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Rant & Rave: Potted Lip Balm

Share: Tell us what you love and hate about Lip Balm in Pots!

my answer: They can be hard to keep really clean (or just more tedious to keep clean, I guess), but I like the often thicker consistency of potted lip balms.

33 Comments

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Stephanie Avatar

I love them. I know a lot of people find them unsanitary, but honestly, it’s not that big of a deal to me. I don’t like how, when they’re almost empty, it’s harder to get the product out.

xamyx Avatar

I don’t find them any more “unsanitary” than stick balms. I always use a brush/spatula, anyway, with *all* of my lip products regardless of form, and I actually think it’s grosser to apply directly to the lips (the human mouth is laden with bacteria!) than using a clean finger…

Johanna Avatar

I’m allergic to most lipbalms, the worst for me is carmex in the pot, my lips gets swollen, red, itchy and sore! I can only use all natural lipbalms, I have found one that I love, and it’s made out of olive oil, beeswax. It’s really annoying to be allergic to lipbalms, because I have really dry lips, and i loove my matte lipsticks! 😉

Jane Avatar

I hate that it gets under my fingernails when I try to get it out of the pot. And I hate that my fingers are balmy afterward. Or you have to carry a lip brush around. I infinitely prefer balms that come in tubes. It’s so much tidier and more convenient

Emmy Avatar

I don’t use potted lip balm anymore because i think it’s too unhygienic and it also annoys me that you have a balmy finger after applying and then have to dig out a tissue to clean it. It’s ok to have one in the bathroom where you use it after washing your hands and can wash the sticky finger afterwards I guess but even then a lip balm stick is way more practical imo.

Sunny Avatar

Same here. I tend to prefer potted lip balms for nighttime because they are often thicker, but as much as I try to keep them clean, sometimes I still catch a cat hair in the pot!

Amanda Avatar

I feel like they tend to get germy from you sticking your fingers in them constantly. However, like Christine said, they tend to be richer formulas, so I tend to reserve them for nighttime lip balm. I don’t want to use them when I’m out at school and touching super germy surfaces, if that makes sense. Haha!

Sylirael Avatar

I can’t really rave…as I never use them. Well, that’s not true. Little pots are super cute, or may even be glamorous. I can also say hat I have long wanted to own one of the Korres lip butter ones, so I’m not immune to their charms.

Ranting, however… 😉

I need to (or just do) use lip balm regularly throughout the day. Since I don’t want to wash my hands every 5 minutes, potted lip balm is a terrible way to go! I know I could use a potted one at night/ at home, but part of why I want the Korres ones is the tint/colour. There’s no point smearing my pillowcase with pigment…

Nikki J. Avatar

I like that they are usually thicker and have awesome moisturizing properties, but I hate having to apply them with my fingers and getting the product under my nails.

fuji Avatar

One thing I like potted lip balm is that, if I accidentally put them in my pocket and they melted, it wouldn’t ruin the shape or affect the consistency since the formula wouldn’t require that much of wax to keep the shape. Other than that, I do the same thing pretty much as every body here, using in the nights so i can always wash my hands before to minimize germ contact, using cotton swab if I can.

Eliz Avatar

The only potted balm I’ve ever really enjoyed was Philosophy’s Kiss Me Tonight. One benefit is that you often get more product in a pot than in other forms. I have noticed that quite a few high-end brands do offer their balms in potted form. I’ve always wanted to try La Mer’s The Lip Balm. Has anyone tried it? Is it worth the splurge?

Esther Avatar

i love rosebud salve in the tinned format! i don’t find it gets too unsanitary, just wash my hands before i use it, or use a q-tip for application

Lulle Avatar

I love potted lip balms because they’re usually thicker and more nourishing than sticks or tubes. I only use them right before bed to repair my lips overnight, or just after shower in the morning to nourish before applying makeup.
I never take them in my purse, they stay in my bathroom cabinet, and I only use them with clean hands. It’s easier (and cleaner) to use a small spatula to get some balm out of the pot, especially for the ones with harder consistency.

Mardi Avatar

i don’t think they’re that unhygienic unless you share them or dint keep your hands reasonably clean. I use the top of my fingernail like a spatula to get some out and apply it.

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