Azida: Hemp Oil Lip Balm

The Azida Hemp Balm was another great find at Vegan Essentials. The balm is less than three dollars a tube and comes in four flavors. Azida makes a whole line of Hemp Oil body care products and is based in Sierra Vista, Arizona. I used to live there, but had never heard of this brand until recently.

Look/First Impressions: Its a regular ol' tube, color coded to match the flavor. I find the label very visually appealing. At the time of purchase I was specifically seeking hemp oil products, and this fit the bill perfectly. It also has sunscreen, which is important for me since I spend at least an hour outside everyday. The balm is white in color, but will not leave your lips looking pastey.

Smell/Taste: Passion Fruit smells incredible! I'd sit around and sniff this all day if I could. It makes me mighty curious about Mango and Strawberry. There is a slight taste to match, and no sign of planty-ness. I'm assuming this is made with a more refined hemp oil than Merry Hempsters brand.

Feel: This balm goes on a little thick and waxy for my taste, but lasts forever! I took this on my Colorado ski trip in January, but the balm got a little too hard in the cold. I prefered to keep it in my condo, and use it when I came in for the day and before bed. The condo was very dry from the heat, and this balm kept me from getting chapped overnight.

Overall: A great vegan and hemp based balm, with uncommon flavor options. A bit waxy, but I think the great smell makes up for it. 4.25 out of 5 Stars. (website)

Merry Hempsters: Vegan Hemp Balm

I always pass by these when I visit Whole Foods, but finally decided to take the plunge when I was ordering some stuff from Vegan Essentials. At $2.50, I didn't think I had much to loose. Plus, the customer reviews were pretty good.

Look/First Impressions: Brightly colored labels with a smiling sun! I thought they were pretty cute, until I opened the tube. The balm has a greenish tinge, that's not even remotely appealing.

Smell/Taste: I ordered cinnamon because I don't have any balms of that flavor, and it smells exactly as it should. The taste is slightly earthy. I was also given a free sample of the peppermint flavor with my order, but that one smelled like wet dirt. I was disappointed, since mint is my favorite flavor. I kinda wish I tried Mandarin or Vanilla instead.

Feel: The cinnamon had a wonderful feeling going over my lips, and I felt adequately coated after one swipe. However, my lips started going numb after a few minutes and it was really burning! I tried to be tough, but the burning wouldn't stop. It also began getting clumpy, and I had to wipe it off. The peppermint one was so darn waxy, I couldn't even apply it to my lips. It felt like rubbing a smooth stone over my mouth. After reading all the good reviews, I think I may have just gotten one from a bad batch.

Overall: Vegans beware! There are better balms out there for you. My experience was terrible, and I won't try this brand again. To top everything off, the wheel was broken and I couldn't roll it down after use. Kinda cool that its made from hemp, but its the worst balm I've ever tried. 1 out of 5 stars. (website)

Eco Lips Beta Balm: Bee Free Pomegranate

I discovered Eco Lips back in the fall. My usual health food spots don't carry this brand, so I ended up placing a large order online, and have almost all their products. You can also get a free sample if you send them two dollars for the shipping. Details here.

Look/First Impressions: This balm isn't much to look at, but there's a reason for that. This is a Beta Balm, which just means the product hasn't become part of their full-time inventory, but is available for consumers to test. So, no effort was put into giving it a fancy label. This is also one of their Vegan Friendly "Bee Free" products, meaning no bees wax was used in the formula. The base contains Candelilla Wax and Cocoa Butter.

Smell/Taste: The smell is light and citrus-y. This smells the most like a pomegranate of all the lip balms I'm reviewing this month. The balm itself is left uncolored, and unflavored.

Feel: This balm is very soft, and easy to over apply. Goes on smooth, but quickly gets too melty while its on my lips and starts feeling greasy. I noticed the skin under my lips was becoming oily, and I even started breaking out. Bad news, indeed! I tried it as a cuticle moisturizer too, and it seems to perform better once its rubbed into the skin.

Overall: Meh, I don't feel strongly about this product either way. It was fun to try, but doubtful I will buy it again. 3 out of 5 Stars. (website)

Ingredient Education: Wax

If you're a lip balm junkie like me, you might have noticed that there are several different types of wax used to make lip balm. I was curious to learn more about them, and share my discoveries.

Wax is a substance found naturally in plants. Bees wax is the genuine article, but wax comes from other plants and can be artificially produced as well. Worker bees collect nectar from plants which is used to make honey. When the bee eats the honey, he secrets wax from wax producing glands on his abdomen. The wax is then chewed by the bee to construct the combs where honey is stored, and the young are raised. (source)

Cera Flava (Yellow Bees Wax): This is the wax taken directly from the hive. The honey is extracted, and the wax is boiled, strained, and poured into molds for cooling. The color is yellowish brown, and it should smell like honey. Cera Flava has a melting point of approximately 146*F, and becomes pliable just by the warmth of your body. It is readily dissolved in oils. (source)

Cera Alba (White Bees Wax): This is the same thing as Cera Flava, but has been exposed to the sun to remove color and smell. Cera Alba has a slightly higher melting point than Cera Flava, and also easily dissolved in oils. (source)

Euphorbia Cerifera (Candelilla Wax): This wax is produced by the Candelilla plant which grows in the Chihuahua Desert. (Northern Mexico, Southwestern Texas) Plants in the hottest and driest areas produce a hard wax to help the plant retain moisture. It has a melting point af approximately 157*F. It is a common ingredient used in chewing gum. (source)

Copernica Cerifera (Carnauba Wax): This wax comes from the Brazilian Palm Tree, or "Tree of Life". Like the Candelilla plant, the palm tree produces wax to retain moisture. During harvesting, only 20 leaves may be removed from the tree, to ensure the tree is not endangered. Although the tree grows elsewhere, the rainy seasons inhibit wax production. Carnauba wax is often used as a vegan alternative to bees wax. However, Carnauba wax is harder than bees wax and requires a temperature of approximately 185*F to melt. (source)