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Well I dont imagine you are using that much vaseline that it would make its way into your horn....maybe you would have to clean your mouthpiece but opther than that you should be fine. Also, most valve oils are made of petroleum byproducts so any small amount of vaseline that might (hypothetically ) make it in to the horn would be pretty easily dissolved by the valve oil. I know I constantly use chapstick this time of year and have never had an issue.

whatever happened to DCT?

It is a petroleum product and should be fine.

I use this too in the winter and most times put some on before I go to bed at night. If you have a lot on your lips, just give 'em a good wipe off before you play. Unless you put a whole lot on your lips right before you play, I don't see why any would get into your tuba at all.

For many people (especially brass players), Chapstick, Blistex, and any other products containing petroleum distillates are problematic, if not problem-causing. The petroleum may contribute to drying your lips, so the more you use it, the more you need it. Ultimately, the cause is moisture (mouthpiece and/or licking your lips), which, when it evaporates rapidly in dry air, can cause the irritation. The petroleum-based products don't really moisturize, they just soothe. I used to be one of the people who "constantly used" Chapstick this time of year, to the point that I practically couldn't leave the house before checking to be sure I had some on me. I was told (by a doctor) to try a balm that had no petroleum products in it. The most common, easily-findable brand that comes to mind is Burt's Bees. I get a little chapped, I used it for a day, maybe two, all better. And it's never presented a problem with my horns. Also recommended was to include "good oils" in the diet, such as fish oils and olive oil. Seems to work.

From what I understand of it, the beeswax is more for substance, and it's the natural oils (coconut oil, sunflower oil) in it that help. Best stuff ever, for my $. If you're looking for sunscreen protection, you won't find it in the regular Burt's, but I believe they do have a version with it.

Now, I'm not a superfreak health-nut, but the ingredients in Burt's are:
Beeswax, coconut oil, sunflower oil, tocopheryl acetate & tocopheryl (forms of Vitamin E), lanolin, peppermint oil, comfrey root extract (herb), rosemary extract.

The ingredients in Chapstick are:
Padimate O (sunscreen) 1.5%, white petrolatum 44%. These are the only ingredients listed on the tube.

Other ingredients (from Chapstick.com) include:
Arachidyl Propionate: A skin softener and humectant obtained from coal and limestone;
oleyl alcohol:unsaturated fatty alcohol;
octyldodecanol: unsaturated fatty alcohol, can cause contact dermatitis in some;
isopropyl myristate:a known irritant of eyes, skin and respiratory systems [Isopropyl is derived from propane, a gaseous and flammable component of petroleum. Myristic acid, a fatty acid, can be derived from most vegetable and animal fatty acids, but most especially from nutmeg (Myristica fragrans), palm seed fats, milk fat and sperm whale (Physeter catodon) fat];
methylparaben: a preservative; parabens have been found in breast cancer tissue (methylparaben is a common ingredient in deodorants);
among other ingredients.

Personally, I'll stick with Burt's...

We have been playing loud and long too often.When I leave a four hour gig with lips burning and know tomorrow morning boils will be breaking out,I know I have overdone it.I love to crack that tuba but a career is not likely when I injure myself every time I perform.
My niece Phaedra,is a operatic soprano at Busch Gardens at Williamsburg.She works with a lot of brass players that play seven shows a day and have the same problem I have.She said they are using Aand D
ointment to rub on thier lips before a show to prevent rashes before they happen.I tried the stuff this week and healed up more quickly than usual
but A and D ointment is for diaper rash.A baby may not mind the stuff rubbed on his butt but the odor on one's lips is a little much-but hey,the stuff works.
tubatooter1940

MSUEuphman wrote: Most people use carmex, but the rumors or truths of carmex is that they add fiberglass and meat tenderizer to the mix to soothe cold sores.

I think you just ended my nightly use of carmex. Meat tenderizer? Fiberglass? Yikes.

I use Burt's during the day, agree it is the best around.

MA

MSUEuphman wrote:...the rumors or truths of carmex is that they add fiberglass and meat tenderizer to the mix to soothe cold sores.

Rumors are dangerous things, and have unfairly hurt a lot of companies (just ask anyone who works at Proctor & Gamble).

On the rare occasion I use anything on my lips, it's vaseline. But it bugs me to see a company or product maligned unfairly, as this rumor about Carmex does. From the Carma Labs website FAQ:

What's In Carmex?
We list all ingredients on the jar's lid or the side of the tube.
Carmex is a blend of Menthol, Camphor, salicylic acid, phenol, and fragrance in a base of petroleum, lanolin, cocoa butter and a mixture of waxes. Additionally, our Click-Stick with sunscreen includes Octyl Methoxy Cinnamate and Oxy Benzone contributing to an SPF of 15. Our new Mint Click-Stick has an SPF of 30, giving even more protection against the sun's rays.

Companies can get into BIG trouble for putting an incorrect or misleading ingredients list on a product, so unless there is some evidence to back this claim I would absolutely assume it to be false. MSUEuphman, I know you meant know harm, and I bear you no malice. You are (I assume) young, and I'll chalk it up to inexperience, but you should never repeat something like this unless you know it to be true. But rest assured, I don't post this so much to spank you as to be fair to the Carmex folks -- and to folks like MA who have found it to be a useful product.
______________________________
Joe Baker, who required less than three minutes to investigate this rumor.

Carmex has camphor, which should be reason enough to not put it on your lips. The feeling when you put it on is enough to tell me "this shouldn't be on my lips".. I dated a girl a few years ago who used Carmex daily and I could still feel my lips being eaten away an hour after kissing her. Really creepy stuff.

I used to use DCT until somebody turned me onto Burt's Bees Wax.. DCT is a bit greasy but once it soaks in your lips feel natural.. I don't like the mintiness of Burt's Bees Wax, but it seems to work the best for me.

my $.02

Given that those references are on Blistex' web site, one might question the objectivity of those facts.. ESPECIALLY since they were only excerpted.

A quick net search reveals "proof" both ways. Disregarding that and talking only about camphor, it is known that 1)it restricts the capilaries in your lips(that's what the numbing is.. "virtual moisture" from restricted blood flow), and 2)rather than healing the damaged part of your lips, it simply kills it and lets it fall off.

So what you get is tender lips with restricted blood flow to them. hmm.

(I shudder to imagine what the camphor does to your lungs if you smoke menthol cigarettes!)