Description

• What it does: keeps lips kissable. Restores dry chapped areas without stickiness or weird residue. Sinks deeply into cells to soften. Wards off cold sores. Soothes picked cuticles… All while giving a mini hit of soothing tingle & relaxing aromatherapy.
• Who it’s for: lip biters, lips in need of TLC, those prone to coldsores, owners of sad elbows or knees, outdoorsy types, skiers, anyone ready to discard plastic, synthetic lip salves, those who love a bedtime ritual.
• The Love Story: this must-have delight of a balm has had a bumpy history (see ‘story’ below!)… Originally made for a different purpose entirely, and a truly multi-purpose product, it has long been my all-time favourite lip balm (which is a serious claim coming from a self-diagnosed lip-balm addict). I use it morning and evening and love the gentle scent of spike lavender essential oil balanced by the medicinal, herbal counterpoints of rosemary and peppermint.

Petroleum-free & with no synthetic ingredients whatsoever, it softens and soothes dry or attention-seeking lips like no other. It’s said that peppermint can help to pump up the lips, and certainly feels zingy (yet also relaxing)!

You’ll want to take this funky screw-top pocket-rocket everywhere with you. I have one at home (small lie; I have about seven, around the house) and one in my handbag.

Key ingredients & benefits:
Scroll down for complete list of ingredients.

ORGANIC, RAW, EXTRA VIRGIN COCONUT OIL: anti-viral, anti-bacterial, moisturising, soothing, melts in beautifully.

COLD PRESSED CAMELLIA (TEA SEED) OIL: healing, softening, nourishing, packed full of micro-nutrients… See this page!

COLD PRESSED OLIVE OIL: contains Vitamin A, Vitamin B1, Vitamin B2, Vitamin B6, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, proteins, minerals and anti-oxidants. A traditional, infamous ingredient for beauty and healthcare.

CANDELILLA WAX: a vegan alternative to beeswax, this succulent plant from the Chihuahan desert is full of nutrients and gives good shine.

ROSEMARY: a favorite of Paracelsus, a renowned German-Swiss physician and botanist, who made significant contributions to the understanding of herbal medicine during the 16th century. Anti-bad-breath(!) and concentration-boosting, it has antiseptic and anti-microbial qualities.

SPIKE LAVENDER: a European hybrid of Lavender which produces many of the same properties of Lavender without the drowsy effects. Lavender is gentle and soothing. (Sidenote: a study released in 2007 said that inhaling rosemary oil and lavender oil for five minutes significantly reduced the levels of cortisol in the test subject’s saliva, which could seriously decrease the dangers inherent from chronic stress.)

PEPPERMINT: cooling and refreshing. Menthol can help clear the respiratory tract; it adds some ‘zing’ to the mix.

Due to the nature of these natural ingredients, a small amount of crystallisation/melting and re-setting may occur if the balm is exposed to changes in temperature – this doesn’t affect the quality of the product even remotely, and any possible crystals will melt away upon rubbing into your lips.

The Ritual: Uses & Directions

• Apply to lips, or dry areas as often as feels comfortable. For acute dry areas, apply hourly until skin is healed.
• This little wonder-in-a-jar loves multiple parts of you deeply; as well as making your lips feel incredible, it performs its skin-loving miracle on other small areas of your body, such as knees, elbows, cuticles, bruises, unruly eyebrows, Achilles heels and it even does a stellar job of brightening up tattoos.

(Meanwhile, for a general face product, click here.)

‘I suffer from really sore, chapped lips – particularly during the harsher winter months with the changeable temperatures between the cold outdoors and warm central-heated indoors. I’m always looking for a miracle cure – a lip balm that smooths and softens my lips, doesn’t look too shiny or glossy, and lasts long enough not to have to constantly reapply.’

‘The smooth, creamy texture of this balm soothes and calms sore and uncomfortable lips, and smells absolutely delicious.’

‘The pot is a handy size for carrying around in your bag but also your pocket on long dog walks – for when you need just a little extra help. It’s amazing to know the ingredients are all 100% natural – especially when my five nieces want some ‘lipstick’ and I know it’s safe to share.’

Arrival & Unboxing 

• In most cases we’ll post your order from our Oxfordshire studio on the next weekday, using Royal Mail 48 hour service as the standard, free shipping option. (Paid upgrades available at checkout.)
• Protective packaging: recyclable/compostable materials (paper/card) only. No bubble wrap! For larger, more fragile orders, we sometime use corn starch, which is dissolvable in water!
• Gift ready: items come wrapped in tissue paper; no prices displayed.
• Fun, surprise extras are always included.

Vessel/Container materials

• Recylable (and pre-recycled) aluminium tin.
• Sustainability reasoning: lightweight, elegant & plastic-free.

Recycle, Reuse or Return

• When you’ve enjoyed every last drop, don’t throw your tin away. Reuse it as a seed-saving tin, travel jewellery box, pocket first-aid kit, nature treasure tin, or one of countless other tiny adventures (ideas here!).
• To recycle, peel off the label & discard, wash well & recycle in your normal household recycling bin.
• We gratefully take back glass containers (only) in person, at events, and can add them into our re-use cycle when creating fresh batches. Aluminium has too low a melting point for us to safely sterilise and re-use, so please keep those & re-purpose at home!

