20 Best Lip Balms For Men
Winter is hard on your lips. And sun, wind, long nights of drinking? A lip destroyer, every one. The indisputable fact is: if your lips are chapped, you will not make them better by licking them. An only slightly better solution is to rub some waxy, petroleum-based drugstore stuff on and call it good. We suppose you could borrow some lip balm from your wife/girlfriend/sister/better equipped friend, but really (and you know where we’re headed with this) your best bet for an acceptable level of lip protection is stocking up on one (or all) of these 20 best lip balms for men.
Made from stuff that’s actually good for the skin on your lips, our selection of the hardest-working, best-protecting, non-glossy lip savers will ensure you’re able to pucker, whistle, and smile without cracking, burning or peeling this winter—and this coming summer, and all the seasons after.
Cool, clean mint features heavily as a flavor, with butters like shea and cocoa delivering the comfort while oils of coconut, olive and avocado contribute some much needed moisture to winter-worn lips. Unique ingredients like hops, beef tallow and raspberry seed oil make appearances too. Pick out a few of your favorite lip balms from our list and ditch your stick of chap wax, along with flakey lips, forever.
The Best Lip Balm For Men
Duke Cannon Cannon Balm Lip Protectant
Duke Cannon makes grooming supplies for men and you would not use the word dainty to describe any of their stuff. This one especially. At over half an ounce, it’s about four times that of a standard stick and full of hard-working, natural ingredients. Tested by active military personnel, it works in just about any situation with SPF 15 and and a clean mint flavor. Since it can withstand heat up to 125º, it won’t melt in your pocket, assuming your pockets are big enough. – Shop Now
Olivina Men Organic Lip Balm
Since you’re already digging Olivina Men’s beard oil, body wash, and/or deodorant, you now have a lip balm to complete your grooming scent profile. There’s a Bourbon Vanilla lip balm that complements their Bourbon Cedar products, a Juniper Mint balm to go with their Juniper Tonic, and a Ginger Citrus tube to round out their Ginger Beer collection. Like all Olivina Men products, these three balms have olive, hemp and grape seed oil to give you hydrated lips — and a topped off grooming game. – Shop Now
Ernest Supplies Lip Protectant With SPF 15
Ask anyone who’s ever had one, a sunburn on your lips is no joke. If your day involves extended time under the big open sky (especially anything snow- or water-related) do yourself a favor and opt for some SPF in your balm. This broad spectrum balm uses non-nanoparticle zinc oxide (one of the better sun protection ingredients out there) along with calendula, olive oil, beeswax, and a dose of spearmint for freshly unburnt lips. – Shop Now
Brickell No Shine Lip Balm For Men
Olive oil puts the moisture in, beeswax keeps it from getting back out and a little Vitamin E brings some lip tending to the mix. Brickell tested it in wind and sun conditions and it kept the protection going strong and sustained. It’s all natural, all organic, and has a light mint flavor — plus the no-shine formula means you can keep your lips from drying out without looking like you just ate a stick of butter. – Shop Now
C.O. Bigelow Mentha Lip Balm Stick
Not interested in trusting your face to some fly-by-night, upstart balm maker? Check out C.O. Bigelow. They’ve been operating their NYC apothecary and providing customers with prescriptions and personal care products since 1838. This particular item is from their own line of grooming necessities and contains 10% shea butter and 2% peppermint oil. The result is a fresh wave of mint in a no-shine formula that stays on for the long haul and keeps lips happy — in a time-honored manner. – Shop Now
Jack Black Intense Therapy Lip Balm
This family run company out of Carrollton, TX has been making skincare for men for 17 years. So, no, it’s not that other Jack Black. Their lip balm is a huge seller, gathering awards all over the place. With shea butter and avocado, plus Vitamin E and green tea extract, this blue squeeze tube holds an emollient balm that goes on easy and sinks in quickly. It’s got the highest sun protectant on our list and comes in a slew of interesting flavors. – Shop Now
Matte For Men Intense Mint Protective Lip Balm
Matte for Men is another company that wants to make sure skincare for men isn’t too complicated. So for the problem of overexposed lips, this protective balm is a swipe-it-and-forget-it answer. With all the heavy-hitter lip moisturizers in there (cocoa and shea butter, beeswax, Vitamin E), this too is a no-gloss formula but the prizewinner here is the mint. Not a light hint, this in an intense dose of both spearmint and peppermint for a cooling blast to the mouth. – Shop Now
Tom Ford Hydrating Lip Balm For Men
When it’s time to treat your lips to a little something exceptional, Tom Ford is the brand to call on. Hailing from the fashion designer/filmmaker’s line of skincare for men, this hydrating lip balm is made from a blend of oils, butters and vitamins to protect and keep your lips feeling comfortable. Yes, it costs a bit more than your drugstore options, but when you put it on, your face will know you (really) care. – Shop Now
Salt & Stone Lip Balm
Sea salt, sun, sand. Spend the day surfing and your lips will require some love. This brand out of Los Angeles goes by the name Salt & Stone and makes unisex and natural skincare products with an extra helping of antioxidants. Their California Mint Lip Balm uses natural and organic ingredients like beeswax, coconut and olive oils, and essential peppermint oil for a balm that protects and hydrates — even the if you’ve never surfed a day in your life. – Shop Now
