Vive Bio! Organic Beauty products review for Dry Lips
First thing’s first, ladies (and gents)… I’m on my Erasmus year abroad and until December will be working at Top Santé magazine, so expect to read about a few French products (on the rare occasion that my budget stretches past rent!)
Which brings me neatly on to the topic of the day… French lip care!
Dry Lips
I am currently on round two of isotretinoin (you may be more familiar with the product names Accutane/Roaccutane) to combat persistent spots. (On a side note: if anyone is undergoing similar treatment and wants to contact me for support etc. then feel free; it can be a real pain in the arse.) Unfortunately, one of the side effects is very dry, cracked lips. This time around, it only took until week two to hit which was a pleasant surprise!
Luckily, the beauty lady at Top Santé is incredibly kind. She told me to do away with my Vaseline, which only locks in moisture rather than adding any. Seeing as I have no H20 to begin with, Vaseline isn’t going to help too much!
Organic lipcare
Instead, she very sweetly gave me two 100% natural products to try. The first was a pot of Cattier Beurre de Karité (or shea butter to the anglophones among us; approx. 4,50€ for 20g), and the second was a stick applicator, Florame Baume Lèvres, with an essential oil/shea butter composition (RRP 6,60€ for 4g).
Cattier Beurre de Karité review
This little pot is an absolute dream to apply. It is 100% shea butter, pure and simple. This means that it has a beautiful soft scent and completely melts into the lips, completely soothing on contact. Its high vitamin content, namely A and E, gives it fantastic hydrating properties.
As a non-comedogenic vegetable butter, you could use this on the face as well as the body, and apply to the tips of heat/sun-damaged hair. (If you are using this on the face, though, I would only recommend it for chronically dry skin or dry skin conditions at night time, due to its richness and sheen finish.)
I would also recommend buying this in smaller sizes, such as this 20g option, for use on the lips. Being organic, it would need to be thrown away after 6 months and a little goes a long way for those without severe dryness.
Florame Baume Lèvres (Lip Balm)
As for Florame, the stick applicator makes it perfect for on-the-go application. Added to the shea butter base are essential oils rosewood, ylang ylang and bitter orange. We also have the nourishing coconut and sunflower vegetable oils, and jojoba which regulates hydration.
For me, this product is more effective than using the shea butter alone. However, its solid application also makes it more painful to apply to damaged lips. I normally apply a thin base of shea butter before the Florame stick, in order to soothe my lips a little before applying.
You probably get slightly less for your money, as well – I’m already halfway through this one. That said, I won’t hesitate to buy something similar again, so it’s worth paying extra for the bonus of nourishing oils!
Go bio
If you’re having a problem with over-stressed, dry skin thanks to anything from a skin condition to medication, I urge you to go organic. Natural moisturisers are one of the most effective ways of restoring your skin’s own hydration levels, because they will do so without further stress from chemical ingredients.
For me, the dryness is still a problem and will probably continue to be one until the end of my treatment. However, these products are now religiously by my side, and are making this side effect ten times more manageable. Vive bio!
