When the weather turns cold and frightful, lips are among the first things to become decidedly undelightful. That means everyone is searching for the best chapstick and lip treatments to keep their lips from becoming a dry, flaky, and even painful nightmare. We took a look at some of the best ways to pamper your pucker this winter, starting with lip balms.

Balms

Despite its prevalence in every pocket or purse, finding the best chapstick can be tough. It shouldn't be, though, because it's part of your daily routine making it one of the most important pieces of your lip-care ritual. To break things down, some of our editors took a look at four of the most popular lip balms: ChapStick, Burt's Bees, Rosebud Salve, and Nive Lip Butter. Though everyone has their preferences, we wanted to give you an in-depth look at each of these brands so you can make a more informed decision! Here's the breakdown:

Chapstick

Notable ingredients: white petrolatum, carnauba wax, lanolin, paraffin

What our editors thought:

"It has this weird medicated smell." – Shannon J.

"I experimented with wearing [it] underneath my lip gloss. It did not feel heavy or sticky. It was nice, smooth, and enhanced my lip-gloss wear through longer-lasting glossy moisture." – Katrina T.

Burt's Bees

Notable ingredients: beeswax, coconut oil, sunflower-seed oil, peppermint oil, lanolin

What our editors thought:

"I think the peppermint tingle creates an illusion that the lip balm is [penetrating] deeper. … Toward the end of this trial period I began to feel like my lips were dependent on [it] and were more susceptible to dryness if I didn't have the stick readily available." – Katie A.

"I've always enjoyed the refreshing peppermint smell. … But that's about all I give Burt's Bees an A+ in. After a day and a half of using [this balm], I stopped. I felt like I was constantly—and I mean constantly—applying. My lips started to feel drier and drier. It felt like I couldn't get enough moisture. Personally, I think it was causing me chapped lips." – Katrina T.

Rosebud Salve

Notable ingredients: white petrolatum, cottonseed oil, essential oils, botanicals

What our editors thought:

"The rose scent made me feel like a classy, grownup lady. I found myself really mining this psychological benefit, slathering it on my lips, my cuticles, and my hands all day long. … The fact that it's a tin, rather than a tube, gave me some hygiene concerns. If I've just grabbed a subway pole or shaken hands with someone, I don't necessarily want to immediately dip my hands into a tin." – Rebecca L.

"It feels wonderful with my initial application and quickly became my favorite! It's super smooth—the smoothest lip product I have ever applied. It's glossy, rosy, and smells pleasant, too. … I rarely applied my normal lip glosses because I was satisfied with the color it provides." – Katrina T.

Nivea Lip Butter

Notable ingredients: petrolatum, shea butter, castor-seed oil, sweet-almond oil

What our editors thought:

"In general, I am a big fan of this, although I feel like I have to really dig into the lip balm to get how much I want. Update: I dug in and things got gooey. Is it weird that I liked this lip balm more before the added gooeyness?" – Shannon J.

"I really like the consistency. It's not as goopy as the Rosebud Salve and not as waxy as ChapStick. I can tell that a main ingredient is shea butter, it really smooths and softens. … I wouldn't hesitate to use it on my face if I happened to have a dry patch." – Katie A.

Overview

Once you've picked the best lip balm for you, consider adding vaseline into your nighttime routine, especially if dry lips are a real pain point for you. More potent than lip balm, it's also a little stickier and messier which is why you might not enjoy wearing it all day long. But at night, Vaseline works to repair damage done during the day, leaving you with softer, healthier lips by morning.

Purchase a 3-pack of ChapStick lip balm ($3.99+).

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Looking for something a little more intense than lip balm?

Chapstick isn't the only way to keep your lips free of uncomfortable dryness. For more dramatic results, try adding some of these treatments to your routine:

Scrubs

Lip scrubs are basically a gentle exfoliant for your lips. Facial and body exfoliants will be too rough for the sensitive skin on your lips, especially if they're already chapped. Simply apply a small amount of the scrub to gently brush away dead and flaky skin, then rinse or wipe off. Since scrubs are a bit harsher, you should only use them once or twice a week.

Purchase Bliss Fabulips Sugar Lip Scrub ($16.99).

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Masks

Lip masks work a lot like facial masks in that they offer deep-penetrating hydration and moisturizing for softer, healthier lips. The only difference is that as an added perk, many of these masks boast plumping powers for a fuller, poutier smile.

Purchase Hydrating Collagen Lip Mask ($8.99).

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