There are different types of lip balm that serve different purposes. Lip balm as the name implies is applied to the lips. Women use lipsticks to color their lips but lip balms are used by everyone. One lip balm is used to avoid chapped lips and then there are anti-aging lip balm lip mask which are used to avoid the formation of lines and wrinkles on the lips. Lip balms are used basically for the lips to retain their natural moisture and not get dried out. Cold weather, air conditioning and excessively dry air draw the moisture out of the body and this causes the skin of the lips which is one of the tenderest skins of the human body to dry out. When the lips are dry they tend to crack and in case of excessive loss of moisture they can start bleeding also. There can be other reasons that cause dry lips also like smoking, excessive alcohol. If the lips crack or peel the experience can be quite painful and one does feel very uncomfortable.

Interestingly the first lip balm was made from earwax. This sounds yucky but it is a fact and although it served its purpose the taste was undesirable. Even today lip balm may have beeswax in it. Any wax or petroleum jelly provides a thin transparent cover on the skin which helps the skin retain its natural moisture and the environmental conditions don't dry out the skin. Lip balms come in small tubes which are similar looking to lipsticks and if it’s a paste or cream one can dip one's finger in it to apply it or if it is like a stick then it is just rubbed on to the lips like a lip stick.

The basic ingredient of lip balms is any substance that will provide a skin cover so that air cannot dry it; there are other ingredients that are added by lip balm makers. These substances maybe a fragrance or a flavor or a sunscreen or even a medication and are added to make them more user friendly and for specific usage. Like chap sticks are popular in cold and dry climate and those with sunscreen are popular when one is out sun bathing or on the beach. No one wants to go around with lips that smell awful that is why lip balm makers add a color or a fragrance to a lip balm. Nowadays many people are going green or organic and a number of them want to use products that have natural ingredients in them. One can pick up a natural lip balm or even make natural lip balm themselves. Similarly for people who want to get organic products there are natural organic lip balm that one can get from any cosmetic maker who uses organic ingredients. One can also get lip balm moisturizer cream which acts as both as a lip balm as well as a moisturizer. This lip balm is used in case one feels that their skin is drying out and that they need additional moisturizer for the lips.

One can get lip balm tubes which are virtually available everywhere in places which have cold and dry weather and one can also buy lip balm tins which then can be used by the entire family. Like when a family is on a skiing vacation. If one wants to make their own lip balm there are plenty of sites on the internet from where they can get lip balm recipes and most lip balm recipes would contain two basic ingredients, one would be oil and the other beeswax and the mixture would depend on the thickness of the lip balm required. For color or fragrance one would add some natural food color or a couple of drops of fragrance.

Anti-aging lip balm lip mask are also made by some cosmetic makers who claim that the use of these lip balms helps the lips to remain wrinkle free. For those who feel exotic there is aromatherapy balm handmade lip massage oil soap also. Lip balms serve just one purpose and that is to retain the skin's natural moisture and the better protected the lips are the healthier they will look.