Maybe We All Need a Honey Lip Scrub in Our Lives

I make body scrubs. I make foot scrubs. But I have a confession.

For someone who spends a lot of time making things for dry skin, I was never particularly convinced that I needed to make a lip scrub.

It’s not that I didn’t understand the problem.

I’m a runner. I’ve run marathons. I was a lifeguard. I’ve been dehydrated, windburned and outside for far too long. I know what happens when lips get dry.

And I know about the licking-your-lips trap. They feel dry, so you lick them. They feel better for about thirty seconds, and then they feel even drier and sorer.

So yes, I understood sensitive, unhappy lips.

But scrubbing them?

That seemed a little…rough.

Then My Customers Started Asking

Over the years, customers would occasionally ask me:

“Do you sell lip scrub?”

I didn’t.

The lip scrubs I saw were brightly colored and flavored like bubble gum, and watermelon and coconut cupcakes. They seemed designed for a much younger beauty crowd, and none of it felt particularly “Backyard Bees.”

The more common question that customers asked me, and that I felt confident answering was:

“What’s your best lip balm for really dry lips?”

Lemon Bomb was my most common answer, but I could also recommend any of our beeswax lip balms.

But I started to notice who was asking. It was subtle. I started noticing it, not on teenagers, but on older women. The kind of women who spend their days outdoors, just like me.

Their lips looked flat, muted, and a bit gray.

That sounds horrible. But again…it was subtle.

Our lips are covered with much thinner, more delicate skin than many other areas of the body. They also have fewer natural oil glands, which leaves them especially vulnerable to wind, sun, cold air and dry indoor heat.

Sometimes you can apply your favorite lip balm again and again and still feel as though your lips aren’t quite smooth.

A beeswax lip balm creates a protective layer over the lips and helps reduce moisture loss. But if you’re trying to spread balm over loose, flaky skin, it doesn’t always feel as smooth—or work as comfortably—as you’d like.

As a beekeeper and an outdoor athlete, I started to rethink things. l finally understood what I was looking at and what the problem was. It wasn’t that their lips were inherently unhealthy; it was just a buildup of weathered, dead skin cells. That buildup can mute the lips’ natural color and make the whole face look a little tired.

I started to rethink the purpose of a lip scrub. Lip balm alone wasn’t going to give them the result they deserved.

I still wasn’t entirely convinced I needed to create a new product to go with my lip balm collection. Backyard Bees is about simplicity.

So, instead of selling another product, I decided to try something else. I began teaching people how to make one in my workshops. Nothing fancy. Just a simple combination of oil and sugar, followed by a beeswax lip balm.

Problem solved. Or so I thought.

And Then There Was the Woman at the Farmers Market

Then, last year, a beautiful woman stopped at my farmers market table.

She was one of those people who had clearly taken the time to look and feel her best. Her hair was perfect. Her makeup was beautiful. Everything was put together. And her blue eyes were sparkling.

Then I noticed her lips.

She was wearing gorgeous red lipstick over lips that were visibly flaky and cracked.

And what did she ask me?

“What’s your best lip balm for really dry lips?”

Of course, I wanted to give her a lip scrub right then and there.

Not a harsh scrub. Not something to attack her lips with. Just a gentle way to loosen the dry, flaky skin, followed by something nourishing and protective.

But I didn’t make lip scrubs. I only encouraged people to do it on their own.

This was one of those little moments when I realized not everyone likes to make things on their own.

So I Made a Lip Scrub

Our Honey Chamomile Lip Scrub is a little more complicated than the two ingredient recipe I shared in my workshops. But it’s still simple.

And special. Very special.

Because it’s not pink, or purple, or flavored like bubble gum or seven berries.

It’s yellow. Golden yellow. I LOVE the color!

Made with organic sea buckthorn oil mixed into Backyard Bees honey, chamomile-infused sunflower oil, fine-grained sugar, and a touch of vitamin E.

The sugar provides the gentle exfoliation. The oils and honey help make the experience feel less like “scrubbing” and more like a little bit of luxurious pampering.

Why Sea Buckthorn Oil?

I have to be honest. My first reason for choosing sea buckthorn oil was for the color. That beautiful golden-orange glow I mentioned isn’t from artificial dye. It comes from the sea buckthorn oil.

The Power of Sea Buckthorn Oil

Sea Buckthorn: Tiny Fruit, Big Power

Scientific name: Hippophae rhamnoides
Color: Brilliant golden orange
Known for: Carotenoids, tocopherols and an unusual fatty-acid profile

• Contains omega-3, 6, 7 and 9 fatty acids
• Especially notable for omega-7, which is less common in plant oils
• Carotenoids give the oil its naturally vivid color
• Helps condition dry-feeling skin and support its natural protective barrier
• A small amount gives an entire batch its sunny glow—without artificial dye

Sea buckthorn berries are naturally rich in carotenoids, which give them their striking color. The oil contains a distinctive combination of fatty acids, including omega-3, 6, 7 and 9.

In our Honey Chamomile Lip Scrub, organic sea buckthorn oil helps condition dry-feeling lips while giving the scrub its naturally sunny color.

A little goes a long way.

Dry Lips Don’t Care How Old You Are

I’ll admit that I once thought of lip scrubs as a young-person beauty product. I’ve changed my mind. Dry lips don’t really care how old you are.

They care about wind. Sun. Cold weather. Indoor heat. Dehydration. And, sometimes, the simple fact that you’ve spent the day outside living your life.

Some people are skeptics when I gently suggest they try a lip scrub. I understand. I’ve been there. Others are converts – like me. You’ll know what we mean if you try it.

Bee Gentle: How to Use a Lip Scrub

And this is the important part: gentle really is the word. You don’t need to scrub hard to get them smooth.

1. Scoop out a very small amount with clean, dry hands or a clean applicator.
2. Massage it lightly over your lips using small circular motions.
3. Rinse with cool water or wipe away with a soft, damp cloth.
4. Follow with a nourishing lip balm.

How often should you use a lip scrub? Answers always vary, but I don’t recommend using a lip scrub more than once a week. If your lips are irritated, cracked or especially sensitive, give them time to recover before exfoliating again.

I like to give my lips a gentle scrub before a special occasion – a date night, a wedding, a presentation.

Sometimes that one small step makes everything that comes after it work a little better.

And yes, after all these years of being skeptical about lip scrubs, I have to admit:

I get it now.

Looking for a ready-to-give version? Discover the Bee Kissable Gift Set.

Keep Reading

Learn more about keeping your lips soft and smooth in our Beeswax Lip Care Guide.

Or read another Bee-hind the Scenes story about the lip balm that isn’t lemon flavored: Lemon Bomb Is a Terrible Name.