Chapsticks/Lip stuffs - Discussion & recommendations

[BrianJohnston]

Hi all,

Another curiosity of mine is discussing various chapsticks that you use either for protection/repair or to play with.

I've heard that mr. Alessi uses olive oil to do all of the above, & i've found coconut oil to work well for playing. As for Chop-Saver, this is a great way to protect my lips from the sun & cold/dry weather, but it's not something that works well for me while playing.

What are your experiences with various chapsticks, what do you recommend, and what other positive or horror stories do you have with your lips?

[Vegasbound]

I use carmex although the blend here in the uk is not as good as when I get it on visits to the states

Chop saver is another I have used....another thing I do and used it on the ships after a heavy night of playing is to put my mouthpiece in a glass of iced water then onto my chops to help with any swelling or discomfort

[Bach5G]

Olive oil, a little garlic, some pine nuts, chopped basil and pesto!

[Burgerbob]

drink water and use Burt's Bees, in that order.

[GabrielRice]

I like Burt's Bees, and I also like Blistex Medicated Lip Balm - not the cream in a squeeze tube, but the kind that looks like a chapstick tube. It doesn't have camphor or phenol, and it has SPF 15 sun protection.

I don't like Chopsaver, and I think it's because of the anti-inflammatory property. I need for my lips to swell up a little to get sounds I like.

[harrisonreed]

Drink water, use burt's bees classic, and make sure chapstick isn't on your face once the mouthpiece hits your face.

Chapstick and water keep your lips good until you have to play, but the mouthpiece shouldn't be sliding around on chapstick once you start playing. That is one crutch that I wouldn't want to have "oh no, I forgot my chapstick and now I can't play the gig"

[mbarbier]

I'm pretty obsessed with lip balm cause I always found my lips to be overly sensitive- hard agree on lots of water. my favorite by far is the store brand citrus lip balm for Natural Grocers. They're a chain health food store in the Colorado/Utah zones.

it's cheap and does really well with the cold and the dry, but works pretty well in the humidity back home in Louisiana too. it's a good texture- I can put it on while playing and it's fine and not too slippery.

[BrianJohnston]

Definitely not a good idea to get addicted to performing with chapsticks, I agree!

I'm mostly looking for some help with heavy practice sessions & ways to heal so the next day isn't as rough.

[ngrinder]

I use simple vaseline daily in the winter, but if I'm playing a LOT (like, 6-8 hours a day), I will apply a mixture of castor and clove oil. Both clove and castor keep things clean, but the ricinoleic acid in castor oil has really good anti-inflammatory properties to keep swelling at bay. I'll do this at the very end of the day or sometimes after each service.

[Kbiggs]

I use Nivea products for sensitive skin—shaving cream, after shave and lip moisturizer. I like their lip moisturizer better than chapstick and Lip Saver. It’s not as tacky feeling, and it protects well. Wipes off easily.

Drink lots of water.

After a heavy session, especially when I feel tired and swollen, I will dunk the mouthpiece in ice water and massage my lips with the mouthpiece. Dunk for 20-30 seconds, massage for 10-15 seconds, and repeat for about 5 minutes, 10 minutes max. Work the mouthpiece around the ring in the lips, up and down, side to side. Sometimes I will also blow through the corners so they make a sound while the cold mouthpiece is in that corner, like a “sidesaddle” cornetto embouchure. It works for me.

I haven’t tried castor oil or clove oil. Might be worth a try when I’m able to play long, hard sessions again.

[Kdanielsen]

drink water and use Burt's Bees, in that order.

Winner

[Posaunus]

For me: Burt's Bees, followed by Islay single-malt Scotch!

[mbtrombone]

I drink water, and use Blistex DCT (Daily Conditioning Treatment). I have tried Burt's Bees, but it dried out the corners of my mouth/lips really badly after about a week. Thought it might have been a one off, but I tried it again (after loosing my DCT) and it did the same thing a week later. Third time I lost the DCT the Burts was all I could find and it again after a week caused the same drying out for me. So, I just bought a bunch of DCT and keep one in my car, one in my case, one on my desk, and one in my pocket.

I also had really great success with Neosporin Lip Health Overnight Renewal Therapy, at the end of the day in really dry climates when traveling, but I don't go to the same music festival every summer now, so I haven't really needed it since then. The DCT works well for me daily.

[Doubler]

For me: Burt's Bees, followed by Islay single-malt Scotch!

So that's what gives you that smoky sound....

[Reedman1]

This is very good lip cream, developed by a trumpet player. https://www.robinsonsremedies.com/

[Basbasun]

Olive oil. I think I have been using olive oil for 30 years. For me the best there is.

[bigbandbone]

Doc Reinhardt told his students to use Ammon A&D ointment. Still use it to this day.

[hyperbolica]

I used to use Vitamin E oil when I was playing 4-8 hours a day. It seemed to work. Very rarely had lip issues.

[baileyman]

Trader Joe's. Lasts and doesn't feel goopy.