I’m curious what people’s experience with lip balm is and how it effects their playing.
Last night, I used a moisturing cream my son’s pediatrician recommened (for dry skin and lips) on my lips. About an hour later, I tried to play, and I flat out stank. I could still kind of feel the cream on my lips, but there really wasn’t anything to wipe off. I’ve used standard blistex and chapstick before, it wipes off easily, and my playing is fine. Naturally, I at first thought, uh oh - cracked flute, but the flute looked fine and my delrin Seery sounded just as bad. Granted, I still sometimes, when tired for example or if I have a bad head cold, have off embouchure nights, but last night was really bad.
Anyone else have something like this happend? And why, I wonder, was this cream more of a problem than chapstick? Then again, it could just have been one of those nights…
Eric, I use Carmax, and apply it a few times in a session, if I forger it at home I’m screwed, lucky for me, my wife plays at the session as well, and she always has Carmax with her.
Years ago I tried every lip balm on the market,hoping to find the one that would improve my flute playing…
But tone is (or,better,should be) produced by the inner,humid part of lips (mucose membrane).
I’ve learnt that from an Irish friend who is a brilliant flute player,both technically and musically.
good,relaxed breath support and embouchoure can compensate to dry lips better than anything else
all that said,I’ve found that eating some good bitter chocolate before gigs improves my playing…
An old time fluter and former teacher of mine suggested lanolin but applied an hour or so before playing. Provides supple lips and prevents cracks. Good stuff http://www.lanolin.co.nz/lanolin.htm
I do agree with Michael on the inner lip tone production, however. Winter here on Long Island, NY USA is real dry so lanoling works well for me if applied in the morning - I usually begin practice around 1600.
I use blistex before going to sleep on most nights, find it almost essential to keep my lips smooth enough to sound well. I also brush my lips (before the blistex) with a soft tooth-brush.
Perhaps I’m wierd. A phobic or something. It can happen to anyone who plays flute you know. It’s the extra oxygen on the brain.
Michel - it’s funny, but good strong black tea, plain, seems to help my playing for some reason. In contrast, coffee seems to do the opposite.
It’s just so darn dry where I’m at that unless I use something on my lips right now they crack (to the point of bleeding) which doesn’t help my playing, either.
I’ll just stick to good old blistex or chapstick.
Boy am I tired of winter…more ice/snow coming my way, dry skin, lips and flutes.
I use lip balm, but I always have to wipe it off prior to playing. There are certain moisturizers that I have to avoid, however. Some of them are so hydrating that it makes my lips plump up. It makes me feel like I’m playing with somebody else’s lips, and my tone suffurs. Eric, perhaps that moisturizer that you used acted in the same way.
Dana - that’s the way my lips felt, too! They were soft, but they didn’t work like they should have and they did feel bigger (but I just thought I’d slightly lost touch with reality ).
I think that happens to all of us in the winter duldrum areas. Long Island is no picnic either even though we’re surrounded with water (salt, of course). Enough, already!!!
I just got in 30 minutes of play when my upper lip developed a fever sore - blister! What a bummer! I also play chromatic harmonica and the fever sores don’t mix with it. I moved the flute a bit more to the right on my embouchure and got by OK. Who knows how it will grow tomorrow (the blister not the flute). Now I’ll resort to Ambersol instead of Lanolin.
You guys might want to try http://www.chopsaver.com. It was developed by a trumpet player with musicians in mind. Pretty good stuff, and no drying agents, like those in Carmex and Blistex.
As the saying goes, just because you’re paranoid doesn’t
mean that people aren’t out to get you.
My dermatologist recommends carmex.
What is it in it that dries lips out?
The Chopsave stuff is inviting, but gee it’s
a bit expensive.
You can read about Carmex at it’s website http://www.carma-labs.com/CarmaFAQs.htm . The ingredient I’m concerned with is salicylic acid. Their own website describes it as a “cold sore drying agent”. It’s often used in zit creams, and for skin exfoliation. Another ingredient, Camphor is an anesthetic agent.
I used to use Carmex regularly. My lips do better using something without all that stuff. I agree that the Chopsaver is pretty expensive. I really like Camille Beckman lip balm. Several flutists in my area are pretty hooked on it. Now my husband uses it, and he lets me know when he’s running low! http://www.camillebeckmanonline.com/lipbalm.html . It’s about $3 per tube, and it lasts forever.
I’v been using Badger Balm http://www.badgerbalm.com/ for a few years now. I use the unscented healing balm for my lips and fingers when they get dried a bit and don’t cover the holes. I also use it on the cork most of the time. I also have the scented and it works as well. I put a small amount in a small container that I carry around with me and use it as needed. I have no financial interest in the company.
I like the Burt’s Bees and Body Shop Hemp stuff the best, but in either case I have to wipe it off before I play or the flute flies all over the place!
This year, I bought and have been using a room humidifier, and my lips have not been as bad as before I started using it. I still need lip balm from time to time, but it seems to help. I keep it just above 40%, which is still on the low side for a flute-but OK for stringed instruments and people. If the flute is wooden, it’s better kept in a container to maintain the higher humidity required anyway.
The model I bought in case anyone wants a decently priced ($30-40), easy care humidifier is a Honeywell HWM-2030. No filters to mess with, or added to the expense of maintaining one. It’s quiet too (no fan), except for some glug-glugs when it’s using the tank water to refill the reservoir.
It may also help with lip moisture to drink more water in lower humidity, at least it can’t hurt!
For those of you who consider ChopSaver too expensive, I’m guessing perhaps you haven’t tried it! When you consider how well it works and how long one tube lasts, cost ceases to become an issue.
At least that’s what all my customers are telling me!
).
