Give Your Head a Little Love, Part 3 of 3: Lips

Here’s the final third installment of the three-part head lovin’ series: lips. Those delectable, moist-alicious vessels for … oh, lots of things. This time of year, it’s tougher than ever to keep those beauties supple, smooth, happy, and healthy.

Today I tested three lip balms, provided by Metropolitan Market as a part of their month-long Wellness Fair January 4th through the 31st, 2012.

The first is both a lip and eye balm: Coffee Berry with Hemp Oil ($12) by naturals Skin by Ann Webb. Ann Webb has a spa in Austin, Texas – with her best friend, Joanna Marceaux, she’s created a product line that focuses on “optimal skin care.” I put this one on first today – it’s a large, thick stick offers immediate relief in the form of a thin, oily coating of sunflower seed oil, jojoba oil, coconut oil, shea butter, hemp seed oil, and cocoa seed butter. This stick provides immediate relief for dry, chapped lips, but needs to be replenished frequently throughout the day. I also tried it around my eyes and found it revitalized the area.

The Calendula Lip Balm ($5.50) is an organic product from bodyceuticals organic bodycare, a company based in Kirkland, Washington. Made with organic calendula oil, vitamin E and organic Pacific Northwest beeswax. Beeswaxy and floral in scent, this product comes in a .25-ounce mini jar. I applied the balm with a finger; not as slick as the previous product, this one is beeswax-forward, so thicker in its application while still feeling thin. Great for those who like to apply their balm with a finger.

Finally, there’s the Cocoa & Shea Butter Lip Balm ($2.99) by Alaffia. Dedicated to gender equality and poverty alleviation through the Fair Trade of handcrafted shea butter, this company is based in Olympia, Washington. Aside from the company’s fab do-gooder priorities, this one was my personal fav, because it comes in a small stick that easily fits in my purse side pocket and doesn’t require finger-application. Also, the blend of (certified fair trade) shea butter, beeswax, cocoa butter, palm kernel oil, and virgin coconut oil makes the application of the balm thick – a fact which I personally love (both because I like to feel well-coated and I like to limit the number of applications in a given day). Oh, and the low price point doesn’t hurt, either.

All of these products can be found both at the online shops of the respective companies, as well as Metropolitan Markets. The Metropolitan Market’s 2012 Wellness Fair has a list of events that include bone density screening, health and wellness-related book signings, and cooking demos. Their Wellness Department offers assistance with and education regarding sleep, nutrition, and immune system, weight, bone, skin, and cholesterol level health.

So if you want to nourish more than your heads, dear hedonists, you may just want to check it out.

Note: In order to comply with FTC Act 16 C.F.R. 255, Heed the Hedonist would like to disclose that it does receive media “comps” and/or media discounts – but not in exchange for favorable coverage, or for withholding unfavorable overage, of the given venue/meal/performance/product/service.