Vegan Lip Balm Reviews

Okay, so nevermind my tattered photos and lip balms - I'm not the best photographer obviously and I have been using these lip balms for awhile, so they're not fresh tubes and are a little worn. Don't judge!

I tend to be partial to hemp balms, not sure if you can tell or not! LOL

I've been using Merry Hempster's Vegan Hemp Balm for years and was very happy with it. I was so happy with it, I bought it on Amazon without a care in the world. However, it's become increasingly difficult for me to get and the prices seem to be steadily increasing, which prompted me to try some other lip balms. I'm pretty picky with lip balms, too, so I was irritated to have to begin a new search, but I have been very happy so far with most that I've tried. I have a couple more to try, too, and will review them at a later date.

MERRY HEMPSTER'S VEGAN HEMP LIP BALM: 7.5 out of 10

The price used to be fair for high quality vegan lip balm, but, as I stated earlier, it keeps increasing from what I've seen. For someone who loves great prices (I mean, who doesn't, though?!) this is a bummer, and has caused me to rate it a little lower than I would have.
As far as quality, I really like the vegan hemp mint balms; Merry Hempsters has spearmint and peppermint varieties as well as vanilla and others. My husband says the hemp is too strong as far as scent and flavor, but I really like it. It has a smooth consistency where it is smooth but not too waxy. My lips don’t feel dry and it lasts long without needing to frequently reapply; however, if you’re anything like me and a lip balm addict, I apply WAY more frequently than necessary! It makes my lips feel amazing, which is why I loved using it so long.

HURRAW MINT LIP BALM: 8 out of 10

Okay, as I mentioned, I’m partial to hemp but this one doesn’t have hemp. It’s still a great lip balm. It comes in an oval shaped tube rather than the typical cylinder. I find this helps keep the balm from accidentally exposing too much while in a purse or pocket.
Glides on very smoothly and doesn’t feel waxy at all. I prefer this for warmer months because I personally need something just a little heavier in the winter for the cold weather and usually more chapped lips and this one is good but a little light. It does seem to need to be reapplied more often than other balms I’ve used.
Price is comparable to other quality vegan brands I’ve tried (about $6 to $8 a tube on Amazon) and is available in a variety of flavors. Although I really like it, the higher price will probably keep me from buying it regularly.

J & K HEMPWORKS LIP BALM: 8.5 out of 10

I bet you can’t guess by the name - but this one DOES contain hemp. Sorry, I crack myself up!
I wasn’t sure I’d like this one because it wasn’t mint, although I see there is a Hemp-a-Mint flavor available which I must have overlooked when I ordered. Reviewers state the taste is very much a mix of cocoa butter plus hemp. I am okay with natural hemp taste but wasn’t sure how it would be mixed with a cocoa butter flavor. For the price I had to try it. It was less than $6 for a two-pack on Amazon.
It’s a bit softer than the other two lip balms and reminiscent of a coconut oil yet not greasy.
I’m really glad I tried it because it’s excellent! The first few times I just thought it was okay but after a few more uses it really grew on me! It’s heavier without being waxy or sticky. Great for nighttime use, winter use, and really all seasons.
My favorite lip balm so far. I will absolutely get this again and want to try the mint version, but I really like this one.

I have tried a few other lip balms but the J & K Hempworks remains my favorite. Maybe I’ll update this at some point to include reviews for the others as well. * Some links in this post are affiliate links. This means if you click any of the links and then make a purchase, there is no extra cost to you, but I will earn a very small commission. Thanks!

What’s your favorite vegan lip balm? Let me know in the comments! Thanks so much for reading and have a happy new year! See you in 2018!

Lucky Me, Lucky You: Read All about my SWEAT! (Natural Deodorant Review)

I actually hear that many vegans have tried switching to natural deodorants or brands that are not tested on animals or containing animal ingredients and most have had horrible experiences. Many vegans confess to using conventional deodorants just because they don't want to smell sweaty and gross... I was the same: I tried vegan-friendly deodorants and was disappointed, so I gave up and switched back to a "traditional" deodorant. The crystal rock type things did nothing for me. The essential oil type stuff did very little, not enough. I tried about four different vegan brands and had failure after failure. That was actually a few years ago. Good news - just as vegan cheeses have improved greatly over the last few years, so have vegan deodorants!

