This post is by Bernie Carr, apartmentprepper.com
A lot of people carry a tube of lip balm to care for care for chapped lips. But lip balm has a lot more uses.
Blister relief
If you’re on a hike and feel a blister coming on but forgot to pack blister pads, apply lip balm on the affected area.
Firestarter
Just like lipstick, lip balm makes it easier to start a fire. Just apply it on a Q-tip or tinder and light with a match or lighter.
Protect dry cuticles
Sooth dry cuticles before they crack and cause a break in your skin by rubbing lip balm.
Insect bite relief
To relieve itching, apply lip balm directly on the insect bite.
Sun protection for your face
You can easily get sunburned while you’re outside and forget to bring sunscreen. Use lip balm to protect your face from the sun. Most lip balms have SPF 15 to protect your lips, so it will work on your skin as well. Avoid applying near your eye area.
Unstick a drawer
Lip balm can work as a lubricant as well. If you have a drawer that tends to stick, rub lip balm along the sides, bottom edges and slides.
Knife blade protection
Protect the blade of your knife from moisture and rust – rub a little lip balm along the blade.
Fix a zipper
When a zipper starts sticking, it’s likely to break completely, which can be an embarrassing and inconvenient situation. If you find your zipper sticking, apply some lip balm along both sides of the zipper. This should help prolong the life of the zipper.
Secret hiding place
Once the lip balm container is empty, you can use it as a secret hiding spot – store cash and other small items such as pills inside.
Leather moisturizer
Use lip balm to protect leather items such as shoes, belts, and bags. Just apply to the cracked areas.
Of course it is better to be prepared and have the actual items needed, but if you find yourself without supplies, reach for the lip balm. Did I miss any of your favorite uses? Please share in the comments.
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About the author:
Bernie Carr is the founder of Apartment Prepper. She has written several books including the best-selling Prepper’s Pocket Guide, Jake and Miller’s Big Adventure, The Penny-Pinching Prepper and How to Prepare for Most Emergencies on a $50 a Month Budget. Her work appears in sites such as the Allstate Blog and Clark.com, as well as print magazines such as Backwoods Survival Guide and Prepper Survival Guide. She has been featured in national publications such as Fox Business and Popular Mechanics. Learn more about Bernie here.
Image by Matt Sawyers from Pixabay
If you have to sew something with heavy thread you can rub some lip balm on the thread to make sewing easer
Hi Oldguy, That’s a good one, I will add that one to an update in the future. Thank you!
Something I saw years ago on Canadian TV – A emergence stove for a snow cave using a Sucrets or Altoids tin and lip balm or Vaseline and some rolled up gauze or cotton cloth as a wick. Rub the wick with the lip balm or Vaseline and lay it in the tin with one end sticking up and put the rest of the lip balm or Vaseline in the tin on top of the wick. Light it and you have a small emergence stove for the snow cave.
I’m going to have to try making one of those Altoid stove to see how it works. Thanks for the idea.
They showed it be used with the lid wide open. That would give you a way to pick it up. But I believe that you could do this with the lid resting on the wick just not closed all the way. This really is just a form of a “Betty Lamp” and that is a simple fat lamp I have seem ones in museums that were pre 1750’s
I have use lib balm to help with chaffing while out backpacking. Just cut a small piece off and rub in on the affected area.
Hey Ben, Another great addition. Thanks for the comment!