF balm I have tried leaves a bitter chemical taste that makes me wipe it off within an hour. Has anyone found one that tastes neutral and still keeps chapped lips protected?
Mineral balms with zinc oxide tend to taste more chalky than bitter, and I find that much easier to live with than the chemical filters, so try one of those and reapply after eating.
I keep an SPF 30 stick in my bag and apply it before I go outside rather than waiting until my lips feel dry, that way I need less of it and the taste bothers me less.
For me the bitter taste usually came from flavored versions, so I switched to an unscented and unflavored balm with SPF, and I use plain petroleum jelly at night to keep the chapped feeling away.
Honestly the bitter taste drove me nuts too until I switched to a mineral based one, it goes on a bit white at first but rubs in and I've had way fewer flare ups after ski days since.
Welcome. The two things worth knowing early: it is very common, and it is far more preventable than most people realise.
Honestly the bitter taste drove me nuts too until I realized a lot of the mineral ones are gentler on the tongue than the chemical filter ones, so maybe check for zinc on the label and see if that helps like it did for me. Whatever you land on, reapplying way more often than feels necessary made the biggest difference for my lips.
Honestly what worked for me was switching to a plain unflavored mineral one, the bitter taste is usually the chemical filters and once I ditched those I actually kept reapplying it all day instead of forgetting. Took some trial and error though, so don't be discouraged if the first couple you try are duds!