Hi all,
I wondered whether anyone has suggestions for the best lip balm for a flute player. I suffer from a wildly inconsistant embouchure that seems to stem from the varying states of raggedness happening on my lips. I’ve been switching brands quite a bit, but it seems like every brand has something in it (i.e. salycilic acid) that dries out one’s lips again in order to sell more product. Any suggestions?
-RCS
Cork grease, of course.
Megapop, you beat me to it! 
Mint flavored.
Simply licking the lips once in awhile keeps mine moist for a long time. It might not work so well if the mouth is dry, though.
Not exactly what you were asking about, but something worth noting, is that being dehydrated is something that will cause the lips to dry out much more quickly, and studies have shown most americans to be at least somewhat dehydrated the majority of the time. It may or may not fix the issue, but it’s worth at least drinking some extra big glasses of water during the day, to see if that helps the issue. It can’t hurt.
Chicken fat.
Bert’s Bee Balm.
I use lip balm from the Body Shop - the only kind that doesn’t make my lips sting. My preferred one is their Vitamin E.
Interesting about dehydration; I also drink a lot of water every day. In my experience, licking the lips only dries them more. Drink up, and good luck!
For me, chapped lips are a sign that I’m not drinking enough water.
Try to get a minimum of two quarts a day.
I hope this isn’t considered a medical thread.
As has been said, drink lots of water. Probably doesn’t hurt to have a decent amount of lipids (oils) in your diet. I don’t have a suggestion for a lip balm (don’t use it), but a good softener for lips is a drop of Jason’s Tea Tree Oil Hair Conditioner, or the Thursday Plantation Tea Tree Antiseptic Cream. Doubt it’s good to eat, but you can apply and rinse off.
Guinness (obviously)
I suffer from a wildly inconsistant embouchure
I suspect most of us do, how long have you been playing flute?
Charles Nicholson suggested that having the lips too wet is not good as it will enlarge the stream of air and loose focus.
A really high quality and fresh organic olive oil is what I use. But before you go out and get some for this and culinary uses, be sure to check out this link: http://truthinoliveoil.com/great-oil/how-to-buy-great-olive-oil/ Its also great for the skin. Preferred oil for anointing. Lesser quality grades were referred to as “lamp oil” and you do not want to use that.
My favorite oil comes from a farm near Orinda CA. Nice people. They are saving for me the occasional large trunk or two from trees that they have to occasionally remove or cull. California olive wood is very nice for flute and bagpipe making. Actually, any olive wood. I particularly like the harder and finer grained stuff from South Africa. I have plans to make myself something out of some that is very straight grained and intensely fiddlebacked.
Don’t overdo it on the water consumption. Too much water can cause problems. Especially on long car trips.
Casey
May I suggest moisturizing your lips when you get out of the shower. Moisturize your whole body then too. None of us are getting younger. Oils have a much harder time being absorbed into dry skin/lips than moist lips.
Thanks for the input, folks. I usually put grapeseed oil on my lips after I get out of the shower, but throughout the day the skin on my lips slowly dries and contracts, pulling them into different confirmations and (if I chew them) roughening the surface and adding turbulence to the airstream. (Ew on all accounts, I know). Additionally, I hydrate like crazy due to prior kidney stone risk.
I was always told the best cure for chapped lips is cow poop. It keeps you from licking them.
Try honey. No joke. It attracts water and on the way to the honey it moistens the dried out upper layers of skin. Also works with the irritated skin of the nostrils when having a bad cold and you are frequently sneezing. Sort of ancient hydrocolloid dressing.
And if you lick your lips it’s sweet as a bonus.
I’ve been using this for several years now http://store.nols.edu/store/pc/NOLS-Lip-Balm-p24.htm#.UZemA-BXH8s
Organic, tested only on humans, SPF 12, fair price, and works well. I like it better than any other lip balm I’ve tried over the years. The minor downside is that it’s only available from NOLS, and their minimum shipping is $6.50 to my location, so I buy 4-6 at a time, which lasts me 8-12 months and costs about the same as if I were buying the more expensive lip balm locally.
BTW, I notice that using lip balm right before playing has a negative effect on airflow over the lips. It doesn’t ruin my playing or anything like that, but I do notice that I have to adjust a hair, something I was surprised about when I first noticed the effect.
Cheers,
Loren
Hi,
This thread prompted me to try Vaseline Lip. Excellent results so far! 
Jim
Second that!