Keeping it Fresh: 3 Tips for Lip Balm Care

We love having a tube of Zambeezi lip balm ready for every moment, and even having some backups just in case! What we don't want is to reach for a lip balm and find that it isn’t as fresh as it once was. Zambeezi uses all natural ingredients and no preservatives when crafting lip balm, so how can you keep your lip balm fresh for the long haul? Here are 3 helpful tips for keeping your lip balm delicious. 

1. Keep in the right place

If you’re storing Zambeezi for a longer period of time, it thrives in a cooler, darker environment. Keeping it in a hot car, or a windowsill will not do you any favors in making your lip balm last. When Zambeezi is exposed to direct sunlight, it can lose its flavor and texture that we love, and go bad. 

If you notice your Zambeezi is not up to par, the very first step to check would be where you are storing it. The lip balm that you are using every day may not be affected, but the rest of the balms sitting in the variety 4 pack may be suffering heatstroke!

Julie des Tombe, a certified Zambeezi lover, shared her lip balm storage habits, and we were impressed! This method is a great way to keep your lip balm good as new for a long time. She said “this is my annual practice: I order a carton, it arrives, I dance around and feel totally RICH with lip balms!” Then what? She says “I put the contents of the carton into a ziplock in my fridge, date it, and over about a year I use them all up. Imagine if you will, the heat of August and me reaching into the fridge for a new balm, fresh and cool - oh yeahh!” 

Keeping your extra lip balm in the fridge, or in a dark and cool location when you won’t be using it is a great way to make sure it stays fresh! In between manufacture and shipping, we store our products in opaque totes in a climate controlled room, so this is what we’re used to. 

2. Keep THIS in mind…

When we’re talking about keeping our lip balm fresh,  also keep in mind that Zambeezi crafts our lip balms to be completely natural, and we don’t add any preservatives. This makes our lip balms great, and good for you and your skin, but they naturally don’t have the shelf life of lip balms that are full of additives. 

If you keep in mind that Zambeezi is an all-natural product, that is a great reminder not to leave it in a location where it will be spoiled. 

3. Keep using them!

Another way that you can keep your lip balm fresh is by using Zambeezi consistently! Zambeezi is best when it is close by and accessible, so while you might keep your year's supply in the fridge, keeping a tube on you and using it all throughout the day is a great way to get the most out of your lip balm and not have to worry about shelf life. If you are using it, it won’t go bad while just sitting there! 

Zambeezi lip balm, if kept properly, is good for over a year. If it is overexposed to heat and sun, then that time can be cut down by a lot. To make the most of your lip balm, keep this advice close and feel free to ask any of your pressing lip-balm-care questions in the comments section!