These conventional deodorants that are also antiperspirants, have come under much scrutiny lately because of all the chemicals they contain and the aluminum as well. Not only that, but sweating is normal and healthy, so clogging up the sweat glands is very detrimental, but you can do your own research on that. I never knew about ARMPIT DETOX until I tried natural deodorants again a few months ago. Armpit detoxes sound funny/weird/gross, but they are necessary and healthy, so do some research on that and try it if you haven't. There are tons of blogs with tips, usually using bentonite clay and ACV (apple cider vinegar).

Now, the first natural deodorant I tried was from Lemongrass Spa. I was hesitant to buy it because it contains beeswax, which isn't vegan; but it's not tested on animals and I figured it was far better than the conventional products I had been using. I got the grapefruit lily scent and it smelled pretty good, but I still smelled sweaty after using this product. (I did not detox before using this one, so it might work better after a detox.) Also, I wasn't too fond of feeling so sticky under my arms.

I tried Piper Wai and it actually works pretty good, almost as good as my favorite which I will fully review in a moment. The Piper Wai absorbs sweat fairly well (although with natural deodorants you WILL SWEAT as they are not antiperspirants and not clogging your sweat glands the way traditional products do). The scent of the Piper Wai is very earthy to me and a strong essential oil variety scent. I don't know how else to describe it. I got the bar to apply rather than the jar. It uses charcoal to absorb sweat so it does appear gray, but the company claims rubbing it in well will eliminate the gray color, which it basically did. It worked well enough that I would use it again, but I still wanted to find a product I liked more and I knew there were lots of natural deodorants on the market these days.

I checked out Amazon and found this one: Organic Island Deodorant. I scoured the reviews and decided to give it a try. I loved it! I used it for maybe a week then started getting a bit itchy under my arms and a few days later I noticed a very red rash. Uh oh! I contacted the company and they said it was probably from the baking soda in the product. I told them I already did an armpit detox and they said they still suspect the baking soda. They immediately sent me the sensitive formula to try without any cost to me since they really want their customers to be satisfied. I was a bit hesitant to use it, so I just laid off all products for a couple days. Once my rash was almost fully gone I did another underarm detox (which apparently some people must do quite a few to fully detox their pits), then gave it a try.

Sensitive (left) | Original (right)

Both versions of the product (the original and the sensitive) are unscented. They are both organic and made from natural oils, waxes, and vegan probiotics to help control odor and some of the wetness by absorption rather than clogging the glands. The original version is a bit harder consistency but can be heated very briefly to make application easier. The sensitive version is a bit soft and has a bit of a clay-like feel to me. It does work well, although not as good as the original version. I have detoxed my underarms a few more times and alternating between using the original when I need a little more better performance and the sensitive versions. I have not developed any more rashes even when I use the baking soda original version a few days in a row.

As expected I get some wetness, but there is no smell! I like that the product is unscented. Customer service has been excellent in my experience. The products are available directly on their website at www.IslandDeodorant.com and at Amazon. The price is fair and the product seems to last quite some time, even with daily use. I have had my two containers I alternate since the end of September (it's now a week into December) and still have over half of each left. Overall, so far this is my favorite deodorant, but I still need to try Primal Pit that I've heard so many people rave about!

If you've been searching for a great safer, natural deodorant that works and doesn't have that strong essential oils fragrance, give this one a try. I don't sell it or receive any incentive for sharing this with you in any way, by the way - this is just my honest review with no compensation whatsoever.

Please leave a comment to let me know how you came across my blog if you remember. On Google+ I shared "Natural Deodorant Review for Organic Island (with a few other mini reviews of other brands I've tried)". This blog was created using the following tags: sweat, natural, natural deodorant, deodorant, vegan, armpit detox, chemical, aluminum, organic, island deodorant, Lemongrass Spa, Piper Wai, review, wet, clay, acv, apple cider vinegar, essential oil, probiotics. THANKS FOR READING and have a great day!

I've Been Away FAR TOO LONG!

Rehauling my blog.

I've been away from writing for so long as life is very busy with a toddler. My blog has been severely neglected and the broken images as well as lack of posts are just two telltale signs. Eek.

My daughter is in a playgroup every Friday for a few hours now, so after I'm done with my check in and walks for my doggie clients, I plan to devote at least one or two Fridays each month to write posts (in addition to some hardcore housecleaning!).

Best wishes to all, I hope you enjoy my upcoming natural lip balm, deodoramt, lotion, make up, and shampoo reviews that will be posted starting this Friday!

This blog was labeled with the tags: natural, lip balm, deodorant, lotion, make up, shampoo, reviews, vegan, cruelty free, Friday.