Dr. Bronner’s Organic Lip Balm
Sure it’s called a lip balm but Dr. Bronner wants you to use it any and everywhere. Much like their magic soap of the fabled eighteen different uses, this balm does septuple duty, soothing your elbows, feet, cuticles, chin, hands, lips, and tattoos. It’s an all-organic blend of jojoba, avocado, and hemp oils plus beeswax and essential oils in three different flavors. Orange Ginger is particularly nice. Or go with the original zip of Peppermint. – Shop Now
Forsvaret Hudsalve
For those who aren’t interested in a uni-tasker taking up space in their carry, we’d like to introduce Hudsalve. Condition your boots, avoid frostbite, rub on wounds, ward off mosquitoes, battle dry elbows, and yes, use it on chapped lips. Created for the Swedish military over 50 years ago, this uses natural fats (like beef tallow) and oils (including peanut). It’s made in Denmark and has even been said to grease a weapon or two. This is one tube that will absolutely earn its keep in your pocket or bag. – Shop Now
Lucky Bastard Original Lip Balm
Based out of Venice, CA, Lucky Bastard makes just one kind of lip balm, in three choices of delivery vehicle: tube, tin or slider. The original is form is the noble circle tin — fits in that 5th pocket you never know what to do with and is made from organic ingredients, sourced directly from the farm. Every tin is hand poured and hand labeled in California and the stuff inside has lip friendly things like beeswax, calendula-infused almond oil and red raspberry seed oil. – Shop Now
Otter Wax Lip Balm
Like it in a tin and a little bit sweet? This is just the balm you want. Portland, Oregon’s very own Otter Wax makes all-natural fabric and leather care products along with a line of apothecary goods, which includes this balm. Pick from three flavors: Cider Spice, Ginger Lime, or Peppermint — all are made from natural oils, butters, and beeswax, plus a little bit of wildflower honey and agave nectar to sweeten things up a bit. (If you’re not loving the sweet, go for the un-sweetened peppermint.) – Shop Now
Baxter Of California Hydro Salve Lip Balm
They had us at “mojito flavored.” It’s our sincere belief that more things should taste like, smell like or actually contain booze. Coming from the luxury men’s grooming brand, Baxter of California, this tube of Hydro Salve Lip Balm delivers shea butter, macadamia oil, aloe and gotu kola (a cousin of parsley known for its sweet/bitter/cool flavor). Lemon lime and peppermint oil lend that much appreciated mojito vibe. – Shop Now
Buckler’s Chapped Lip Remedy
We’re betting you’re not interested in looking like you just slurped a shot of olive oil every time you apply some lip balm. This lip remedy form Buckler’s promises a no-shine experience in a shiny silver tube. Their formula creates a physical block on your lips to protect against drying wind, while oil of avocado, and butters of cocoa and shea bring moisture. Their original product, Buckler’s Chapped Skin Remedy has been helping cure dry skin for years. Now the same can go for your lips. – Shop Now
Portland Bee Balm
Ingredient lists for lip balms can range from the exhausting to the downright sparse. This is one of those minimal lists. Portland Bee Balm uses just four ingredients: coconut oil, olive oil, peppermint oil, and of course beeswax from Pacific Northwest hives. The tube comes wrapped in a thin sheet of wood instead of a plastic or paper label and they company gives part of their profits to the Portland Urban Beekeepers Association. – Shop Now
Nivea For Men Active Lip Care
This lip balm has “Hydra IQ”! While we’re pretty sure they’re not trying to say this balm is as smart as a mythical multi-headed snake beast, it still sounds pretty cool. Nivea has been making lotions and skincare products for about a thousand years now (or 136) so they know their way around a chapped lip. With Vitamin B5 and a no-shine, no-scent formula, Nivea’s Active Lip Care is totally what Hercules would have used, had it only been around. – Shop Now
Kiehl’s Facial Fuel No-Shine Moisturizing Lip Balm
We’re pretty sure this is the only brand on our list to have sponsored an Everest ascent. The climbers used Kiehl’s products on their journey — and if anyone could use a lip balm, a guy climbing Everest is probably top of the list. For those of us not scaling mountains, the shea butter, Vitamin C, apricot oil and jojoba butter in this Facial Fuel balm will protect and hydrate. And do it effectively, just like Kiehl’s famed products have been doing for a hundred plus years now. – Shop Now
Damn Handsome Hoppy Mint Lip Balm
Hops have a long history of treating various ailments, from insomnia to wounds. Though, admittedly, the plant’s real contribution to society has been the magic it brings to beer. So we were happy to find a lip balm — made by Damn Handsome, makers of beer-ingredient grooming products — that employs the aromatic flower, along with avocado and olive oil, mango butter and Candelilla wax. Just don’t hold us responsible if every time you put it on, you start craving an IPA. – Shop Now
Evolution Man Lip Balm
Designed by a celebrity groomer (for male actors, not poodles), Evolution Man skincare products are meant to be effective yet easy to use. While we’re sure you won’t have trouble figuring out how to use lip balm, we still appreciate the nod towards a simplified routine. This balm’s got beeswax, shea butter and sunflower seed oil that smooth and protect lips while leaving behind a long lasting matte finish. And hey, what’s good enough for celebrities and models, might just be good enough for you too. – Shop Now
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