How long it lasts

• Typical duration varies by person, but we find these balms are notorious for being longlasting. (Some have them years after purchase, using daily!)
• Leafology products are very stable, as they are water-free. However, life is for livin and we recommend you enjoy your product early without hesitation.
• Our official recommendation (as written on the labels) is that you use up your product within 12 months after opening, but many still shine years later!

Storage advice:

• Store it somewhere cool and dark (or at least not in direct sunlight). Natural plant oils and essential oils are delicate and volatile, and will be happier in cool, dry places (this is why so many of Leafology’s bottles are made of amber glass and opaque metal; they’re light-blocking as well as beautifully eco-friendly!). Warm weather can cause natural plant butters to melt and become more liquid, while colder weather can cause them to harden; these changes are nothing to worry about and don’t affect the power of the product.
• Avoid getting any water inside the container. Important! The presence of water means that bacteria and other undesirables can grow in preservative-free formulations. Use clean, dry fingers when dipping directly into jars/pots, and either use spoons or tap the product into the palm of your hand when using dry/powder products. Keep screw lids completely closed in showers/baths, to avoid the infiltration of steam.
• Whisper sweet nothings to it daily. It is made of plants, after all! 💗

Learn with Leafology:

• Your retro kissing guide (from 1911)
• MERMAIDS HATE PLASTIC! (Or how to shake up the world with your choice of skincare!)

Insider knowledge from the maker (a glimpse behind the scenes):

The original hand-written (rather long) title for this was ‘BMITW’s Stop-banging-into-things Crash Bang Wallop Bruise Balm’. I made it for my Mum (AKA Best Mum In The World), who seemed at the time to enjoy rather too much walking into inanimate objects and coming up purply-blue. I researched ways in which mother nature can assist in the healing of said multi-coloured thigh-art, and the ingredients I’ve used here all came up trumps.

Having little excuse to use it myself (I don’t tend to walk into things quite as often as my Mum, though am definitely jinxing myself by writing this…), I tried it once as a lip balm. It is now the only lip balm I use alongside the tinted Balmy Gloss for Lippy Roses (and I’ve probably sampled several thousand lip balms in my time!).

….Then, funnily enough, I later discovered that lavender, peppermint and rosemary are the exact components of the trio my Grandma added to the pot of ‘headache cream’, she made me once and which I still treasure (its scent is as incredible as its shelf life!) so obviously there is something extra magical about this blend of essential oils.

Either way, whether you use it as a lip balm or mini body salve, this stuff is deeply nourishing, the perfect texture for sinking decadently into your skin, non-greasy, and smells absolutely wonderful. Multi-purpose is the future. (As is not banging into things.)

Final note: Back when I was at school, lip balm was currency. Friendships could be formed over the convenient possession of the good stuff. I remember one girl, who shall remain nameless, getting enormously upset when someone else (maybe I) pressed my finger into her pot of lip balm hard enough to make a dent. She preferred to slide her finger around the top, not messing up the smooth plane of the waxy gloss. I put this to you: is there no greater joy than breaking the surface of a new lip balm, digging in deep and making your mark? Whichever camp you fall into, it’s your balm, your rules.

Full ingredients:
Cocos nucifera (Organic Raw Coconut) oil, Olea europaea (Olive) fruit oil, Camellia oleifera (Camellia Tea) seed oil, Candelilla cera, Rosmarinus officinalis (Rosemary) leaf oil, Lavandula latifolia (Lavender) flower oil, Mentha piperita (Peppermint) leaf oil, Tocopherol (Vitamin E), Coumarin*, Geraniol*, Linalool*, Citronellol*, Limonene* (*Naturally occurring in essential oils).

FAQs:

Can I use this on anything besides my lips?
Yes. In fact, your elbows, cuticles, heels and eyebrows may start competing for it.

Do I need a separate cuticle cream?
Not necessarily. This little tin is a serial multitasker.

Will I get through it quickly?
Only if everyone in your household discovers it.

Can I have one for my bedside table and one for my handbag?
That seems to be how it starts. Why not choose the option for a set of 3 as a favour to your future self. You could give the third as a birthday present to a friend, if you’re feeling very generous (they’ll think you’re fantastic!).

Will it leak?
Nope; it screws tightly shut and keeps the contents of your bag safe and smear-free.

Is it vegan?
Yes. The formula uses candelilla wax, a plant-based alternative to beeswax.

Will it feel greasy?
No. The balm is rich and nourishing but designed to sink into the skin without leaving a heavy, greasy residue.

Why has my balm melted/hardened/developed tiny crystals?
Natural oils can occasionally become more liquid in heat, harden in ice-cold winters or crystallise when exposed to temperature changes. This is completely normal and doesn’t affect quality or benefits… And any changes are just a nice reminder that we don’t use synthetic stabilisers or extras.

Is this just a lip balm? What makes this different?
Unlike most lip balms, this is made with cold-pressed tea seed oil, olive oil and coconut oil instead of a petroleum base. It’s also far larger than a standard lip balm and can be used across multiple areas of the body, making it more of a ‘pocket-sized botanical rescue balm of joy’ than a single-purpose lip product.

Pairs beautifully with:

• Balmy Gloss for Lippy Roses (with rose, tangerine & mint)
• Overnight Face Food with Mandarin, Carrot Seed & Neroli
• Frankincense & Tea Seed Magic Eye Night Serum