Unusual uses for lip balm that don’t involve your lips

If you’re anything like us, a stick of lip balm is one of those items that is never far away.

You’ve probably got one buried deep inside your handbag or stashed away in the bathroom cupboard right now, just in case your partner begins complaining about their cracked lips.

While lip balm is great to have on hand in the cooler months, most of us forget about it when summer rolls around.

We here at Starts at 60 have actually discovered some unusual uses for lip balm. The crazy part is none of these actually involve your lips.

Unzip a stuck zipper

There’s nothing worse than having a pair of jeans or a clothing item with a zipper that just won’t zip and unzip correctly. Lip balm can actually act as a lubricant to help the zip run more smoothly. Simply run your lip balm along the zip to loosen it.

Use it to heal a burnt tongue

We’ve all been in that situation where we’ve underestimated how hot a cup of coffee or tea is and accidentally burnt our tongues. It’s the kind of pain that isn’t terrible, but the uncomfortable feeling can linger for days. If you dry the impacted part of your tongue and gently apply some medical lip balm to it, this should relieve the feeling until the tongue heals itself.

Keep hair dye off your skin

Dying your hair can leave you feeling fresher and more confident about yourself, but it can be humiliating when you accidentally colour your forehead, ears, face, or neck in the process. If you apply some lip balm to the skin areas around the hair you’re colouring, you’ll notice that it looks much cleaner when you’re finished.

Perfect for paper cuts

There’s nothing more annoying than a paper cut. While there’s usually not much blood involved, there’s no denying how much they can sting. When you dab a paper cut with some lip balm, you’re preventing air from reaching the exposed nerves that cause the pain in the first place. This will also help if you’ve cut yourself shaving or have another minor cut. Try using a lip balm with a wax base to prevent bleeding.

Prevent nose irritation from colds

If you’ve come down with a cold or a flu, you’ll know how painful your nostrils can become after blowing your nose a dozen times. Applying some lip balm over the dry, irritated areas around your nostrils will leave you feeling better (well, as better as you can feel until your cold clears up).

Protect outdoor lightbulbs

If you’ve ever tried to unscrew a blown lightbulb that’s been outdoors for quite some time, you’ll know how difficult it can be when the elements and rust impact the screw. If you coat the socket with some lip balm before you screw in a bulb, you should find that it coats the metal and prevents it from getting damaged. This will make it a lot easier when you eventually have to replace it.

Do you have an unusual use for lip balm that we’ve missed? Be sure to let us know.